NEW EXHIBITIONS AT DEVONPORT REGIONAL GALLERY

Joe, Enid and Family, 1931, The Robinson Collection.

4 June – 7 August, 2016
OPENING Friday 3 June, 6 pm

The Lyons Share: Photographs from the Robinson Collection
Curated by Ellie Ray
OPENING GUEST SPEAKER: Peter Lyons

The Lyons Share: Photographs from the Robinson Collection celebrates the centenary of Home Hill which was built for the Lyons family in 1916. The exhibition showcases images made by the Robinson Family Business predominantly in the period comprising the 1930s and 1940s. The featured photographs have been printed from digital scans of the original negatives.

While highlighting certain aspects of the Lyons political life – Joe Lyons when he was Prime Minister of Australia and Dame Enid Lyons when she entered the House of Representatives – the photographs provide a glimpse into Joe and Enid Lyons family life at Home Hill. The photographic reproductions also provide a space for contemplating the role of the photographer in these times – particularly as many photographs of Joe and Enid Lyons were ‘press’ photographs.

The Robinson Family Business catered to a community of people from all walks of life, and it seems there is no end to the subject matter and the innovative ways they were portrayed. The series of family portraits photographed outdoors at Home Hill are testament to a photographer who experimented with poses and compositional arrangements. A selection of photographs also showcase the famous couple at special events either presenting trophies or as guest speakers.

PRESS: Selected Prints from the DCC Permanent Collection
Curated by Ellie Ray
Press presents prints from the Collection including etchings, lithographs, screen-prints and monoprints and highlights the diversity and skill prevalent amongst Tasmanian printmakers practicing over the past four decades. A highlight of this exhibition will be a series of prints by Bea Maddock (1934–2016).

This year, the Print Council of Australia celebrates 50 years by presenting the Year of Print. Press is included in this national program, which also contains competitions, workshops and exhibitions. More information about PCA and the Year of Print can be found online here.

A Twilight Tour that will explore both The Lyons Share and PRESS will be held on Thursday 23 June, 5.30 pm with the curator, Ellie Ray and Erin Wilson, Curator of Collections.

Education and Public Programs will be conducted throughout the exhibition period. For further details on education and programming please contact Dianne Sheehan, Public Programs Officer on 6424 8296

Con Rhee: The Wilderness Pill
The Little Gallery Project Space
Exhibition: 4 June – 2 July, 2016
OPENING SPEAKER: Ellie Ray, Gallery Director

Con Rhee is an emerging artist who began his art career later in life, having studied and taught Biology at tertiary level for some time. He works in both glass and photography and has exhibited his works regularly over recent years.

Rhee’s concepts explore such things as health – how it is maintained, and has been maintained in the past. He questions how society managed without pills and medications and from a personal perspective he believes that one way to maintain health is to be at one with nature. With this in mind, Rhee has coined the term ‘The wilderness pill’ which forms the title of his exhibition in The Little Gallery. The exhibition highlights the wilderness through a series of enlarged photographs that surround the viewer within the space and seemingly transport them into a sense of ‘being there’.

“Based on experience, I’ve found a health promoting pill. It cost nothing & is highly efficacious. You absorb it naturally when you are present in the wilderness. It does wonders for your mental state, which in turn is reflected in the wellbeing & longevity of your body – i.e. your health. Given our origins, this “pill” was originally omnipresent in our environment. I call it “The Wilderness Pill”” – Con Rhee, May 2015
Ellie Ray Director Devonport Regional Gallery