Next major Galley exhibit revealed

A KEY piece of the Bendigo Art Gallery’s 2023 autumn and winter program has been revealed.

Australiana: Designing a Nation, will debut from 18 March and showcase the artistic traditions and schools that have helped shape, and reflect, the country’s styles, identities, and cultures.

A partnership between the Bendigo Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Victoria, works in the exhibition will span the ages and include historical and contemporary pieces from more than 200 creatives.

Bendigo Art Gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said Australiana: Designing a Nation combines many elements of national artistic practice.

“From the long-standing traditions of Australia’s First Peoples, to historic and modern moments of nationalistic fervour in the colony, the exhibition captures Australia’s social and cultural history and popular notions of identity and style,” she said.

“Included are two of the most recognisable works of Australian art, Tom Roberts’s iconic Shearing the Rams, and Russell Drysdale’s Moody’s Pub, as well as and several other masterpieces from the National Gallery of Victoria.

“In addition, we have been able to access works from the Australiana Fund collection, which furnishes the four official residences of the Governor-General and Prime Minister of Australia and includes many highly significant works of Australian art and design, as well as works by international artists that feature Australian motifs.

“Brought together, pieces from such important collections such as the Australiana Fund and the National Gallery of Victoria tell a fascinating story about Australia’s ideas about nationhood.”

Combing painting, photography, sculpture, clothing and other artforms, additional creatives featured include Ken Done, Tony Albert, Hilda Rix Nicholas, Paul McCann, and Kenny Pittock.

Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Tony Elwood, said he was “delighted to work closely with Bendigo Art Gallery so that many significant Australian works from the NGV collection could be included.”

“This is an expansive exhibition that interrogates the way art and design have influenced our sense of national Identity,” he said.

Australiana: Designing a Nation will be free to see and runs from 18 March to 25 June.