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Exhibitions are an integral part of what makes Bankstown Arts Centre so great! Our Exhibition calendar includes exhibitions by both established and emerging artists. Keep an eye out for upcoming exhibitions.
Artifact/Artifice is an exhibition by artist, Garry Jones, featuring a series of traditional objects carved in polystyrene(Styrofoam), along with images inspired by the uncovering of a sacred site at Sandon Point, near Wollongong. Garry first began researching cultural practices of Aboriginal communities in far western New South Wales, particularly the Kamilaroi/Ngemba region of Brewarrina, where his mother is from. He wanted to experience what it might feel like to produce cultural objects with his own hands, exploring what it meant to engage in the practice of communication with the past into the present.
After an initial attempt to create a replica of a parrying shield out of polystyrene, he became fascinated with the context of using such a 'temporary' material. He came to experience an ambivalent relationship with both the material he had been working with and the objects he had been carving. Attempting to manufacture artefacts out of natural materials and in a manner that satisfied contemporary expectations of authenticity, no longer felt so important.
"My engagement in thinking about the archive historically, and in the present, and the ways in which Aboriginal cultural material had been collected, categorised and displayed was tentative and incremental. I discovered a field of contemporary art, which interrogates and speaks back to the power of the archive, and then realised that I had inadvertently entered this field in my own practice."
Garry Jones is a printmaker, painter and sculptor, whose early experiences of racism in Western Sydney inform much of his practice today.
As a member of the Mt Druitt-based Garage Graphic in the late 1980s, Garry developed a strong commitment to community, place, and cultural identity in suburban Sydney. Garry has recently completed a PhD in visual art from the Australian National University.
Join artist Garry Jones on Saturday 15 May, as he discusses his work in the current exhibition with Bankstown Arts Centre Director, Vandana Ram.
When: Saturday 15 May/ 2-3:30pm
Where: 5 Olympic Parade
Cost: Free! (RSVP on Eventbrite)
Kuña/kuñatai/kuñakarai is the Tupi-Guarani word for woman/womxn/young woman/senior woman.Paula finds herself reflecting on the various roles womxn embody within family and the community as carers, nurturers, defenders, advocates and role-models. This body of work reflects on the feminine, which does not necessarily mean female as we all carry both divine feminine and masculine qualities. Paula is interested in how the feminine holds both fierceness and softness, vulnerability and strength, representing infinite rebirth and sure endings. What does tending to the feminine within look and feel like? How do we acknowledge the beauty, the wisdom and the wounds?
Paula do Prado is a visual artist living and working on Gadigal land. She was born on Charrúa land (Montevideo), Uruguay migrating to Australia in 1986. Her practice explores the intersections between her Bantu, Spanish, Portuguese and Indigenous South American ancestral heritage. She works predominantly with textiles to process and transform intergenerational experiences. As a woman of colour and a migrant living on stolen land, she is passionate about making as a form of remembering, connecting and resisting. do Prado holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Textiles) with First Class Honours and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales Art & Design. She has held various solo and group shows in Australia and overseas.
The thirty paintings in this show, represent thirty moments inspired by the little things that happen in Heli's daily life, telling the stories of three generations. There are moments of cultural differences and conflicts, appreciation, expectations and happiness.
Heli Yang, born in Dalian, China, is a Sydney-based artist. Her artistic flare started from a young age, when she enjoyed expressing herself through drawing and crafting. Heli received a double degree in art and design from UNSW in 2007. Her work is inspired by events in daily life, which have touched her heart. Events tha can be small, like a person or going on a trip. "Rabbits have very good memories. They are joyful and full of character. No two are the same- just like my experiences." Heli is the founder of Art Wonderland Studio, founded in 2016.
Heli Yang, born in Dalian, China, is a Sydney-based artist. Her artistic flare started from a young age, when she enjoyed expressing herself through drawing and crafting.
Heli received a double degree in art and design from UNSW in 2007. Her work is inspired by events in daily life, which have touched her heart. Events tha can be small, like a person or going on a trip. "Rabbits have very good memories. They are joyful and full of character. No two are the same- just like my experiences."
Heli is the founder of Art Wonderland Studio, founded in 2016.
Bankstown Arts Centre has a range of artist opportunities. To find out how to exhibit your at Bankstown Arts Centre , go to the Showcase your work page.
To see previous exhibitions, go to our Previous exhibitions page.
