burrinja presents

Kaleidoscopic Dreamscapes | Elizabeth Gleeson

Stay n' Play

JUL - AUG | Burrinja Foyer

Kids will discover with delight the magic that occurs when imagery is reflected and repeated via a large, interactive kaleidoscope. Kids can select and change which images to place in the end of the kaleidoscope, then crank the handle to rotate and experience the visual magic unfolding together through the viewing portal.

Muralist and fine artist Elizabeth Gleeson, has built her art practice on this premise, herself delighted with the element of discovery occurring when imagery is reflected and repeated. Combining sprawling botanicals, motifs and vivid colours in consciously patterned arrangements, she creates works of serene symmetry and intricate beauty.

Instagram: @elizabeth.gleeson.artist

aerie creative ecology presents

Shapes of Nature | Trish Campbell

Sat 13 Jul - Sun 25 Aug | aerie gallery

Strong structural shapes, a sense of story and a sense of drama contribute to interpretations in Trish’s conceptualised landscape painting. Awareness of our traditional lands informs her work as she explores the marks of intrusion and imposition on ancient lands. She is inspired by found patterns, lines, shapes and textures from surfaces in the natural and man-made environments.

Please join us for the Exhibition Launch: 2pm Sat 13 July – everyone welcome

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burrinja presents

Where Artists Meet (W.A.M.)

Thu 29 Aug @ 7.00pm | The Fat Goat

Here’s your chance to get out, have some fun and talk shop with other local artists and have a cheeky drink.

These regular gatherings propose space for connecting and developing conversation between local creatives. WAM provides a fun and friendly environment to talk shop with other artists, share tips, discuss creative practice, projects and local arts and culture. With the Dandenong Ranges rich and abundant cultural landscape Burrinja’s WAM events are a great opportunity to develop new creative networks, find out about potential opportunities and connect with your local arts community.

Join us on the last Thursday of every month @ 7pm at the Fat Goat (2 Morris Road, Upwey)

Put W.A.M. in your calendar!
Upcoming dates: 26 September, 31 October, 28 November

aerie creative ecology presents

Calming the Storm Within | Megan Archer

Sat 31 Aug - Sun 13 Oct | aerie gallery

Megan Archer's work is raw and confident. Working with multimedia, in her first solo exhibition, the artist invites us on her journey and celebration of an ongoing tumultuous relationship with Schizoaffective disorder, one of the most misunderstood, complex mental health issues in society today. It stigmatises and isolates 0.5% of Australians who are living with it.

Inspired by visions and auditory waves of hallucinations during episodes of psychosis, Archer is able to produce a vibrant tapestry of colours and shapes, some with human-like figures and faces emerging from the canvas, others landscapes featuring creature-like hands. These paintings are not just visual experiences, they are emotional voyages that challenge the viewers to reflect on the depths of their own psyche.

Please join us for the Exhibition Launch: 2pm Sat 31 August – everyone welcome

rsvp here

Image credit:  Nikki Willson, From Where I Begin, Film Still, (2023)

burrinja presents

From Where I Begin | Nikki Willson

Sat 28 Sep - Sun 3 Nov | Burrinja Gallery

We all live between two realities. The internal one of self and the narratives which come with that and the external world and its demands and offerings. We navigate within and between these realities using our bodies as conduit and historian and our memories and identities are built through this navigation.

This video installation examines the connections and ruptures we make during this process. As an artist with a disability, Nikki's experience of living in this world and of reconciling the inherent disconnect between her external and internal existence can be a difficult and painful one. Overcoming the inherent dissonance and understanding connection is an ever present challenge.

With these works she uses the body as a tool to make these struggles visible. Her work is without context and is ambiguous so as to invite the viewer to bring their own narrative to the work and to connect with the universal bodily experience of the audience and the path that we all walk.

Image credit:  William Holt, Rainbow Gorge, oil and acrylic on canvas, 182 x 205 cm, © the artist

burrinja presents

Epiphany of Paint | William Holt

Sat 28 Sep - Sun 3 Nov | Burrinja Gallery

For painter William Holt abstraction derives from a living engagement with the materials collected, communicated, shaped and reformed, repurposed and renewed.

Holt is the recent Dandenong Ranges Open Studios exhibition Swinburne University Visual Arts Innovation Award winner.

aerie creative ecology presents

Waste to Wonder | Natasja van Wyk & Macarena Ocea

Sat 19 Oct  - Sun 1 Dec | aerie gallery

Join us at Burrinja Cultural Centre for "Waste to Wonder," an innovative exhibition by emerging artists Natasja van Wyk and Macarena Ocea. This project transforms everyday soft plastic waste into extraordinary textile and mixed media art.

Through punch needle embroidery, up-cycling, quilting, and color blocking, Natasja and Macarena create layered artworks that address pressing personal, environmental, and social themes. By highlighting the urgent challenges posed by plastic waste, "Waste to Wonder" aims to empower community members to become agents of change. Attendees will gain firsthand insight into sustainable practices and the transformative power of up-cycling.

Experience the beauty of sustainability and art combined. Visit "Waste to Wonder" and be inspired to rethink waste, embrace creativity, and contribute to a greener future.

Please join us for the Exhibition Launch: 2pm Sat 19 October – everyone welcome

rsvp here