S PR ING/S U MME R 2020― 21
Inspired! Maitland writer and artist Matt Petherbridge and his daughters were thrilled to return to MRAG when it reopened in June and were inspired by the exhibitions Safe Space and The Re-Enchantment. It was really special to be back in MRAG after the COVID-19 lockdown. My daughters Marnie (4) and Blair (1) absolutely love the Gallery and it’s a real delight to see their relationship with art, their perceptions and reactions, grow and change. Marnie’s visceral and unmitigated reactions are priceless. I wrote a poem about her reaction to Alex Seton’s three-dimensional artwork Someone Else’s Problem on display in Safe Space Contemporary Sculpture. It’s part of a poetry series I’ve been writing called COVID-19 Metamorphosis, which is my poetic response to the pandemic, the ensuing months of protests, worldwide uncertainty and unrest. The series freeze frames on the most important things in our lives at this time, our families and our sacred spaces.
Alex Seton, Someone Else’s Problem, 2015, marble dust, resin, Tasmanian oak, stainless steel, dimensions variable
We also recently had the time and space for the girls to make their own ‘Box City’, as part of Helen Hopcroft’s exhibition The Re-Enchantment. If there was ever an antidote to the pandemic, of children being banned from playgrounds, it is an interactive, imaginative space such as this.
Steam pillowing out from under the door knees knock before the quarantine airlock The nervous toe tap, awaiting the unlatch We’re back!!! Rush of blood, into open space Through the foyer like The Flash A monolithic cavalcade of oars! WOWWWWW… Awesome An incredulous outpouring of joy Exalted return to what we loved before The COVID-19 metamorphosis
In each issue of Artel we share a member’s creative response to an artwork on display at MRAG. So, if an artwork inspires you to get creative – whether it be to write, cook, dance or sing – we’d love to hear about it! Please contact us at artelmagazine@gmail.com. 34
