Stillness inspires current exhibition at Gallery DownTown

30 November 2020

The Gallery DownTown at MIArts in Murwillumbah is featuring On Stillness – an exhibition of artworks from the Tweed Regional Gallery collection that embody the idea of stillness.

“Born out of the stillness imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown, the exhibition was first presented as an evolving online exhibition,” Director of the Tweed Regional Gallery, Susi Muddiman OAM said.

“The exhibition was originally initiated by the National Art School and Newcastle Art Gallery during the lockdown earlier this year. They invited the Tweed Regional Gallery to contribute artworks, from the Gallery’s collection, that resonated with this idea of stillness.”

Other regional galleries also contributed to the online exhibition - New England Regional Art Museum, Orange Regional Gallery, Wollongong Regional Gallery and Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie.

Each gallery selected works from their collections that explored stillness in different ways – through time, across generations, through portraiture, still life, landscape and more. The result was an eclectic collection of works unified by a concept that was being experienced, in some way, across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were thrilled to be involved in this initiative as it encouraged each contributing gallery to examine their collection from a new perspective,” Ms Muddiman said. “It also presented a creative way in which to generate conversation around the strange times we were all living through.”

The real life version of this exhibition On Stillness at Gallery DownTown invites audiences to consider the concept of stillness both in relation to these artworks and to their own experiences.

The exhibition will feature a popular favourite from the collection in HuiHai Xie’s extraordinary portrait Jonathan Aatty 1996. On Stillness will also include artworks by prominent Bundjalung artists Michael Philp’s Spotting for sea mullet 2013 and Bundjalung Stone Axe 2011 by the late Albert (Digby) Moran. Photography and artists’ prints are also featured, making it an intimate yet eclectic selection from the Tweed Regional Gallery collection.

In conjunction with On Stillness, Gallery Director Susi Muddiman OAM will present an exhibition Floor Talk to the exhibition on Friday 4 December at 11am (DST).

Come along and hear more about the stunning works from the Gallery’s collection included in this exhibition and gain some insights into the genre of still life and how artists and public galleries responded to the lockdown of COVID-19.

Numbers are limited due to social distancing measures, so RSVPs are recommended. Please call the Gallery DownTown on 0426 230 193 to secure your spot.

The Gallery DownTown is the annexe of one of Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, an initiative of Tweed Shire Council, and housed within the creative hub of Murwillumbah’s vibrant MIArts Precinct located on the corner of Brisbane Street and Proudfoot Lane, Murwillumbah.

The Gallery DownTown is open Monday to Friday 10am - 3pm and Saturday 10am - 2pm.

For more information, visit artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au