HOLIDAY + MEMORY 20th Century Australia at Play

16 November 2013 – 23 February 2014

On show in the main Gallery are the works of twenty-nine visual artists, across various mediums including photography, painting, moving image and installation. The work includes the iconic beach images from Max Dupain, Anne Zahalka, and Narelle Autio, nostalgic homes and landscapes by Chris O’Doherty aka Reg Mombassa and Noel McKenna and vibrant contemporary works by Mini Graff, Joanna Lamb and Anna Carey.

Outside of the main Gallery visitors can relax in Ancher house and view the community slide show, a celebration of the Australian holiday as experienced, primarily, between the post WWII and the 1970s period. Responding to the Gallery’s public call-out for fun holiday snapshots, over 200 photographs were submitted. High on the list of moments captured on film were the times when family and friends were simply relaxing together or engaging in recreational activities. Trips to the beachside and bush retreats offered respite from the usual daily routine. Activities such as lazing about on picnic rugs or larking about in the surf or river, the road trip itself or the location of the camp-site, all came to symbolise a sense of freedom and ‘time-lessness’ that distinguished the holiday experience from the typical routine that occupied the rest of the working year.

Lewers House has been created into a post WWII Summer House filled with furniture and memorabilia. The holiday house – fondly named the weekender – became an increasingly popular vacation destination for many working class families. Typically filled with hand-me-down furniture, miscellaneous kitchen utensils and assorted knickknacks, the holiday house provided a certain degree of familiarity and comfort without detracting from the sense of excitement to be found within a change of routine.

ARTISTS: IAN ABDULLA NARELLE AUTIO JESSICA BRADFORD JODY BROUN ANNA CAREY MARC DE JONG KEN DONE MAX DUPAIN MARTINE EMDUR A.H. FULLWOOD EDNA GARRAN-BROWN MINI GRAFF ANNABELLE JOSSE PETER KINGSTON WARATAH LAHY JOANNA LAMB FRED LEIST JON LEWIS RUTH MADDISON NOEL MCKENNA STEPHANIE MONTEITH KENDAL MURRAY CHRIS O’DOHERTY AKA REG MOMBASSA TRENT PARKE AMANDA PENROSE HART PATRICIA PROCIV DAVID RALPH SALLY ROBINSON ANNE ZAHALKA

Share your own memories of summer – photos and stories – on our Holiday + Memory blog.

Click here for the online catalogue size PDF.