Exhibitions
Staff Exhibitions - Current
Down-Under-Ground
Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland.
Curator: Teresa Wojna-Kenc
July to September 2008
Exhibition opens in historic Polish Salt Mine
An exhibition featuring the work of Fine Art staff has opened at the famous Wieliczka salt mine in Poland. The exhibition features in a cultural festival commemorating the entering of the historical site to UNESCO's First World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The exhibition was curated by PhD candidate Teresa Wonja-Kenc. An impressive bilingual catalogue and informative web site have been designed to promote this international event under the auspices of the Chairman of the Board of the Salt Mine Wieliczka, S.A. Zbigniew Zarebski (please see exhibition forward below for further details).
"The Exhibition DOWN UNDER GROUND is the proof of a continuous fascination of artists by Wieliczka’s underground, which seems to be not only a salt mine, but also a theme mine and an inspiration for the creation of works of art. Wieliczka salt mine is a place which, this time, underwent a creative interpretation by Australian artists. Under the influence of the subterranean salty climate, they confronted and compared in their work seemingly distant opposites: black – white, salt – coal, light – darkness. Furthermore, their inspiration came from the history and geological structure of our mine.
The artists did not limit themselves in their interpretation of the theme in any way. In Drozdowice Chamber, 110 meters under the ground, professors and lecturers ...(from the School of Drama, Fine Art and Music)... of the University of Newcastle in Australia present their work. The city of Newcastle by itsself has an interesting history of coal mining, it is a sea port but also it is a city, which for decades, has been vibrant with artistic life.
Organising this exhibition, we wanted to achieve two aims. On the one hand, we would like to show the culture-forming role of the Wieliczka mine, which invariably inspires artists from all continents. On the other hand, the exhibition has a promotional aspect. It will fulfil the role of an ambassador of the Wieliczka mine. Through the works of the Australian artists it will tell the world about us, as after the end of the exhibition in Wieliczka it will be displayed in Australia.
The exhibition DOWN UNDER GROUND is going to be an important element of the 30 year jubilee celebrations, commemorating the entering of the historical Wieliczka Salt Mine on UNESCO’s First World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage."
Zbigniew Zarebski
The Chairman of the Board of the Salt Mine Wieliczka S.A.
Website: http://www.kopalnia.pl/
Staff Exhibitions - Recent
Interpretations: Coal River
John Paynter Gallery, Newcastle. Australia
Curator: Varelle Hardy (2008)
New Adventures of Mark Twain – Coalopolis to Metropolis
Pearl Street Gallery, Brooklyn, New York and Lovett Gallery, Newcastle.
Curator: Graeme Sullivan (2007)
Lightness
Fine Art researchers in Arts/Health, John Paynter Gallery, Newcastle.
Curator: Miranda Lawry (2007)
