Melbourne’s galleries have now all shut down... again. Indie gallery space Gertrude Contemporary has found an ingenious way to keep exhibiting art, even if its doors remain closed.
Since the first shutdowns in March, Gertrude Contemporary has been hosting Hope in the Dark – a street-facing exhibition that uses the windows at Gertrude Contemporary (Preston) and Gertrude Glasshouse (Collingwood) to showcase works.
Hope in the Dark has been showing since March 30, during which time the exhibition has regularly evolved and featured several artists close with close connections to the gallery, including Darren Sylvester, Simon Zoric, Amrita Hepi, Kiron Roberston and Sarah Brasier (who is responsible for the Jonathan Safran Foer-esque work ‘Everything IS a bit fucked’ currently showing in the Gertrude Glasshouse vitrine).
The exhibition recontextualises existing works from these artists in a way that reflects the current zeitgeist in Melbourne. As such, you can expect to see art that evokes confusion, anxiety and resignation – as well as humour, hope and resilience.
To be clear: viewing an art exhibition is technically not one of the four current reasons to leave home. However, if you live in the vicinity of Gertrude Contemporary or Gertrude Glasshouse and just happen to be out for your daily exercise, there’s no reason why you can’t swing by for a sticky beak. If you live a bit further away, you can still follow the exhibition via Gertrude Contemporary’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
Hope in the Dark is expected to run until at least September 2020.
