INSIDE: KOORINGAL ROAD PROJECT TO RESUME NEXT YEAR
THIS IS A PAID ADVERTISING FEATURE BY WAGGA WAGGA CITY COUNCIL
Council News CITY OF WAGGA WAGGA
FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2021
Issue No: 372
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ON TOUR: (from left) Wagga Wagga Art Gallery Director Dr Lee-Anne Hall and Council’s Director Community Janice Summerhayes take a look around the Australian War Memorial’s Ink in the Lines touring exhibition ahead of its official launch at the Art Gallery.
City’s military link to project’s tour
Australian War Memorial tattoo exhibition visits Wagga Wagga Three new exhibitions, including the Australian War Memorial (AWM) touring exhibition of Ink in the Lines, will be officially launched at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery this morning (Saturday 20 November 2021).
Defence Force personnel and their families who have chosen to make Wagga Wagga their home. “We expect this exhibition will appeal not only to the Defence community but to a diverse audience through the moving stories it has to tell about those involved in the tattoo project.” The exhibition comprises powerful portrait photography As a city with an honourable and video interviews with history of military service and individual service personnel, training, Wagga Wagga is the first tattoos are revealed as marks of venue for the national tour of service identity and belonging. Ink in the Lines, which considers Importantly, tattoos are the use of tattoos among often used to remember and Australian military personnel. commemorate the unique and The community is invited to sometimes traumatic experience attend the official opening by of the soldier. Director of the Australian War Australian War Memorial Memorial Matt Anderson PSM at exhibition curator Stephanie 11am today (20 November). Boyle writes that many members Wagga Wagga City Council’s and veterans of the Australian Director Community Janice Defence Force have tattoos Summerhayes said it is a privilege and “… while their reasons for for the city to have been chosen getting tattooed are as varied to launch the national tour of as the people themselves, they Ink in the Lines. also share a common purpose in “Our city has strong military getting inked: to remember. ties as home to the Australian “Inscribed on skin are their Army Recruit Training Centre identities as veterans, the – Kapooka, and the Royal commemoration of loss, Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base experiences of trauma and at Forest Hill,” Ms Summerhayes overcoming adversity, the said. bonds of family and friends, and “We also have many former acknowledging the experiences
that make us who we are.” Ink in the Lines will be on display at the Art Gallery until 30 Jan 2022. To accompany this significant exhibition, the Gallery has commissioned Sydney artist Freya Jobbins to create a new artwork entitled ‘41'. This artwork has been supported by soldiers from Kapooka’s Wally Thompson Club, who are junior noncommissioned officers. The artwork represents the 41 Australian soldiers who lost their lives during the Afghanistan campaign. Herein, the artist acknowledges their ultimate sacrifice. On exhibition in the new media space are large scale video works, MQ-9 Reaper I-III by Canberra-based artist Baden Pailthorpe. The work explores how technology shapes our experience of the world, contemporary warring, time and space. The Australian Army Band Kapooka Jazz Band will be performing at the launch. While the event is free, bookings are essential: visit waggaartgallery.com.au/ programs
GETTING INKED: The powerful portraits and videos interviews featured in Ink in the Lines reveal how tattoos are often used to remember and commemorate the unique and sometimes traumatic experiences of Australia Defence Force personnel and veterans.
CONTEMPORARY WARRING: Large scale video works by Canberra-based artist Baden Pailthorpe in his show MQ-9 Reaper I-III explore how technology shapes our experience of the world.