The City of Marion’s Red House Art Gallery, in South Australia, has put a unique stamp on the Centenary of Federation through its Postcards of a Nation exhibition running from 9 March to 12 April.The exhibition features some 400 tiny postcard sized artworks by dozens of artists from around Australia, on the theme of Federation.
“The diversity, styles and subject matter of the artworks are astounding,” said Red House coordinator Julie Pritchard. “We have traditional landscapes in oils and acrylics, contemporary abstractions, applique embroidery and stained glass.”
Subjects range from the literal to the esoteric, with anything from kangaroos and vegemite to the cosmos and famous Australian cricketers’ moustaches.
Migrant artists have combined images from their native cultures with those of their new homeland and the theme of reconciliation emerges in the works of both indigenous and white Australians.
The exhibition also includes a laser print of an original wartime cartoon by Alex Gurney, the originator of the ‘Bluey and Curley’ cartoon contributed by his daughter.
Postcards, an initiative of the Red House Art Group, is supported by a State Government grant.
