Gunnedah-born artists tackling taboos

4th March 2020

Gunnedah’s Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery will soon host a new exhibition, Divine Voyeurism, which seeks to empower women through artful subversion of traditional representations of femininity.

Divine Voyeurism sees collaboration between artists Cat Long and Abby Jerrett, who originally hail from Gunnedah. Long and Jerrett’s interdisciplinary body of work challenges over-sexualised representations of the female body.

The two artists shift the male gaze of performative femininity to a more honest portrayal of womanhood and the female experience.

Jerrett’s work appropriates religious iconography taking inspiration from stained glass windows to challenge constraining aspects of spirituality. Using the traditional craft medium of embroidery, Jerrett’s textile pieces pay homage to her female predecessors whose expression was repressed by patriarchal values informing the art world.

Playing with the balance between positive and negative space allows Long to traverse the curves of the female body using stippling, a technical process that begins and ends with a dot. Through the arrangement and repetition of thousands of these marks, each piece is a collection that celebrates women and their unique strengths.

Gunnedah Shire Council’s Cultural Precinct Team Leader Lauren Mackley said she was looking forward to this innovative exhibition.

“This is an inspired and provocative exhibition. It’s wonderful to see such a diverse range of works coming to a regional gallery,” Ms Mackley said.

“I really encourage everyone to come along and take a look.”

The exhibition opens at 6pm Friday, 20th March, 2020 and continues until Friday 24 April, 2020.

What: Official Opening of Divine Voyeurism

Where: Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery, 81 Chandos Street.

When: Friday 20th March 2020 at 6pm.

Photo caption: Abby Jerrett (left) and Cat Long (right) in their element with some of the works to be featured.

ENDS

Media contact: Eliza Gallen (02) 6740 2100.