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The Collectors' Exhibition 2011

Gallery 314, 314 Church St, Richmond

5 - 18 September

Alison Clarke the Mayor of Yarra City Council started the opening on the lovely Sunday afternoon. Alison mentioned that the Richmond precinct is home to many art galleries and opportunities to exhibit art. Everyone seemed pleased to be at Gallery 314 (Church Street Richmond) where the exhibition was held. There were close to 100 people there who enjoyed the opening of the show. A combination of the gallery’s ambience, the fine quality of the artwork displayed and the location, made for a great opening.

As usual, there was quite a variety of interesting and inspiring works at the show. Winged Butterfly by Betty Collier was a sculptural piece that resembled a big butterfly, bringing nature into our living room. Lezar Friedman’s Vested Interest was another unique piece, created to be ‘wearable art’. This artist used various textiles and craft materials to eloquently decorate a tapestry vest. I personally liked Road Train (South of Darwin) by John Gambardella. This painting had an abstract element as well as a realistic element, and managed to achieve the feeling that the big and powerful road train was coming straight at you from absolutely nowhere. There were a number of lovely landscapes, including Landscape by Neda Starac, Misty Autum Morn, Yarra Valley by Ian Witford, and Murchison Square by Nathan Moshinsky. One visitor to the gallery looked at Ian Witford’s painting and said, “this looks like the Yarra Valley”, and was delighted to find that the title of the painting reflected her thought. 

The exhibition catalogue was able to provide a deeper understanding into the artists’ work. Reflecting upon an artwork is an integral part of making and enjoying art, which makes a catalogue of this nature very special. And of course, there were some stimulating reflections in this year’s catalogue:

“I am interested in plasticity of the brain. How it can change and the mysteries within. On several occasions I have delved inside my own mind and perhaps these are really self portraits” – Denise Dempsey

“Seeds planted, seeds of intent and trust in effort and self-belief” – Saren Dobkins.

“I wanted to use a quote such as ‘the world is my oyster’ which would hopefully inspire the viewer to go out in the world and follow their dreams” – Tamar Dolev.

“The moment I spied the unlikely, thin piece of driftwood; I knew I had to include it in a sculptural composition” – Josef Peeters.

“I love to portray the human figure in many ways” –Noralisa Speranza.

“Exotic locations have all deepened my understanding of the intricacies that nature provides” – Neda Starac.

"I like the tension created by putting disparate images together” - Brigitta Wolfram.

Every exhibition brings with it new life, as did this one! The Collectors Exhibition 2011 was a most pleasant and inspiring event for all involved. Thank-you to the helpers during the event, as well as the exhibiting artists who put in so much time and effort to create and display their artworks.

Review by Antonietta Sanfilippo

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