Exhibitions

Motherland – Exile/Refuge – Migration (repeat)

6–26 January 2021

MIGRATION IN AUSTRALIA encompasses an infinite and sometimes conflicting understanding depending on our personal and social experiences, our visa status, the means of transport we used to get here, and the language we speak. Motherland – Exile/Refuge – Migration (repeat) asks us to pause and reflect: how does the way you arrived in this country define the way people see you, the way you see yourself? Why did we have to leave our motherland? How can we have a conversation about migration without acknowledging displacement? And how can we talk about displacement without First Nations people? The exhibition brings together artists who have experience as refugees or asylum seekers, and artists exploring these themes: Hedar Abadi, Damon Amb, Rohingya Women’s Collective, Sayd Abdali, Jane Theau, Carlos Agamez, Shivanjani Lal, Maher Al Khoury and others.

Curated and produced by Settlement Services International (SSI), Motherland – Exile/Refuge – Migration (repeat) is presented in partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Trapped Home, by Damon Amb, is one of the works exploring migration in Motherland – Exile/Refuge – Migration (repeat).

A Mile in My Shoes 6–31 January

A Mile in My Shoes by the Empathy Museum is a shoe shop where visitors are invited to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes – literally. This roaming international exhibition holds a diverse collection of shoes and audio stories that explore our shared humanity. The Maritime Museum’s version gives voice to Australia’s diverse refugee and immigrant stories. Visitors are invited to take an empathetic and physical journey by walking a mile in a stranger’s shoes while listening to their story. sea.museum/a-mile

A Mile in my Shoes. Image by Tracy Kidd, reproduced courtesy Empathy Museum Beach Couture From 19 December

Beach Couture is a collection of wearable artworks made from rubbish by artist and environmentalist Marina DeBris. Collected from beaches and oceans in Sydney and Los Angeles, it makes visible, in grotesquely amusing fashion, what is often overlooked – but shouldn’t be. The exhibition also features the wildly subversive Inconvenience Store, which repackages single-use ‘convenience’ items found washed up on beaches. sea.museum/beach-couture Wildlife Photographer of the Year Until 28 January

This world-renowned exhibition features 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behaviour to breathtaking landscapes. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photographic event of its kind, providing a global platform that has showcased the natural world’s most astonishing and challenging sights for more than 50 years. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. sea.museum/wildlife

Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns) Now showing

For the first time, we bring together works by Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands) artist Alick Tipoti, respected for his work in regenerating cultural knowledge and language. Tipoti’s storytelling encompasses traditional cosmology, marine environments and ocean conservation – focusing on what it means to be a sea person. Mariw Minaral showcases Tipoti’s linocuts, award-winning sculptural works, contemporary masks and film. sea.museum/mariw-minaral

Mariw Minaral exhibition view. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM Paradise Lost: Daniel Solander’s legacy Until 14 February

This exhibition commemorates the legacy of the Endeavour botanist Daniel Solander and the first encounter between Sweden and the Pacific Region. It features fine art prints by leading New Zealand artists which bring a unique vision to this historical event and Solander’s legacy. It also features Australian Indigenous scientific knowledge as a framework to explore engravings of botanical specimens collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander from the National Maritime Collection. sea.museum/paradise-lost Ship and Shore – The history and legacy of Cook’s first voyage Now showing

James Cook mapped the east coast of Australia aboard the Endeavour in 1770, and 2020 marks 250 years since that historic voyage. This free outdoor exhibition in the Wharf 7 forecourt examines this event and its legacy, incorporating perspectives of both those aboard the Endeavour and the Indigenous inhabitants watching it from the shore. sea.museum/ship-and-shore

Sydney Harbour Gallery Permanent exhibition now open

For the first time, the museum has opened its windows out to the water via the new Sydney Harbour Gallery. Explore historical and contemporary stories of Sydney Harbour – both above and below the water – and understand your role in keeping the inhabitants of our harbour safe. See ship models that highlight past and present commerce and trade, and learn about the importance of keeping our working port alive. Find out what scientists and designers are doing to restore vital habitats and protect biodiversity. Understand the threats our harbour has overcome, and what we need to do to protect it in future. Outside, rest, relax and enjoy the view of our fleet from the newly refurbished Ben Lexcen Terrace. sea.museum/sydney-harbour-gallery Travelling Exhibitions Voyage to the Deep: Underwater adventures Nauticus, Virginia, USA Until 3 January 2021

Based on Jules Verne’s 1870 classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, the exhibition brings to life the mythical deep-sea world of Captain Nemo and the fantastical submarine Nautilus. Kids can climb aboard and take control of the helm, peer through the periscopes, crank the propeller, test out the bunks and explore the Cabinet of Curiosities, full of wonderful marine specimens. sea.museum/voyage-to-the-deep Submerged: Stories of Australia’s Shipwrecks Touring community museums and libraries throughout Australia

The Australian Maritime Museums Council (AMMC) and the Australian National Maritime Museum partnered to develop the graphic panel display Submerged: Stories of Australia’s Shipwrecks. Content was developed by AMMC members at maritime heritage organisations across the country and merged into a nationally touring display by the museum. This display is supported by Visions of Australia sea.museum/submerged

Duyfken replica Coming soon

The museum is pleased to announce that following negotiations with the Duyfken Foundation in Western Australia, the museum will take over the ownership and management of Duyfken, the replica of the ship in which Captain Willem Janszoon arrived at Cape York in 1606. Once it joins our fleet, we anticipate that it will be open to the public in the new year. Please see our website for updates. Sea Monsters – Prehistoric ocean predators Queensland Museum, Brisbane Until 3 May 2021

An exhibition combining real fossils, gigantic replicas, multimedia and hands-on experiences to reveal ancient monsters of the deep. Find out how three main types of ancient reptiles – ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs – left the land to rule the seas. In the oceans, they developed into awesome, enormous predators that make today’s great white sharks seem almost friendly! sea.museum/sea-monsters-travelling

Dates listed for onsite exhibitions are subject to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, and may change at short notice. Please check our website www.sea.museum for updates. Cats and Dogs: All at Sea – Photographs by Samuel Hood Bass Strait Maritime Centre, Devonport, TAS From 1 October

Dogs, cats, monkeys and birds have been cherished on board ships for as long as people have made sea voyages. In a life from which children and families were usually missing, pets provided an important source of comfort and affection. Photographer Samuel Hood boarded hundreds of ships between the 1900s and 1950s that were moored in Sydney Harbour. He took thousands of photographs of crew members – and their pets – as a souvenir of their visit and to send home to families and loved ones. sea.museum/cats-and-dogs

As Signals goes to press, the Duyfken replica is making its way to its new home in Sydney. Image ANMM