Selected works from the National Gallery of Victoria’s permanent collection to be presented at Shepparton Art Museum.
21 March 2024
Selected works from the National Gallery of Victoria’s permanent collection to be presented at Shepparton Art Museum.
In partnership with National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to present The Land is Us: Stories, Place and Connection – a new major exhibition that brings together notable artworks from the NGV Collection to offer an expanded consideration of landscape art. With free entry, the exhibition will be on display at SAM from 30 March to 1 September 2024.
Through artworks from Australian, First Nations, and international artists, The Land is Us explores our fascination with and our connection to land and place. Curated into a series of rooms, the artworks traverse a number of themes, from the role of the land in shaping personal and national identities, to mythmaking, to the displacement experienced by refugees.
The many artists presented within the exhibition give voice to the diverse experiences that are shared with the landscape. Australian Impressionists Frederick McCubbin and Hans Heysen present the familiar visuals of Australian bushland and the activities of early settlers; contrastingly, Wiradjuri/Ngunnawal artist Brook Andrew and Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie subvert the traditional landscape to re-insert and reaffirm the presence of First Nations people in Australian history. Addressing the changing and sometimes hostile nature of the Australian landscape is artist Patricia Piccinini’s sculptural work The Rescuers; poignant and lifelike, the work confronts the reality of the increasingly severe climate crisis faced by the Australian population.
Melinda Martin, SAM CEO, says of the exhibition:
“It’s a privilege to be presenting significant works from the NGV Collection in a regional setting. It brings important context to the artworks on display and allows regional audiences to not only access these works closer to home, but see them in proximity to the scenery that inspired the artists. We’re excited to again be featuring artwork from Yorta Yorta artist Lin Onus at SAM – an artist whose work many will remember from the solo exhibition that launched the 2021 artistic program in our new museum, as well as being the namesake of our major gallery space on SAM’s Level 1. The Land is Us speaks to spectrum of relationships people across Australia have with the land and investigates the complexities of those relationships through the lenses of colonisation, migration, and cultural heritage, amongst others.”
Melinda Martin, CEO, SAM. Photo: Cam Matheson
Portrait of Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV. Photo: Tim Carrafa
Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV says:
‘We’re delighted to contribute important works from NGV’s Collection for the presentation of The Land is Us at Shepparton Art Museum. By bringing such diverse works together as part of one exhibition and displaying them in a fresh new context allows audiences to appreciate a fuller and richer picture of Australia’s relationship with the land.’
An opening celebration event for The Land is Us will take place at SAM on Wednesday 27 March at 6PM. The event will feature an official welcome from Greater Shepparton City Council Deputy Mayor Cr. Sam Spinks, followed by opening remarks from NGV Deputy Director Andrew Clark and SAM CEO Melinda Martin, and will grant attendees an exclusive first look at the exhibition ahead of its official opening to the public on Friday 30 March. Attendance at the event is free, with refreshments available at bar prices.
The Land is Us: Stories, Place and Connection will be showing at SAM from 30 March until 1 September 2024 with free entry. To register your attendance at the exhibition opening event on 27 March, visit the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/event/exhibition-opening-celebration-the-land-is-us-stories-place-connection-artworks-from-the-ngv-collection/
Featured image: John Brack, The car (1955), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased, 1956 © National Gallery of Victoria
The Land is Us | Opening celebration event details:
Wednesday 27 March, 6pm-8pm
Shepparton Art Museum, 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton
FREE – bookings encouraged: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/event/exhibition-opening-celebration-the-land-is-us-stories-place-connection-artworks-from-the-ngv-collection/
Full list of exhibiting artists:
Hoda Afshar, Brook Andrew, Gordon Bennett, John Brack, Marylin Brown Petyarr, Louisa Bufardeci, Destiny Deacon, Rosalie Gascoigne, John Glover, Treahna Hamm, Taloi Havini and Stuart Miller, Hans Heysen, Beth Mbitjana Inkamala, Judith Pungkarta Inkamala, Rosemary Laing, Myoung Ho Lee, Frederick McCubbin, Trevor Nickolls, Grant Nimmo, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Lin Onus, Patricia Piccinini, John Pule, Ben Quilty, Cliff Reid, Reko Rennie, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Jane Sutherland, Rahel Kngwarria Ungwanaka, May Vale, HJ Wedge, Fred Williams, Walter Withers, Ah Xian, John Young
About NGV:
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the oldest and most visited gallery in Australia. Situated over two buildings – NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia – the Gallery hosts a wide range of international and local artists, exhibitions, programs, and events; from contemporary art to major international historic exhibitions, fashion and design, architecture, sound, and dance.
The NGV’s permanent collection of more than 75,000 works is at the heart of the Gallery’s activities and programs. Since its foundation in 1861, the Collection has come to span the history and development of Australian, Indigenous and international art, design and architecture. As it grows and evolves, the Collection embraces and reflects diversity in cultural identities, artistic practices and geographies as it connects art and people.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Legendary American photographer Ryan McGinley joins Shepparton Art Museum on 9 March for the official opening of YEARBOOK
4 March 2024
Legendary American photographer Ryan McGinley joins Shepparton Art Museum on 9 March for the official opening of YEARBOOK
In celebration of newly-opened major international exhibition YEARBOOK, American photographer Ryan McGinley will join the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) for the exhibition’s opening celebration on Saturday 9 March from 5pm.
The opening event, which is part of the PHOTO 2024 International Photography Festival, will feature opening remarks from Victorian Pride Centre CEO Justine Dalla Riva, followed by an exclusive in-conversation between Ryan McGinley, SAM CEO Melinda Martin, and PHOTO Australia Founder/Artistic Director Elias Redstone. This appearance from McGinley marks the only free event that audiences can enjoy during his brief visit to Australia.
Internationally renowned for his snapshot-casual style of photography, McGinley’s work draws influence from his personal experiences and American street culture from his youth to present day, with a strong focus on queer identities.
Consisting of a single artwork featuring over seven hundred vinyl-printed studio portraits of creatives living and working in New York City, YEARBOOK floods the gallery space with bold colour and form. Despite the distinct individuality of each subject, the posters are unified by McGinley’s exceptional skill in capturing a fleeting moment. First presented in New York City in 2009, McGinley has shown this ever-evolving work at major public institutions in Tokyo, Denmark, Korea, and Spain. The wallpaper-style presentation of the work adapts to each gallery space it features in, making every new presentation unique and site-specific.
YEARBOOK will be showing at SAM from 1 March until 14 July 2024 with free entry. To register your attendance at the exhibition opening event on 9 March visit the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/event/exhibition-opening-celebration-ryan-mcginley-yearbook-photo-2024/
Ryan McGinley: YEARBOOK, installation view, Shepparton Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum.
Event details:
YEARBOOK Exhibition Opening Celebration
Saturday 9 March, 5PM-8PM
Shepparton Art Museum, 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton
Free – bookings essential: https://events.humanitix.com/exhibition-opening-celebration-ryan-mcginley-yearbook
Justine Dalla Riva (CEO, Victorian Pride Centre) will officially open the exhibition. This will be followed by in-person conversation with artist Ryan McGinley, Melinda Martin (CEO, SAM) and Elias Redstone (Founder/Artistic Director, PHOTO Australia)
About Ryan McGinley:
Ryan McGinley is a New York–based photographer. His early photos displayed the unseen intersection of skateboard and graffiti culture, with a strong queer focus. At age twenty-five, he became the youngest artist to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (NYC). For over a decade, McGinley has road-tripped continuously throughout the United States to create work that incorporates the human body within the American landscape. Dubbed by GQ as “the most important photographer in America”, McGinley can often be found on the streets of NYC participating in queer activism, fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights. McGinley frequently presents international solo gallery and museum exhibitions and has an ongoing studio practice photographing members of NYC’s creative community.
Ryan McGinley. Image courtesy of the artist
About PHOTO Australia:
PHOTO Australia was founded in 2018 to launch a major new photography biennale in Melbourne and sites across Regional Victoria. Taking place every two years, the festival addresses the major issues of our time in a program of free exhibitions, outdoor displays and artist commissions across the city, as well as awards, talks, workshops, tours and experiences. Presenting ideas critical to contemporary photographic discourse, PHOTO encourages the public to engage with and think about photography and visual culture in new and inspiring ways.
The inaugural festival PHOTO 2021 ‘The Truth’ presented 105 exhibitions by 160 artists. PHOTO 2022 ‘Being Human’ saw presentations of 130 artists across Melbourne including icons Cindy Sherman and Helmut Newton, with British Journal of Photography claiming the biennale is “Australia’s most prestigious photography festival.” Both festivals have attracted a total of more than 250,000 participants. PHOTO 2024 01–24 March ‘The Future Is Shaped by Those Who Can See It’ will be the third edition.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Featured image: Ryan McGinley, YEARBOOK, installation view, Shepparton Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Cam Matheson