Deakin University Art Gallery major exhibition celebrates drawing and learning

Curated by James Lynch, The Drawing Room exhibition aims to create an environment of drawing in dialogue with the past and present.

“The exhibition takes inspiration from the drawing rooms of the past that became a space away from the more formal and public areas of the house to encourage social interaction, play, comedy, story-telling and drama,” Mr Lynch said.

The exhibition is in the form of a series of short residencies by an intergenerational group of Australian artists, Anastasia Klose, Euan Heng, Kenny Pittock, and Zilverster artists Sharon Goodwin and Irena Hanenbergh, who will use the gallery as a place for work, drawing, thinking, conversations and workshops.

It will be accompanied by a display of rarely seen works on paper, drawings and prints from the Deakin University Art Collection including works by John Brack, Eric Thake, Janet Dawson, Peggy Shaw, Sidney Nolan, Helen Maudesley, John Olsen, Eveline Syme, John Perceval and others.

Mr Lynch said drawing was still considered central to the development of art practices and valued as an important part of every artist’s training.

“Many contemporary artists now use drawing as a highly finished and expressive way of working on its own,” he said.

“This exhibition however focuses on the qualities of drawing as a medium of thinking and talking: exploring the intimate, informal, immediate and conversational nature of putting pencil to paper and sharing this with others.”

WHAT: The Drawing Room, with Anastasia Klose, Euan Heng, Kenny Pittock and Zilverster artists Sharon Goodwin and Irena Hanenbergh. Free entry.

WHEN: Tuesday 13 February to Thursday 29 March 2018. Gallery hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.

WHERE: Deakin University Art Gallery, building FA, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood.

FURTHER INFORMATION: http://www.deakin.edu.au/locations/melbourne-burwood-campus/art-gallery