By Jesse Graham
INTRIGUING artworks in many mediums have filled the halls of TarraWarra Museum of Art, with the venue opening its fifth Biennial exhibition, on Friday 19 August.
The TarraWarra Biennial 2016: Endless Circulation opened at 11am on Friday morning, with hundreds of visitors flowing into the gallery to see artworks that varied from paintings to installations, videos and photographs.
The gallery space has been fully utilised for the Biennial, with exhibition works not only adorning the walls of the gallery, but the floors, the storeroom (which need a torch to be seen) and even the cash register.
Visitors looked at the artworks, flanked by the artists themselves and took in the striking, at times emotional and powerful works, which address principles of edition, circulation, dispersion and continuity.
Founding director of the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art in Singapore Ute Meta Bauer officially opened the exhibition after a stirring Welcome to Country by Healesville’s Brooke Collins.
Ms Collins explained the Welcome to Country to visitors and said it was a modern version of “an ancient and timeless tradition”.
“In traditional times, what this would involve would be a senior male saying to visitors, ‘Sure, you come to my country. Enjoy what my country has to offer; while you’re here, can you please take care of everything this beautiful land has to offer? When you leave, I’ll expect it is in the same place and the same way as you found it’,” she said.
“What a beautiful, trusting ceremony, acknowledging strangers as equals – that’s probably something we can still learn a lot from today.”
Ms Bauer said TarraWarra’s Biennial started in 2006 “as a platform for identifying new trends in contemporary Australian art”.
“The potential of a local biennial is not only to introduce new work to a local audience, but also to introduce the local audience, the local works and the artistic production that’s happening right now to a wider framework,” she said.
“Art is an important voice and it’s crucial to understand its role in this orchestra called society – at times in harmony, and at times in dissention, art engaged with what is happening in our surroundings, both visible and invisible.
“To listen to these artists, to watch and reflect on what they focus on in their works provide us with a different perspective, one that cannot be attained from daily news or other media reports.”
After speeches from co-curators, TWMA director Victoria Lynn and Discipline art journal founding editor Helen Hughes, a performance by musicians and actors was held through the gallery.
Artists including Vernon Ah Kee, Robert Andrew, Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley, Sarah crowEST, Helen Johnson, Vincent Namatjira and Wukun Wanambi have their works featured in the Biennial, which will run until 6 November.
Entry is $7.50 for adults, $5 for seniors. Pensioners, students and children receive free entry.
For more information, visit TarraWarra Museum of Art at 311 Healesville-Yarra Glen Road, Healesville, call 5957 3100 or visit www.twma.com.au
