State Library Victoria is set to shine a light on the stories of Australian women and their much overlooked but significant contributions to innovation and skills in artistic and scientific fields.
Senior Curator at the State Library, Linda Short said the exhibition Handmade Universe: From craft to code and the spaces between, due to open on 24 June, would be a first for the Library.
“Seven artists, designers and makers will present newly commissioned works to sit alongside 68 rare and remarkable items from State Library Victoria and other collections,” Ms Short said.
“Many of these items have never been on display before, including several new acquisitions inspired by the exhibition,” she said.
“It’s an important exhibition for the Library.”
Ms Short said Handmade Universe featured creative responses to existing collection items and, by centring the voices of women and culturally diverse artists, added knowledge and perspectives to the State Collection that hadn’t been represented before.
“A series of commissioned artworks and new collection items emphasise that the process of making can be a powerful way of understanding the world around us and our place in it,” she said.
The Senior Curator said a highlight of the exhibition was the ambitious work of Deanna Hitti, A is for Alam (pen): the object, the language, the archive, which was a room-sized installation comprised of 156 panels of printed cyanotypes, “one of the oldest photographic printing methods.”
“The prints fold down into an artist book, hinting at Deanna’s skill as a bookmaker and binder,” Ms Short said.
“Responding to Western portrayals of Middle Eastern culture, Deanna’s work draws on her Lebanese heritage to explore her multicultural identity and pose questions about what it means to be Australian.”
Information about the exhibition can be accessed at this PS News link.
