Local artist to hold solo exhibition at Rockhampton Art Gallery
Published on 28 February 2019
Rockhampton Art Gallery will shine a spotlight on the creative talents of Central Queensland artist Erin Dunne with her exhibition House, in March 2019.
Dunne, who grew up on a cattle property in Central Queensland, returned to Central Queensland after receiving her Bachelor or of Fine Art followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Education in 2015. Since then she has created bodies of work that focus on her connection to places of significance to her as well as the people associated with those places.
Her work has experimented with the process and language of drawing in order to explore ways in which places and objects can act as vessels for memory. For Dunne, places and objects are portals that can transport us back to the past and evoke memories of cherished people and experiences, all of which form a fundamental part of our sense of self and connections to others across time.
Dunne’s exhibition is part of Rockhampton Art Gallery’s 2019 exhibition program. The program aims to highlight Central Queensland and more broadly Queensland artists that are forging paths at home and abroad.
Chair of Rockhampton Regional Council’s Community Services Committee Cr Rose Swadling said that Rockhampton Regional Council has had a long history of supporting and valuing art and cultural activity in the region.
“This continues to this day in many ways, but one of the prime examples is Rockhampton Art Gallery’s exhibition program. Through this program, up and coming artists from our own region are assisted, through the resources of the gallery, to develop exhibitions to share their work with the wider community,” Cr Swadling said.
Erin said she is thrilled to be having a solo exhibition of her work at Rockhampton Art Gallery.
“This is a significant professional opportunity and I am looking forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Rockhampton Art Gallery staff to realise this exhibition. I have enjoyed the creative challenge of pushing my drawing practice beyond traditional media and into a more immersive and audience-centred approach, and hope that viewers find themselves experiencing a sense of wonder, curiosity and enjoyment at seeing familiar things presented in an unfamiliar way when they visit House.
“It is a really exciting time to be an artist practising in Rockhampton while the gallery transitions from its current space to its future space. The current Rockhampton Art Gallery Director and staff have gone out of their way to bring local artists, including myself, into the gallery and assist us in growing the professionalism of our artistic practices. Having a solo exhibition of this size and scope is a fundamental step in my journey from transitioning between the stages of emerging professional artist to established professional artist, and I anticipate that this exhibition will open new doors and opportunities for me in future,” Erin said.
House will be on display at Rockhampton Art Gallery from 2 March - 21 April 2019. Entry is free
Rockhampton Art gallery is Owned and Operated by Rockhampton Regional Council.