Discovery Collection 23/24
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Kanamaluka/Launceston
28 September 2024 - 19 January 2025
Image: Courtesy of QVMAG
Australian Painted Ladies at Mills Plains, Tasmania, 2023, oil on linen, 142.5 x 142.5 cm
Discovery Collection
Since 1842, QVMAG has been dedicated to showcasing Tasmania’s diverse natural and cultural heritage. As the largest regional collection in Australia with over 1.5 million objects, the Collection stands out for its scale and multidisciplinary focus.
The Discovery Collection 23/24 exhibition highlights a selection of acquisitions made over the past two years, including significant historical objects, rare natural specimens, and remarkable works of art by both established and emerging local artists.
Artist Statement
Above a drawing board my gloved hand gestures alongside a kaleidoscope of Australian painted lady butterflies. On the board lies the blemished panoramic plan of Colonial Anglo painter, John Glover’s former estate, drafted in 1835. Compressed within the compass of a circle, a pink target has been overlaid, drawing focus to the home at its centre where my forefinger lingers over a pinned butterfly. Here, my musings surrounding femininity, domesticity, and home are imbedded within the landscape. In this setting, I ruminate about metamorphoses, reflecting on the past, while looking towards the possibilities of tomorrow.