EXHIBITION LAUNCH: New Horizons : Through Darkness comes Light

Dulux Gallery, Melbourne School of Design

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Theo Blankley

theo.blankley@unimelb.edu.au

Showcasing exhibition materials, including archival drawings, documentation, interviews, print media, 3D models and film explore the narratives of émigré creatives who migrated to Australia in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

The interwar and post-war period was a time of major global upheaval.

Across Europe, designers, artists, architects, and other creative people experienced major prejudice, persecution and a resounding rejection of modern ideas in favour of a stifling return to tradition.

Escalating xenophobia and anti-semitism in the early decades of the 20th century meant that many countries treated their most innovative, esteemed, revered and established practitioners with increasing suspicion and criticism. This reached a devastating conclusion during World War Two that resulted in many European thinkers and makers realising that their country of birth or their newly adopted homes were now untenable and life-threatening.

This exhibition aims to present the beginnings of an ongoing survey into the migration of some well-known and some lesser known designers and practitioners, and the deeply influential place they cemented in the burgeoning art and design landscape of Australia in the  1940s, 50s, and 60s.

By showcasing the Perth-based émigré Iwan Iwanoff alongside a collective chorus of artists, designers, architects and creatives of European origin and education who practiced in Melbourne, we hope to contribute to the redress and revival of their careers: through great duress and loss often came new horizons and prolific legacies.

Join us for the launch on Thursday 02nd March, 2023, between 6-8pm in the Dulux Gallery. Registration is essential to ensure sufficient catering - click the booking link to the left.