Region’s top artists respond in-kind to gallery’s collection

The latest exhibition at the Orange Regional Gallery sees art-works from the gallery’s collection, given a fresh new twist with the creation of new works inspired by the old.

On 19 April 2016 Orange Regional Gallery marks its 30th anniversary. To acknowledge this significant milestone the Gallery invited some of the region’s leading artists to create an entirely new work in response to a work from the Gallery's collection.

The resulting exhibition, Call + Response, features these new works displayed alongside the works that inspired them. Each artist reviewed the 1500 works in the Gallery’s collection in September last year to select the work that resonated most powerfully. They completed their responses over the following five months with their final works delivered to the Gallery in February. The artistic responses range from the quite literal to the highly imaginative and include paintings, sculpture and video.

Orange City Council’s Services Policy Committee Chair Cr Ron Gander said the new show celebrates not only the gallery but the valuable collection that has been assembled over the past 30 years.

“It’s fantastic to see what contemporary artists have made of paintings from the vaults,” Cr Ron Gander said.

“A painting of a willow tree at Carcoar by Brett Whitley has prompted today’s artists to look at the mining that’s now happening near Carcoar, to produce a work that combines animated video images with a painting.”

“Another painting from 1955 by Ian Fairweather has triggered two new art-works, a cast iron sculpture and a ceramic piece.”

Participating artists are:

• Ros Auld,
• Alexander Boynes and Mandy Martin (jointly),
• Martin Coyte,
• Neil Cuthbert,
• Victor Gordon,
• David Serisier and
• Tim Winters.

The artists chose works by high-profile artists and by those that are lesser-known. They include :

• a painting by Ian Fairweather,
• drawings by Aida Tomescu, Brett Whiteley and Wendy Sharpe,
• sculptures by Alan Peascod and Frank Hinder and
• a photograph by Jeff Carter.

Gallery Director Lisa Loader is delighted with the new project.

“The artists approached the project with so much enthusiasm,” Lisa Loader said. “It’s great to see the seriousness given to their works, and the artistic responses produced.”

“The new works have created a fascinating dialogue with the selected works from our collection, and revealed new dimensions.

A publication has been produced in association with this exhibition, authored by Dr Andrew Flatau.

Call + Response will be officially opened by Janie Raffin on Friday 8 April at 6:00pm. During the early 1980s, Ms Raffin played a key role in pushing for the establishment of the Orange Regional Gallery.

The exhibition is on display 26 March- 12 June 2016