Our small, self-reliant and vibrant community draws creatives from near and far and has an active core of artists and craft practitioners whose work strongly reflects the Island’s culture and landscape.
10 Days on the Island
King Island is proud to be included in this year’s 10 Days on the Island program with two events over the weekend of 19-21 March:
Poor Souls – An exhibition of painting, sculpture, video and sound interpreting the wrecking of the émigré ship, The Cataraqui, Australia’s worst civil disaster where 399 souls were lost. We imagine the journey of the doomed passengers, who they may have been and what they may have expected at journey’s end 175 years ago. We reflect on the political motivations of the day and now, alongside current immigration stance. Poor Souls runs from 27th February to 11th April at the King Island Arts & Cultural Centre.
Exhibiting artists: Julie Gough, Catherine Stringer, Katherine Cooper, Raymond Arnold, Fiona Hall, Mostafa Faraji, Michelle Maynard, Sinsa Mansell, Basil Hall, Marilyn Chapman, Caroline Kininmonth, Clare Bell, Sandy Robinson, Dianne Blake, Andrew Blake, Pam Rolley, Alison Milsom, Roger Banfield, Nubar Ghazarian, Pam McKay and Bridget Levy.
Fathom – At twilight, a digitised elegy will be performed to those lost at sea in the search of sanctuary. It is a mesmeric dance shared between the human body and the ocean.
A collaboration of five acclaimed multi-disciplined artists; Ian Moorhead, David Meagher, Bosco Shaw, Lillian Steiner and Geoffery Watson.
To compliment these official events of the 10 Days program, The Brian Ritchie Trio, including Brian Ritchie, Blaise Garza and Yyan Ng, will be performing in the Harbour precinct over Friday and Saturday. Attendees will also be able to experience Unspoken, a collaboration between Julie Gough, Sinsa Mansell and Michelle Maynard and the King Island community – an installation of kelp, fabric and video as a special acknowledgement for this weekend.
The schedule for the weekend is as follows:
| 10:00am to 9:30pm | Poor Souls exhibition and Unspoken installation open for viewing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. These two elements will continue to be accessible during normal Cultural Centre opening hours until Sunday 11 April. |
| The Brian Ritchie Trio performing at regular intervals throughout the day (Friday and Saturday only). | |
| 7:30pm to 9:30pm | The projection and soundscape of Fathom will loop continuously from 7:30pm until 9:30pm at the Currie Breakwater. Gather at the Cultural Centre and begin your experience with a walk to the Boathouse to get access to the audio element of this elegy to those lost. |
Parking will be available at Les Ross Park, with parking for those with limited mobility opposite the Cultural Centre.
Contact the Cultural Centre on 03 6462 1924 for information on limited mobility access to Fathom.
King Island Arts & Cultural Centre
You’re guaranteed a warm welcome at this thriving Arts and Cultural Centre, which is located in the picturesque Currie Wharf precinct. With artists often at work and both large and small pieces for sale, it offers a glimpse into our incredibly creative community.
Address
Edward Street, Currie TAS 7256
Contact
(03) 6462 1924
Opening Hours
1.00 pm to 4.00 pm daily. Hours may vary, please contact the Cultural Centre for further information or visit the Cultural Centre Facebook page.
Artists in Residence Program
The natural beauty, relaxed lifestyle and relative isolation of King Island appeals to artists seeking an idyllic, inspirational environment in which to work and has inspired those with a wide range of professional arts practices.
Applications are now open for residencies between May and December 2021.
More information can be sought from the Cultural Development Officer by email at mzarb@kingisland.tas.gov.au
Below are testimonials from some past artists in residence:
“In a nutshell thought the residency was life saving. For an artist so intensely bogged down in single parenting two young children and logistics and the clock, to have the gift of isolation, solitude, time, an audience, a brilliant rehearsal and performance space was gold. Then the parallels between the show itself and the island, and doing the Workshop at the school and meeting and working with so many generous people made it so special. I can’t thank you enough.” DR TERESA BELL
“Thanks so much for all efforts. I have done research today at the museum and have created prints, run workshops, and will leave on Saturday with a part of me left on King Island. The Cultural Centre is wonderful, vibrant, alive and thriving with a varied group of talented artists. I have so appreciated the welcome and assistance. I now hope to create a body of work on endangered, endemic and extinct birds of King Island and return for an exhibition in due course”. THERESE GABRIEL WILKINS – ‘TREES’
Being the resident artist in a cultural centre is like opening the side door to the community. It doesn’t take long for the locals to warm to having a visitor to share stories, food and their art practices. I find hosting workshops when I arrive as an artist-in-residence, to be an informal way of meeting people. After only three days of workshops I realised I had met a good portion of the community and I no longer felt like a stranger. I was invited to drawing field trips, bonfires, beachcombing hot spots (and was fortunate to be given a few crayfish as that just seems to be the local way). It is very special to be welcomed by the community as they are so much a part of the experience of residencies. My residency at the Currie Harbour Cultural Centre allowed me one month of isolation to beach comb and map the coastline of King Island to create a body of work entitled Fragments of King. MARISA MOLIN