previous Exhibitions
SHIRLEY MACNAMARA: MAARDI BUTALA 2017
Alcaston Gallery is delighted to present the third solo exhibition by acclaimed artist Shirley Macnamara. Maardi Butala, meaning 'together for a long time'.
"Most of the material I find while mustering. On a horse is a good vantage point to see many things, take note of where it is and go back later to get it or them - be it bones, feathers, seeds, wax, whatever.
All of these things have coexisted for a long time and for me it’s a gathering, collecting need that never goes away. " - Shirley Macnamara, March 2017
Macnamara produces woven sculptural objects utilising materials predominantly sourced from her property and traditional country Camooweal in north-west Queensland. Her time-consuming, considered and process-based practice reveals sophisticated multi-layered meanings that draw upon issues of environment, history, politics, culture, family and deeply personal emotions. Shirley Macnamara is an artist of great insight, creating poetic objects of immense beauty and poignancy.
A multiple award finalist and regular institutional exhibitor, Macnamara's work is found in several major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane and the Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, Queensland.
Image: Shirley Macnamara, Well of Remembering, 2016, Spinifex, bullock bone cross, emu feathers and fixative, 28 x 26 x 20 cm.
© Shirley Macnamara and Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne 2017
Shirley Macnamara has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s Backing Indigenous Arts initiative.
ALCASTON GALLERY - A CONTINUING CELEBRATION OF WOMEN
In 2024, Alcaston Gallery is once again proud to celebrate and advocate for International Women's Day.
This year's theme is Inspire Inclusion; to inspire a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment; to build a more inclusive world for all women; to invest in women and accelerate progress!
Alcaston Gallery has invested significantly in First Nations women artists - with rewards for the artists, financially and culturally, having a significant rippling effect for their families and ...
Rene Sundown •Ngura Tali - Sand Dune Country
Alcaston Gallery is thrilled to introduce respected senior Yankunytjatjara artist, Rene Sundown, in her debut exhibition with the gallery, Ngura Tali - Sand Dune Country.
Sundown is a senior artist and longstanding director of the Iwantja Art Centre in Indulkana, South Australia, whose practice is dedicated to passing on knowledge to future generations. Having exhibited in important national and international group exhibitions over the past decade, this will be Sundown’s ...
Alcaston Gallery Christmas Gifts Exhibition 2023•Limited edition PRINTS and WORKS ON PAPER
Alcaston Gallery Christmas Gifts Exhibition 2023 presents exceptional works on paper and limited edition prints from over thirty-five years of contemporary Australian First Nations art showcasing a selection of rare and special release works by important artists on exhibition at the Alcaston Gallery Exhibition Space, 84 William Street, Melbourne/Naarm from 29 November until 15 December 2023.
CLAY•Ben McKeown•Karen Mills•Dean Smith
Clay comes from the earth; in its many forms, textures and colours, clay harnesses our world’s enigmatic power, energy, and secret life force.
With its affinity to earth and water, clay is an accumulated matrix of plant, animal, and mineral; wet or dry, white or coloured, this natural material has been used since ancient times in the form of ochre in sacred ceremonies and for medicinal purposes, as well as a strong, pliable matter for utilitarian functions such as building, cooking and creating practical ...
All About Art - Annual Collectors Exhibition: Counterpoint•Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (c.1924 -2015)
Alcaston Gallery is honoured to present two solo exhibitions in conjunction with the Estates of Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori (c.1924 - 2015) and Ginger Riley Munduwalawala (c.1936 – 2002).
Alcaston Gallery’s annual All About Art collectors’ exhibition will include significant paintings within the theme of our 2024 exhibition series Counterpoint. As Ginger Riley would often say, “the same but different”. Gabori and Riley are both remembered as two of Australia’s most influential ...