Inmates currently at Beechworth Correctional Centre are among artists who will feature their works for a three-day exhibition at the Old Beechworth Gaol.
Titled A Thousand Times The Rolling Sun, the exhibition has been curated by respected artist and former Beechworth resident Gabriel Curtin, and is designed to respond to the prison.
“There’s about 20 artists, some are writers, sounds designers, visual artists and four current inmates from the new facility,” Gabriel said.
“For ages in Beechworth I feel there’s quite a specific narrative that’s told or focussed on about the gaol, because no-one was ever able to enter it, so it sat there as this domineering presence.
“It always felt like a bit of a prop for the Kelly myth and colonial history, but once they opened it up for site visits, it looked like people just walked out when they ceased operations – there are still dinner rosters on the wall.
“We became much more interested in challenging a sort of singular lane of history and sort of celebrating this tangled lineage that it has.”
The works will feature a range of mediums including paintings, sculpture, text work, audio work and even a performance with one hundred cabbages.
“It’s really eclectic,’ Gabriel said.
“Some of the artists are responding to this particular prison, while others sort of engender this flip in how you engage with the space, or how you engage with the art work and I think that is a really healthy thing to cultivate in a historic town.”
The exhibition opens at 6pm this Friday 16 February and continues on Saturday and Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm.
