Guns to Roses | from the Maitland Regional Art Gallery Collection
February 29 2020 — August 9 2020
Guns to Roses brings together artworks from the MRAG Collection, and selected works on loan, that illustrate how artists respond to the precariousness of our times; the fragility of life as impacted by war, political unrest and climate change, and the consciousness of our own mortality. Within this exhibition we find symbols of weaponry transformed into visually seductive motifs, the daily news transformed into a ten metre long scroll and the beauty of our native flora used as a disguise to impart a much deeper message. The central element of this exhibition, drawn from the MRAG Collection, is the installation Gun no. 1, that sees paper weapons transformed into vibrantly coloured rosettes. This work created by Chinese artist Li Hongbo reflects the Chinese saying that ‘life is as fragile as paper’.
AWARDS
- 2020, Museums Australasia Multimedia & Publication Design Awards (MAPDA) – HIGHLY COMMENDED. Exhibition Catalogue (Small), Level A, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Guns to Roses from the Maitland Regional Art Gallery Collection. Designer: Clare Hodgins
Exhibition catalogue can be purchased HERE.
Artist Simone Patterson shares her work with us…
Featured in the Guns to Roses exhibition, Shonah Trescott’s work ‘Kyoto Protocol’, 2015, uses printmaking to make a statement about how we treat our environment. Read more about the artist’s work here. In this video Shonah, with the help of her talented sidekick, shows us how to #Make some very special monoprints with everyday household materials.
Art Tutor Annie shows you how to create a floral collage inspired by Victoria Lobregat’s Deco Skull featured in the Guns to Roses exhibition.
