Launch Day! Join us for a day of art, wine and food (and dogs!) as we launch the next four exhibitions on one day. We have Near x Far, Inland Drive, Every Dog Will Have Its Day and Southeast - Southwest

This is a dog friendly event as one of the exhibitions, Every Dog Will Have Its Day, is an exhibition looking at artists and their dogs.

Every Dog Will Have Its Day

Every Dog Will Have Its Day is a group exhibition of ten contemporary Australian artists exploring the emotional connection between people and dogs. Curated by emerging curators Sophia Cai (VIC) and Kathleen Linn (NSW), the exhibition features work by Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (WA), Dion Beasley (NT), David Capra (NSW), Anastasia Klose (NSW), Noel McKenna (NSW), Clare Peake (WA), Kenny Pittock (VIC), Danielle Reynolds (VIC), Adrian Stojkovich (VIC) and Natalie Thomas (VIC) spanning across diverse mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture, video and performance.

The exhibition also references Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre’s (CPAC) collection and its programming history. Surprisingly, within CPAC’s collection, artists have referenced their relationship to dogs. This includes works such as Apichat Tinatin’s, Dingo (dog with attitude) (2005) and Mai Long’s, Pho Dogs (2006) and Aqua Mutt: an installation with dag girl (2007).

While immediately playful and humorous in nature, Every Dog Will Have Its Day provides a broader platform to consider the enduring relationship between humans and dogs. Dogs are embedded in myth, ritual and the human experience; their roles span from beloved pet, surrogate child, guard and working dogs, to dark, symbolic representations. At the heart of all these is the enduring symbiotic relationship of loyalty and empathy that bind people with their dogs.

Curated by Sophia Cai & Kathleen Linn

Inland Drive

For Western Sydney based artist Gary Smith, commuting on the Inner West and South West Line through Liverpool and Campbelltown are linked to memories of growing-up and witnessing the ever-growing urban sprawl across Western Sydney as paddocks slowly turned into carparks, shopping centres and homes.

Inland Drive takes you on a fly-over journey through the urban landscape of Western Sydney where Smith was born, raised and continues to live. Smith maps the urban landscape of Western Sydney utilising a continuous-line drawing technique in conjunction with brightly coloured acrylic and watercolour paints. His artworks are inspired by an imagined, aerial perspective of a drone - complete with freeways, over-passes, scrubland corridors, military sites and homes that capture the lived experiences of people in Western Sydney.

Smith’s point-of-view seeks scenarios from the urban wonderland, but what has remained constant for the artist in this ever-changing landscape are the bellbirds singing by the George’s River at Casula.

Near x Far

Near x Far presents a constellation of spaces connected by the artists who occupy them. Artists from Western Sydney were invited to document the spaces in which they dwell. These spaces include the physical home but expand further afield into natural landscapes, thoroughfares and the metaphysical world. The result is a map of Western Sydney as a centre from which a myriad of spaces and movements radiate.

Also included is a material exploration of how space might be mapped, marked and remembered across a range of forms including photography, light, sound, performance, sculpture and pattern making.

Near x Far reveals new perspectives on Western Sydney through artists Rebecca Gallo, Matthew James, Murasaki Penguin, Shireen Taweel, Grace Toiava, Hannah Toohey, and Vaughan and Vincent Wozniak-O’Connor.

Curated by Brittany D'Chong

Southeast - Southwest

Southeast – Southwest frames the universal narrative of migration and diaspora through the perspective of artists who originated from Southeast Asia. Selected artworks from the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Collection mirror the diasporic experiences shared amongst Southeast Asian migrants who now contribute to the diverse cultural makeup of the Southwest Sydney region.

Artists like Aris Prabawa (Indonesia) and Tin Nguyen (Vietnam) reflect on their personal experiences of social, cultural and political issues that have, or continue to deeply affect the people from their countries of origin. The works in this exhibition explore how cultural identities are constantly in flux through conformity to new cultural norms in contrast to the longing desire to respect the cultural heritage, practices and traditions of one’s home. Such discourse is evident in the use of social and cultural-specific symbolism featured in some of the artworks.

Southeast - Southwest highlights the resilience of migrant communities that bring a unique flavour to the Southwest Sydney region. It also pays homage to previous Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre exhibitions such as Nam Bang! and VietNam Voices.

Curated by Cara Lopez & Adam Porter