Rockhampton Museum of Art
24 Feb - 25 Aug 2024
Participating members: Nanette Balchin | Michelle Black | Linda Douglas | Mame Du Bois | Clare Ford | Kathryn Kerr | Michele Kershaw | Carmel Knowles | Heather La Bash | Sarah Larsen | Amanda Lawrence | Peta Lloyd | Niloufar Lovegrove | Hanbing Lu | Belinda McGrath | Yvonne Moloney Law | Sally North | Sambuddhananda Saraswati (1947-2024) | Phillipa Sturgess | Lynn Zelmer
Collection Focus: Capricornia Printmakers’ opening night (pictured) was a joyful celebration for all participating members. It has been over a year in the making, and everyone has excelled with so many thoughtful, exquisite, and beautifully presented works of art. Each member has chosen a piece in response to the works in RMOA’s extensive collection.
Sadly, our exhibition has also felt the profound loss of a valued member, Sambuddhananda Saraswati. Her final debut, a trio of artworks, beautifully reflects her caring heart and dedication to raising awareness about endangered species in our locality.
Thank you, Jonathan McBurnie and Emily Wakeling, for your vision and trust in including local artists, and thank you, Robert Connell, for working with us and supporting the development of this diverse exhibition.
Red Uprising- Niloufar Lovegrove- 2024- Felt fabric, 3D Printed Recyclable PLA, Thread
My work, “Red Uprising,” responds to “Red Meditation” by David Rankin. At first glance, the white dots distinctly symbolised masses of people, specifically protesters in Iran uniting for their basic human rights on the brutal ground.
Replacing the white dots with white running horses, dancing girls, and clouds—all moving forward—showcases the consistent bravery and defiance that keep the hope of freedom alight.
After years and months of resistance against the oppressive regime, the defiance has seen people, especially women and girls, dancing, singing, and playing music in public as a protest against the dark, ideological control of the regime. In a country where people are shot and imprisoned for showing their hair, the movement has witnessed shop owners rewarding customers grappling with rising everyday expenses by offering a giveaway if they dance. Couples are dancing and singing on busy streets, while prisoners sing their hearts out with songs of freedom to - the seemingly victorious - visiting judges and judicial officials.
Their consistent bravery and defiance keep the hope of freedom alight.
In my work, as a parallel landscape, red and soft, hundreds of clouds of hopeful dreams rise to reside over the people who are dancing their way forward.
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