A new major exhibition is coming to the Shepparton Art Museum.
‘The Land is Us: Stories, Place and Connection’ will bring together notable artworks from the National Gallery of Victoria’s permanent collection for SAM to display.
Through artworks from Australian, First Nations and international artists, The Land is Us explores people’s fascination and connection to land and place.
The artworks explore themes such as the roles of land in shaping personal and national identities, mythmaking, and the displacement of refugees, and are displayed over a series of rooms.
SAM chief executive Melinda Martin said it was a privilege to present significant works from the NGV collection in a regional setting.
“It brings important context to the artworks on display and allows regional audiences to not only access these works closer to home, but see them in proximity to the scenery that inspired the artists,” she said.
“We’re excited to again be featuring artwork from Yorta Yorta artist Lin Onus at SAM, an artist whose work many will remember from the solo exhibition that launched the 2021 artistic program in our new museum, as well as being the namesake of our major gallery space on SAM’s Level 1.
“The Land is Us speaks to the spectrum of relationships people across Australia have with the land and investigates the complexities of those relationships through the lenses of colonisation, migration and cultural heritage, among others.”
Artists’ work throughout the exhibition voices diverse experiences shared with the landscape.
Australian impressionists Frederick McCubbin and Hans Heysen present the familiar visuals of Australian bushland and the activities of early settlers.
Contrastingly, Wiradjuri/Ngunnawal artist Brook Andrew and Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie subvert the traditional landscape to re-insert and reaffirm the presence of First Nations people in Australian history.
Artist Patricia Piccinini’s sculptural work The Rescuers addresses the Australian landscape’s changing and sometimes hostile nature. Poignant and lifelike, the work confronts the reality of the increasingly severe climate crisis faced by the Australian population.
NGV director Tony Ellwood said the gallery was delighted to contribute important works from the NGV collection for the The Land is Us exhibition at SAM.
“Bringing such diverse works together as part of one exhibition and displaying them in a fresh new context allows audiences to appreciate a fuller and richer picture of Australia’s relationship with the land,” he said.
An opening celebration event will be held at SAM at 6pm on Wednesday, March 27, where attendees will be granted an exclusive first look at the exhibition before its official opening to the public.
This will include an official welcome from Greater Shepparton City Council Deputy Mayor Sam Spinks and opening remarks from NGV deputy director Andrew Clark and SAM chief executive Melinda Martin. Attendance at the event is free, with refreshments available at bar prices.
The Land is Us will have free entry and be displayed at SAM, 530 Wyndham St, Shepparton, from March 30 to September 1.