Major national touring exhibition coming to Burnie
Published on 01 June 2022
Image: Angela Valamanesh, Been here and gone #7, 2006. Photographer: Michal Kluvanek
Another national touring art exhibition is set to land in Burnie in June and this time it will be popping up in the regional gallery space at the Burnie Arts & Function Centre.
JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here from the award-winning Jam Factory in Adelaide has been touring nationally and will be on show in Burnie, the only Tasmanian venue for the tour, from 18 June to 31 July.
JamFactory’s Icon series celebrates the achievements of South Australia’s most influential artists working in craft-based media. Inspired by the symbiosis between science and poetry Angela Valamanesh’s artworks elicit intrigue and a strong sense of personal investigation as she manipulates seemingly familiar anatomical, botanical and parasitic forms in beguiling and unusual ways. Primarily known for her biomorphic ceramic sculptures, this exhibition also celebrates the artist’s evocative drawings, watercolours, and mixed media works from her developing style of the late 1990s until present. Historically, links have been made between the human form and plant species, not only structurally but also through language: the family tree, our roots, or a severed limb, while early medicine made connections between plants that resembled parts of our bodies and their therapeutic effects on those body parts.
JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here is Angela Valamanesh’s exploration into the interconnectedness of life on earth – between human, animal, and plant beings. This life view, first felt intuitively by the artist; is reinforced through her ongoing research at leading libraries and scientific institutions both in Australia and abroad.
“I believe that art like science can help teach us about who we are, what we are made of and in doing so show us the importance of recognising that we are part of a whole.” Angela Valamanesh
A special opening event will be held in the gallery on Saturday 18 June from 5.30pm with complimentary food and drinks and guest speakers to open this visually stunning show.
JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here is a JamFactory touring exhibition.
JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here has been assisted by the South Australian Government through the Department for Innovation and Skills and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, Contemporary Touring Initiative.
Angela Valamanesh acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. Angela Valamanesh is represented by GAG Projects, Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide.
Regional gallery space at the Burnie Arts & Function Centre, 77 Wilmot Street.
18 June to 31 July
Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm
Free admission