Exhibition intertwines art and democracy

Paris-based Australian artist Anthony White has brought his bright works to Ballarat which draw on new research about the Eureka Rebellion.

After Eureka: The Studies for Manifestation is now on display at the Eureka Centre Ballarat and draws upon Sidney Nolan’s 1966 Eureka Stockade mural.

“I called that exhibition manifestation because France has this residual effect of resistance in its culture which doesn’t exist in Australia,” said White.

“Australia is very conformist, we follow the orders from the government, and that’s a good thing too, I’m not saying we need to be anarchist.

“Resistance and to think for yourself, that’s really important.”

The works were painted in France at a time of civil unrest, and the works form part of White’s wider thinking about creativity as a form of dissent, and civil disobedience.

“Artists are the barometers of society who feel things that are going on… and if you feel it you have an obligation to report it,” said White.

“Products like painting and poetry or literature can act as pieces of dissidence of getting people to think about what is happening in society.”

White’s work has been included in more than 50 exhibitions globally and he has been a finalist in major Australian art prizes including the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, the John Glover Art Prize, and the Churchie Emerging Art Award and a recipient of the Elioth Gruner Prize and The Creative Fellowship at the National Library of Australia.

His works are part of the collections at the Mark Rothko Art Centre in Latvia, Soho House London, and the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre.

After Eureka: The Studies for Manifestation will be open until Sunday 2 March 2025. More information can be found on the Eureka Centre Ballarat website.