New gallery show explores potential to tell stories

Wander through a forest of organza fabric : home to birds, sea creatures and insects at the Orange Regional Gallery.

Visitors to the gallery can literally walk through the latest exhibition, becoming immersed in the dozens of works strung up through gallery 2.

The compilation called Murmuration was created by former Orange artist Jenny Cuthbert and will be launched by Orange artist Victor Gordon on Friday night.

Orange City Council’s Services Policy Committee Chair Cr Ron Gander it’s likely to be a new experience for many visitors to the gallery.

“Traditionally a visit to a gallery means looking at art that’s been a hung on a wall,” Cr Gander said.

“With this show, the art is arranged so that a visitor can walk amongst the pictures. And because the artist has used transparent organza fabric instead of canvass, a viewer can see through the paintings.”

“Aspects like this will alter how people interact with the images and the stories they convey,“Cr Gander said.

“It is terrific to see an artist who was raised in Orange returning to the region with such a rich body of work”, he said.

Gallery Director Lisa Loader said the paintings have been produced over the past 18 months and depict mostly natural history subjects.

“Jenny’s gouache (a technique using water-colour paints and gum) paintings on organza fabric are very delicate works,” Ms Loader said.

“Her art-installation-based approach to the display of these works will allow visitors to navigate their own path and develop their own associations between the works. I anticipate the exhibition will generate a lot of interest in the community,” she said

Ms Cuthbert said she was nervous about exhibiting in her former home town but her concerns were quickly forgotten once she saw the works hung from the ceiling.

“Until the lights went on I was nervous but it looks more amazing than I could have imagined,” she said.

The exhibition will be launched Friday (June 17) at 6pm.

MURMURATION: Gallery staff take pride in setting up for the latest exhibition to open on Friday.