Bukjeh comes to SAM
22 June 2022
Join SAM for a special performance of Bukjeh on 18 June 2022.
This Saturday the community is invited to join SAM for a very special performance, titled Bukjeh, led by artist & creator Aseel Tayah. In Arabic, “bukjeh” is the name for a small pack of belongings carried by travellers and refugees. These few objects paint an intimate portrait of their carrier, with each item holding memories and histories of places that were once home. The stories of new and diverse communities are at the heart of Bukjeh, unravelled through the often-meagre objects chosen to carry along on the journey to a new life.
Bukjeh is an interactive installation made accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. Audiences will hear profound and honest accounts of the migrant and refugee experience, told through performances of song, dance, visual imagery, poetry and spoken word. This performance offers a unique opportunity to learn about the journeys of the people who live, work, and grow in our region.
Created by Aseel Tayah in 2018, Bukjeh grew from a one-day activation at the Melbourne Immigration Museum into a touring show that has gone on to be presented dozens of times at sites across Victoria. The aim of Bukjeh is to empower people who might feel uncertain in conversing about the reasons and impacts of global migration because they do not know the ‘right’ questions to ask, or due to fear of saying the ‘wrong thing’.
Gabriella Calandro, SAM Engagement Manager & Acting Artistic Director, says of the program:
“It’s a privilege to be able to bring Bukjeh to SAM. Greater Shepparton has a rich heritage of migration and settlement, which has shaped and distinguished our region. We’re fortunate to have a space at SAM in which new arrivals to our community are welcomed and are helped to feel embedded in the cultural fabric of the town.”
Bukjeh at SAM will take place on 18 June from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. For more event information and to book tickets, visit https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/whats-on/sam-special-events/bukjeh-at-sam/
About the Artist:
Aseel Tayah is a Melbourne-based Palestinian artist, creative director and cultural leader who uses her practice to advocate for artists of colour, mothers, children and young people, changing the world, one project at a time. She has recently been described as “an unstoppable force in the Australian cultural landscape.” Through the power of storytelling, Aseel’s artistic practice creates awareness and facilitates connection by humanising the experiences of people who have been displaced.
ENDS
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), located on Yorta Yorta Country, is one of Australia's outstanding regional art museums, showcasing our exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways and creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all audiences. Artists are central to our work. Our programming is designed to be locally relevant and engage with global contemporary ideas. SAM is recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection, and our nationally significant collection of Indigenous art. As the only public art museum in Greater Shepparton and north central Victoria, our mission is to present great art in Shepparton, and to contribute to the cultural enrichment, community engagement and economic prosperity of the region.
Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, Marketing Officer, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
New ceramics showcase exhibition and Art Wall mural to open at SAM.
1 June 2022
New ceramics showcase exhibition and Art Wall mural to open at SAM.
The second instalments of the Level 1 showcase and the Furphy Art wall will open at Shepparton Art Museum over the next 7 days.
Drawing from SAM’s expansive ceramics collection, Social Ceramics is an exhibition that celebrates objects that stand at the centre of our shared experiences, with the humble tea set placed firmly in the spotlight. This exhibition offers a playful exploration of functional ceramics, with colourful commercial wares by Bendigo Pottery and bold tea and liquor sets by Guy Boyd and Allan Lowe.
Jessica O’Farrell, SAM Exhibitions Curator, says of the exhibition:
“This ceramics showcase continues the sentiment posed by the previous exhibition, Everyday Australian Design, of celebrating the objects that we use in our daily lives. This show inhabits the space between SAM and its adjoining café. Our hope is that visitors sitting and chatting over a coffee will see pieces from our collection we’ve chosen to highlight and be excited to reflect on the ways these types of ceramic vessels are central to our social interactions and shared conversations.”
On Friday 3 June, the newest artwork to grace the Furphy Family Art Wall on Level 4 at SAM will be unveiled. Artists Trent Walter and Lizzie Boon will collaborate on a joint wall work titled LOVE YOUR MOTHER, inspired by Boon’s observation of the phrase on a placard at a climate rally. With connotations to themes of environment and respect for people and place, the work resides in a fitting location amongst the river red gum treetops that line the Victoria Park Lake.
The community is encouraged to experience both exhibitions this Friday 3 June from 4pm during SAM Sounds, a SAM event presenting an immersive museum music experience. All exhibitions, and SAM Sounds, are free and open to the public. More details can be found on the SAM website: sheppartonartmuseum.com.au.
About Trent Walter:
Trent Walter is a Melbourne based printmaker and writer. In 2009, he established Negative Press, a fine art custom printmaking workshop focusing on etching and silkscreen techniques. Recent projects include a multiple panel silkscreen portrait of Professor Marcia Langton by Brook Andrew, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, and two interdisciplinary works involving etching, silkscreen, and collage elements by Sally Smart, published by Port Jackson Press Australia.
About Lizzie Boon:
Lizzie Boon is an emerging artist, writer and archivist based in Melbourne. Her practice often engages with experimental writing and alternate publishing as a space for expanded perceptual translation, explication, and distribution. Lizzie received a Bachelor of Art History and Curating in 2018. She is currently the registrar and curatorial assistant at Negative Press. Here, she has been archiving the prints of Australian artist John Nixon.
ENDS
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), located on Yorta Yorta Country, is one of Australia's outstanding regional art museums, showcasing our exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways and creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging space for all audiences. Artists are central to our work. Our programming is designed to be locally relevant and engage with global contemporary ideas. SAM is recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection, and our nationally significant collection of Indigenous art. As the only public art museum in Greater Shepparton and north central Victoria, our mission is to present great art in Shepparton, and to contribute to the cultural enrichment, community engagement and economic prosperity of the region.
Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, Marketing Officer, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au