Exhibitions

Grace Burzese works in the fields of painting, drawing, sculpture and ceramics. Her process based art making is inspired by the exploration and play of colour, materials and form. Abstraction for Grace allows for an open identification with how one relates to being. In the questioning of self, feelings and perceptions are reduced to colour, mark and form - a language and sensibility which does not identify with known or understood imagery, but rather how something is sensed and embodied.

Back in the day, Australian families aspired to have a room called the parlour - a public space where friends and neighbours might visit at home for cups of tea or games or music - and always, conversation. It’s an old fashioned notion that somehow feels contemporary again as we rediscover the simple pleasures of our domestic spaces. Starting from the samples of upholstery fabrics inspired by the Meroogal interiors I made for my entry in the Meroogal Art Prize, I am decorating an imaginary parlour that answers the question, ‘What would the Meroogal Sisters have made?’

By combining media ranging from ceramic, woodwork, painting and collage James Gulliver Hancock explores an evolving relationship with the South Coast environment and the effect it has had on him. James’ practice as an artist and illustrator has previously focused on documenting urban environments and pathways that connect people to cities, however this exhibition sees a return to the Australian landscape. Looking through a nostalgic lens, the graphics of South Coast 1980’s surf town designs from childhood have been recently reinterpreted in the dense rainforest in which he now lives and works.

Entering its 55th year, this large and well represented exhibition, coordinated by Shoalhaven Art Society, draws entries Australia wide, with a particular focus on local artistic talent. The exhibition explores painting and drawing in all its forms and invites a large variety of subject matter

'KINSHIP: a story woven into a tapestry of folklore, of ancestors, of love: knitted together,' is comprised of a series of hand-made, hand knitted wall hangings and sculptures are presented together to form a conversation about family ancestors and local folklore. Nettie Sumner aims to explore the revival of traditional craft as well as the re-emergence of ancient crafts. Her artworks reimagine ancestral forms of storytelling through knitting, weaving and tapestries, using current methodologies and contemporary contexts. Inspiration has been gathered from a range of craft artefacts including the Tristan Quilt (one of the oldest surviving quilts) and the Galloway Hoard of Viking objects as well as ancient bush art.

Consisting of paintings and works on paper, these are personal works of the artist’s loving relationship with this land and its inhabitants, formed in response to a residency at Bundanon Trust and visits to the Shoalhaven region over several years.  The pieces combine ‘free style’ Australian ikebana landscape arrangements with local fauna.
Initially Kalabishis set herself a journey to create works of the Shoalhaven River, from Bundanon to the sea, from the floor to the sky. However due to historic circumstances preventing her from returning to the region for two years, these visions shifted into nostalgic mementos of the romantic landscapes she walked and ran, stopping to gather foliage for arrangements under the watchful eyes of its inhabitants.

Frivolity and Fire is a series of ceramic works exploring concepts around loss, remembrance and rebirth.
Burnt sticks, logs and ash washed up along the sands of local Jervis Bay beaches, the flotsam and jetsam of the Currowan fire, are the impetus for the creation of these works.
Working with these forgotten bits of the burnt bush, Cita created clay moulds of these intricate forms. Twigs and burnt animal bones are arranged meticulously and reverently in a way that flowers might be laid at a gravesite to acknowledge and pay respect to the unfathomable number of trees, insects and wildlife lost in the fires. Each square porcelain panel acts as a memento mori to the Black Summer bushfires.

Five artists began a journey in 2021 with online conversations where water became the central motif to explore and strengthen their connections, reflecting on their original homelands and countries where they work. They shared videos, audio, spoken word, writing and song in an online folder, as a communal source of material to draw upon.

“Speaking Water” is a vessel for video artworks, interwoven at times with recurring imagery and sound; a watery excursion composed of animation, experimental video, performance and more. The series ebbs and flows just as water does, contemplating a voyage through time from the ancient ice and glaciers, rivers, waves and seas, to clouds and rain.

Plant your Feet is a homage to the Shoalhaven by noted Australian artist Glenn Barkley.  Taking inspiration from the tradition of Cabinets of Curiosity and the International Exhibitions of the Victorian Era, Barkley combines his own work along with artifacts, objects and pieces made by the Shoalhaven community. 


The gallery will be transformed into a magical, dense, jewel-like space that encourages you to consider your connection to place, personal histories and the changing nature of the Shoalhaven.