Generations of female Australian artists showcased in GOMA’s latest exhibition

Arts Minister Ros Bates has officially opened Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art exhibition - Contemporary Australia: Women - which will run until 22 July.

Highlights of the exhibition include a video of a woman swinging from a grand chandelier projected on the exterior of the Gallery of Modern Art, a group of artists offering kisses for two dollars, a 16-metre wall-painting, and a film program curated by Margaret Pomeranz.

“Contemporary Australia: Women showcases new and recent works by some of Australia’s leading and emerging female artists from across the country,” Ms Bates said.

"The second in the Gallery's important triennial series dedicated to contemporary Australian art, the exhibition features more than 70 works, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, installation, textiles, film, video and performance, by 33 artists and collectives, with a total of 56 visual artists.

“It is a fascinating demonstration of what is inspiring Australian women artists and filmmakers today and what they are contributing to our cultural life and to the landscape of contemporary art here and overseas.

"I'm delighted to see Queensland artists well represented, with works by Kirsty Bruce, Sandra Selig, Hiromi Tango, Jenny Watson, Judy Watson and Judith Wright.”

Julie Ewington, the Gallery’s Curatorial Manager of Australian Art, led the exhibition’s curatorial team.

During the opening weekend the Gallery will present Embodied Acts, a program of one-off performances by individual artists and artist collectives; artist and curator’s talks; and a panel discussion hosted by Margaret Pomeranz, with guest film directors Gillian Armstrong and Ana Kokkinos, followed by the first screening in the Contemporary Australia: Women in Film program.

“Women in Film, curated by Margaret Pomeranz, explores the contributions to Australian cinema by women and representations of women in Australian films by both women and men,” Ms Bates said.

The exhibition also presents Fiona Hall's Fly Away Home installation in the Children's Art Centre; an all-female GoMA Talks panel discussion series that will tackle contemporary Australian issues, co-presented with Radio National; and an ongoing program of events and presentations by artists, curators and researchers.”

Gallery Director Tony Ellwood said the opportunity to highlight the work of some of Australia's finest female artists in a major exhibition was timely.

"Female artists have a strong history in Australia and we're also seeing an exciting new generation of women leading the way in many art forms such as live and performative art, demonstrated in the exhibition by Gosia Wlodarczak’s performative drawing on the front doors of the Gallery of Modern Art and the Embodied Acts project,” Mr Ellwood said.

"This exhibition also profiles diverse approaches to painting by senior artists, including the Amata community from South Australia, and Queenslander Jenny Watson, through to emerging artists like Kirsty Bruce, another Queenslander, and Noël Skrzypczak from Victoria.

"The Contemporary Australia series is the most extensive regular presentation of contemporary Australian art and film by an art museum in this country.

"While the exhibition explores serious and challenging themes relevant to women, at the same time the work is incredibly engaging, invites comment and opinions, and introduces new ideas.”

Contemporary Australia: Women is on at the Gallery of Modern Art until July 22, 2012 with opening weekend performances and events taking place on April 21 and 22.

The exhibition complements the exhibition Modern Woman: Daughters and Lovers 1850-1918. Drawings from the Musée D’Orsay, Paris at the Queensland Art Gallery until 24 June.

Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts
The Honourable Ros Bates
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Generations of female Australian artists showcased in GOMA’s latest exhibition

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Publish Date: 24 Apr 12

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