A major exhibition titled Ngardang Girri Kalat Mimini (Mother Aunty Sister Daughter) will open at Central Goldfields Art Gallery on Saturday 17 August.
This is the first collective exhibition by members of Ngardang Girri Kalat Mimini which is a network of Victorian Indigenous women artists, with a particular focus on those regionally based.
Over 20 artists from around Victoria are included in the exhibition.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the work of established artists such as Yorta Yorta woman and 2018 Koorie Heritage Trust Art Show winner Janet Bromley and Aunty Marlene Gilson, who had a sold-out solo exhibition at the 2018 Sydney Biennale.
The exhibition also includes the work of emerging artists including artists from the Shepparton TAFE and artists who have come through the Torch program, which supports Aboriginal men and women in prison and post release to connect to culture through art.
The exhibition will draw on an exquisite and unique collection of artworks and cultural objects from across the state, some of which come from private collections and are not often offered for public viewing.
There is a huge diversity of mediums and techniques from weaving, to painting and installation which celebrates the uniqueness of south-eastern Indigenous art and culture by women while at the same time challenges stereotypes of what Aboriginal art looks like.
Opening celebrations commence at 1pm on Saturday 17 August with a large Cultural Ceremony outside the Maryborough Resource Centre, corner of Alma and Nolan streets, Maryborough.
The ceremony will include a Welcome to Country, traditional smoking ceremony and several cultural performances.
Following the ceremony, everyone is invited on the short walk to Central Goldfields Art Gallery for the official opening of the exhibition at 2pm by Central Goldfields Shire Chief Administrator Noel Harvey followed by remarks from exhibition curator and artist Georgia MacGuire.
Ngardang Girri Kalat Mimini has been made possible through funding received from Creative Victoria, Regional Arts Victoria, National Exhibitions Touring Support Victoria and Central Goldfields Shire Council.
The Central Goldfields Art Gallery is open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm and is located in Neill Street in the Old Fire Station, Maryborough.
