newy.com.au – Two new exhibitions will open at the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang this month, bringing new landscape-focused works and a flower-inspired installation to Lake Macquarie for winter.
Current Connections and Night Blossom will launch at the Booragul gallery on Saturday, 25 July, with an evening event featuring performances, illuminated puppets and an artist talk.
Current Connections brings together predominantly painted works by recognised artists from Lake Macquarie and across NSW, including David Collins, Sally Stokes, Belinda Street, Leah Thiessen and Ana Young. The exhibition grew out of a shared residency in Lake Macquarie, where the artists spent time developing new bodies of work in response to the area.
The resulting works continue each artist’s ongoing interpretation of, and engagement with, the Australian landscape, a theme central to their individual practices.
In the adjoining gallery, three-time Archibald finalist Catherine McGuiness will present Night Blossom in conjunction with Studio A, a Sydney-based supported studio for artists with intellectual disability, and curator Shan Turner-Carroll.
Night Blossom includes large-scale paintings, works on paper, textiles and a dinner table that perpetually awaits guests, with the collection inspired by the beauty, colours and essence of flowers.
MAC yapang Curator and Coordinator Ellen Hewitt said the exhibition offered audiences a generous and immersive experience.
“This festive exhibition is an invitation into aspects of McGuiness’s world,” Ms Hewitt said.
“It’s a generous offering to her community and a much-welcomed space of wonder.”
Night Blossom is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
The 25 July launch will begin at 6pm, with local performance artists Curious Legends activating the site with larger-than-life illuminated puppets. A light-hearted artist talk by Catherine McGuiness with Studio A will follow.
“Having these two exhibitions at MAC yapang this winter is an absolute treat,” Ms Hewitt said.
“The vibrant colours, rich stories, passion, warmth and joy that emanate from these artists’ work feel especially resonant during these cooler months. There is so much to immerse yourself in and enjoy at the launch.”
MAC yapang is set within five hectares of leafy grounds on the shore of Lake Macquarie and includes an art museum, retail shop, sculpture park, mosaic pathways and coffee cart. Free tickets for the launch event can be booked through MAC yapang.
