New exhibition for student art space

STUDENTS involved in LA Trobe University artist-run initiative Rookie have unveiled their second exhibition, Polarities.

Located in Hargreaves Mall, student artists took over the space last May as part of a collaboration between the university and the City of Greater Bendigo.

Curated by masters students Jackie De Haart and Annelise Henderson, Polarities features 50 works from 19 artists, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography and sculptures.

“We decided to go with Polarities because everybody does different work, with different materials and very different ideas and approaches to art making,” De Haart said.

“It seemed to be the best fit for everybody who studies at La Trobe.”

De Haart said the gallery provides opportunities for La Trobe students from first to final year to exhibit their work.

“We’ve got about five artists who didn’t think their work was good enough, we actually went into their studio and said ‘hey, this is good, can we have it’,” she said.

“It was great for them because when you see it hanging up in a gallery, you’re really surprised at how good it looks.

“There’s stuff that’s ripped out of people’s sketchbooks down to research in progress down to complete work. There are quite a few people exhibiting for the first time.

“Annelise and I have worked really closely on putting this show together and reaching out, it’s been really great, to get to know first years we wouldn’t otherwise know has been really good.”

Students volunteer their time to run the space, which is open for public viewing from Wednesday to Friday 12pm to 2pm and on Saturday from 11am to 3pm.