Exhibition 'My Back Yard' opens at Gympie Regional Gallery

A new exhibition examining the significance of spaces in and around the home opens in January at the Gympie Regional Gallery. ‘My Back Yard’ is a collection of artworks by the Childers Visual Arts Group exploring beauty found in the home, and also the collective and shared spaces of community. Free and open to the public, ‘My Back Yard’ will be open from 10.00am to 4.00pm Tuesday to Saturday, from 5 January 2023 to 4 February 2023.

Artist Kym Connell said the theme of the exhibition had emerged when COVID-19 restrictions were put in place.

“The backyard became a hive of activity as veggie patches became popular and birds and other wildlife made new homes in our newly renovated gardens,” Ms Connell said.

“A backyard can be a complex web of emotions and memories, a source of wonder and delight, or a sanctuary from the world around us.

“Some may have spent years travelling around the vast Australian continent and consider it all to be in their backyard”.

‘My Back Yard’ presents works of art in a range of mediums including paint, clay, found objects, drawing materials and textiles. It reflects the ways we shape, and are shaped by, our home environments and backyards, and how in tending these spaces we are able to connect more fully with themes of belonging and community.

Artist Cate Verney said it was challenging to look closely around her home for inspiration, learning the enormity of contrasting choices found within her backyard.

“I think the world in general has been forced to change our way of thinking about our backyards… and to appreciate what we have at home,” Ms Verney said.

The Childers Visual Arts Group meets once a week at Apple Tree Creek and wants this exhibition to give the viewer a pleasurable experience, leading them towards looking more closely at what is worthy of noticing in and around the places we call home.

Entry to the Gympie Regional Gallery at 39 Nash Street is free, with opening hours from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Saturday.

For more information, or to make bookings for workshops and themed activities, visit www.gympie.qld.gov.au/gallery or call 5481 0733.

Image credit: Rosemary Anderson, Nesting 2021.