5 reasons to visit the Art Gallery of Ballarat

PRE-RAPHAELITES: DRAWINGS & WATERCOLOURS

May 20 – August 6

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood are amongst the most loved artists of the 19th century. They looked back to the simplicity and directness of Mediaeval and Renaissance art with naturalistic poses and the use of brilliant colour, painting with originality and authenticity.

This international exhibition draws from the extraordinary collections of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to tell the story of the artists, their lives and loves, bringing to life the world of John Ruskin, William and Jane Morris, Edward BurneJones, John Everett Millais, Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Lizzie Siddal.

Image: Marie Spartali Stillman, Cloister lilies, 1891. Watercolour and bodycolour on paper. Ashmolean Museum. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

In The Company Of Morris

May 20 – August 6

This exhibition celebrates the ongoing legacy of the Pre-Raphaelites and William Morris in the work of Australian artists in the Art Gallery of Ballarat Collection from the 19th century until today. Artists included in the exhibition include Norman Lindsay, Deborah Klein, Elizabeth Pulie, William Strutt, Emily Floyd, Fiona Hiscock and Paul Yore.

Entry to both Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & watercolours and In the company of Morris exhibitions is included in your ticket.

Image: Elizabeth Pulie, Italian, 1994. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas. Purchased with funds from the Colin Hicks Caldwell Bequest, 2019. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ballarat © Elizabeth Pulie

DEL KATHRYN BARTON: INSIDE ANOTHER LAND & RED

May 20 – August 6

Renowned Australian artist Del Kathryn Barton’s work is a celebration of body, self and sexual expression, a wild celebration of fantasy and self-expression which lures the viewer in like the thrill of a peep show. Inside another land is a large series of photomontages inspired by 1920s fashion, Victorian era decoupage, 1940s pin-up girls, scrapbooking, and botanical illustration. The exhibition includes Barton’s short film Red featuring Cate Blanchett and Charmene Yap from the Sydney Dance Company, which explores sexuality, gender, and power via the mating rituals of the redback spider.

Image: Del Kathryn Barton, RED, 2016. Still from high resolution digital video, 15 mins, patron’s edition 3/3 (film still). Image courtesy of the artist

STEPHEN DAVIDSON: GREATEST FISHING STORY NEVER TOLD

April 29 – July 16

American-Australian artist Stephen Davidson has drawn from his migrant experience and his travels to create a significant body of new work in different mediums including prints, drawings and ceramics.

Image: Stephen Davidson, Fisher and koi, 2021 Synthetic polymer paint on paper. © Stephen Davidson

TAMMY GILSON: BEENYAK (BASKET)

June 29 – August 13

In this installation, Indigenous artist and weaver Tammy Gilson recreates the lake floor of Lake Burrumbeet (Borombeet), a place of significance for her Wadawurrung ancestors. Drawing on her knowledge of traditional weaving techniques, she depicts fish traps found on the lakebed and eel traps used within living places and waterways, awakening Wadawurrung life with adornments and woven pieces, documenting sustainability through the lived experience of her ancestors and contemporary life today.