A new immersive exhibition, Running on Empty: The Power of Play, reflects on the demands of modern life, burnout and recovery in a world that rarely slows down.
Opening Thursday April 23 to Sunday May 3 at Dudley House, this thought‑provoking exhibition by local artist and writer Amanda Mannin explores exhaustion and overload through the lived experience of motherhood.
The free Artists on View exhibition features painting, portraiture, and symbolic imagery to examine the often‑invisible expectations that shape modern life.
"We often talk about burnout as a personal problem, but many of the pressures we feel are inherited," Amanda said.
"They're built into social expectations around productivity, care, perfection, and self‑sacrifice. Burnout is often framed as a personal failure, but what if it's actually a very intelligent response to a world that asks too much?"
Through a series of simple, sensory, and embodied works, Running on Empty: The Power of Play offers a perspective that sees burnout not as weakness, but as adaptation.
Visitors move through contrasting spaces that shift from endurance and depletion toward restoration, play, and creative recovery.
A recurring symbol throughout the exhibition is the flamingo, a bird that loses its colour after raising its young and takes years to regain it.
At the heart of the exhibition is a growing community artwork, You Can Hang Your Art With Me, where visitors are invited to contribute small drawings, colours, or written fragments. Over time, the wall evolves into a collective portrait of recovery, creativity, and shared experience.
"This is an exhibition for tired bodies," Amanda said.
"For people who have been holding a lot and for anyone who needs a reminder that colour returns through the power of play."
The exhibition is open 11am-4pm on Thursday April 23, Friday April 24, Saturday April 25, Sunday April 26, Thursday April 30, Friday May 1, Saturday May 2, and Sunday May 3 at Dudley House.
