Of Nature

Growing Pains Initiative

The world in which we live is full of so much natural beauty, so in this exhibition we have a group of artists who create work inspired by the natural world.

please apply  here

More Growing Pains Initiative

This project is supported by Burrinja and Yarra Ranges Council.

Diode

Gerard Russo

Diode is an exhibition of illuminated copper works by Belgrave artist Gerard Russo. Using a unique copper plate composite his art practise involves traditional woodworking, painting and copper etching. ‘Diode’ explores nature, the industrial, the conscious and temporality. With each artefact the original artwork is destroyed to reveal the copper plate.  Illuminated from within; the art speaks with lux. The self-illuminating works create ambience, detaching the observer from the space in an immersive experience of light, questioning linear perceptions of time and journey. 

Join us for the exhibition opening at 2 - 4 pm on Saturday 16 June 

Love, Thieves and Fear make Ghosts

Andrea Innocent

Ghost stories and mythology are present in both Western and Eastern cultures, however the history of these tales in Japan date back thousands of years through to the present day, as can be seen in the new medium known as J-horror; highlighting a vibrant continuous narrative.

The folklore surrounding these is well ingrained in the Japanese psyche and presents an opportunity for them to be shared across cultures to both surprise and challenge commonly held views and assumptions.

The prints featured in 'Love, Thieves and Fear make ghosts' utilize recurring Japanese motifs and the stylized imagery of block prints with a strong emphasis on shape, contrasting the ephemeral and nebulous `ghost’ subject matter with the dramatic physical presence of the visual works. 

Join us for an Artist's Talk and Ghost Stories at 1pm on Saturday 16 June

Pareidolia

Manfred Krautschneider and Janine Good

Pareidolia is the human tendency of seeing objects or patterns in unrelated imagery, such as a face on the moon. This phenomenon blurs the distinction between recognition and abstraction. Pareidolia comes into play when viewing the works of two artists whose imagery stimulates the imagination to construct a narrative, sometimes obscure and sometimes made more obvious by the occasional glimpse of figuration. Despite the common thread the sources of reference for these two artists are vastly different - one derives from a macro human construct while the other from micro biological observance. The abstract works of photography by Manfred Krautschneider and paintings by Janine Good, both based in the the Latrobe Valley, are engaging due to the inherent mystery within the imagery. 

Join us for the exhibition opening at 3pm on Saturday 16 June

Jutta Malnic: Mwaga -  A bird at the end of the world

Mwaga is a photographic essay captured by Jutta Malnic on a small island in the East of Papua New Guinea in the 1980s. It shows the near-synergic relationship between the people on the island and the Mwaga gannets, a bird species locally referred to as ‘navigator birds’. Ancient Polynesian seafarers used these birds’ behaviour and movements as a navigation guide. 

Jutta Malnic is a Sydney-based photographer born in Berlin to a German father and Australian mother in 1924. After her family move to Australia in 1948, Jutta Malnic soon began to work as a on-board photographer for a shipping line. Between 1950 and 1969, Jutta Malnic sailed on 72 cruises around the South Pacific Islands. She developed deep relationships with the people of the region. Talking to the islands’ Chiefs, shermen, women and children, she was taught about the culture and legends in the Pacific Islands — and captured her impressions through the lens of her camera. Throughout her career she published several books.

Presented in cooperation with Goethe-Institut Australien.

Join us for the exhibition opening at 2pm on Sunday 6 May

Faces & Forms - Alyson May

Burrinja Kids Stay and Play free family activity by local artists 

Faces and Forms aims to engage audiences of all ages in the observation of shape and structure of contemporary art.  In a society of increased visual language, it is important for the human eye to perceive and the brain to connote meaning from abstract forms.

In the Faces and Forms interactive installation children, and adults, can draw their own self-portrait or that of a friend on the perspex picture frames. Portraiture conveys humanities role in the world.  Visitors will experience the excitement of observing and drawing the lines and shapes that make up a portrait.

Each activity provides the opportunity to observe and reconstruct portraiture and amazing local art work.

More about Burrinja Kids - Stay and Play

Women Painting Women   

Realist portrait painting by Australian female artists.   

Women Painting Women is a major exhibition of portraiture oil painting and features recent works by Sally Ryan (NSW), Megan Roodenrys (SA), Dagmar Cyrulla, Vicki Sullivan, Fiona Bilbrough, Raelene Sharp and Heather Ellis (all VIC).

Giving insights into the relationships between the artists and their sitters (among these Yorta-Yorta soprano Deborah Cheetham, actress Sigrid Thornton, domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty and labour senator Penny Wong), the works touch on a variety of contemporary themes while revealing personal stories of reward and loss.

Taking its inspiration from the realist painting movement in the United States, the exhibition celebrates the talent of female portrait artists and the women who sit for them, and is the second instalment at Burrinja after its successful show in 2016.    

"This exhibition uniquely honours the female spirit - of realist painters and their sitters” - artist Vicki Sullivan

Wild Awards 2018

The Wildlife Art Society of Australasia presents their major biennial exhibition ‘The Wild Awards’ in the Burrinja Gallery.

Be moved by this unique exhibition and the passion and talent of a diverse range of artists from the Australasian region. The exhibition features an exquisite array of different animal species and habitats in sculpture, painting and works on paper.

‘The Wild Awards’ encapsulates art excellence and this fine display proudly demonstrates the Society members’ strong passion and respect for wildlife and its habitat. Be delighted and inspired by this stunning collection of beautiful wildlife imagery by The Wildlife Art Society of Australasia.

“Intriguing and inspiring artwork. It’s always a joy to see a WASA exhibition.”- Kris Peter President Wildlife Art Society of Australasia

Masters of Aboriginal Contemporary Art #2    
Minnie Pwerle : Beginnings 

Celebrating the work of one of the world’s great painters. 

Minnie Pwerle (1919-2006) grew up at Utopia, a former cattle station 300 km northeast from Alice Springs (also known as Urupuntja), home to the Anmatjerre language group. The story of her life was one of struggle and endurance. In 1999, at the age of 80, she took up painting and soon gained national recognition. The use of bold brushstrokes and bold, vibrant colours became her trademark, as did paintings of small bush melons and women’s body-painting designs.  
The exhibition surveys Minnie’s Pwerle’s oeuvre and features a series of unseen paintings including the very first ones she produced in 1999.
    
"Paintings of striking expressionistic quality.” – Burrinja Curator JD Mittmann

Black Mist Burnt Country

Testing the Bomb. Maralinga and Australian Art

In the 1950s Australia became the nuclear testing ground for the British Government. A total of 12 atomic tests were conducted. Sixty years after the events Black Mist Burnt Country revisits the history of the test program at Maralinga, Emu Field and Monte Bello Island, through works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists across the mediums of painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, music and new media spanning seven decades.  An award winning Burrinja national touring exhibition.    

“Powerful, though-provoking, moving - a must-see.” - 2017 Audience member