South West Life

Last Saturday was a celebration of mammoth proportions with over 1000 people attending the Survey 2010 opening at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries. 

Exclusively featuring South West artists, the 2010 ‘Over There’ exhibition has received strong accolades with 67 artists selected to exhibit and a number of these being first time exhibitors in the annual exhibition. 

To celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Survey exhibition, extra funding and sponsorship was sourced to enable a new format and reduce some of the regional barriers faced by artists across the South West. 

In a first for the South West, professional curators were contracted to take a nomadic residency across the region to visit artists in their place of work and inspiration and view a number of works while they were there.  From this a comprehensive catalogue was produced on the selected artists as a long term documentation of art in the South West. 

In just under three months Bromfield and Tandy visited almost 200 artists and drove more than 9000 kilometres.  Tandy said “We found far more good work, of all kinds, than we could include in this exhibition. It was very difficult to make a choice.” 

“I am really pleased to see the final result after two years of planning” said Sonya Dye, Director of the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries. “We are particularly grateful to our sponsors and funding partners as with out them an exhibition of this scale and nature would not have been possible.” 

Six works were acquired on the opening night by Dale Alcock Homes and The City of Bunbury Collection who acquired Jdudin Dreaming, a unique fridge painted by Charlie Riley, an indigenous artist from Busselton. 

The exhibition was officially opened by David Forrest CBE, Chairman of WA Art Galleries Association.  Formalities also included the presentation of the acquisitions, and an address by the curators Drs David Bromfield and Pippa Tandy. 

Following the formalities the Andrew Winton Duo entertained spectators under the stars with many taking the opportunity to dance under the renowned Boat Sculpture at the galleries frontage.  

As another first for the Survey, almost 30 artists were also presented in the Salon De Refuse exhibition to further compliment the 2010exhibition. 

The Survey 2010 ‘Over There’ exhibition will be open to the public daily from 10am to 4pm with free entry and will be on display until the 11th of April.