Current Foyer Exhibition

MEETING PLACE: ART FROM MANY LANDS, LIVES AND CULTURES

Friday 5 April - Tuesday 14 May

About the Exhibition:

Presented by Multicultural Arts Victoria as part of the Emerge Cultural Hubs program, Meeting Place: Art From Many Lands, Lives and Cultures is a special group exhibition developed by and featuring the work of 11 artists from First Nations and culturally diverse backgrounds living in and around Shepparton.

Photography, paintings, fashion and drawings that speak of lands, lives and cultures all the way from Yorta Yorta country to the far reaches of Afghanistan, will adorn the walls of the Riverlinks Eastbank Foyer for 6 weeks from April 5 to May 14 2019.

Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) Creative Producer, Anita Larkin says, "This exhibition has evolved out of MAV's Emerge program to create a platform for visual artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to showcase and share their work, their talents and their stories. The exhibition is also providing an opportunity for these artists to connect meaningfully with each other, and importantly to connect with First Nations artists who are part of the project."

Facilitated by Multicultural Arts Victoria, Emerge is a dynamic community cultural development program driven by the aspirations of artists and communities from culturally diverse, refugee and First Nation backgrounds living in Shepparton. The program provides unique locally based opportunities for connecting, mentoring, developing skills, building capacity and developing and presenting new creative work.

Exhibiting artist and local Yorta Yorta woman, Lyn Thorpe says, "Storytelling is one of our most important modes of communication and expression. Among other things storytelling can pass on knowledge and respect. It can also build identity, pride, relationships and understanding."

"For Yorta Yorta people, our stories embrace our connection with Country, culture and identity and can inherently strengthen our social and emotional wellbeing. Aboriginal people naturally have a strong connection with visual and creative arts and these tools intersect beautifully with our culture, not only to shape stories that we need kept for posterity, but also those stories that we want to share with our friends and the broader community."

"For me, being a part of this group exhibition as a Yorta Yorta woman from this Country is not only about telling our stories, but also about welcoming, building connections and respectful relationships with Indigenous people from different parts of the world, who have made their home in Shepparton," says Ms Thorpe. 

The exhibition will be launching on Friday 5 April, with a public event from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. All are welcome to attend.