Set against the backdrop of an industrialising London, Thomas Kennington’s 1890 work, Homeless, shows a young boy collapsing into the arms of an anguished woman, presumably his mother.
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The painting is a favourite among visitors to the Bendigo Art Gallery and is one of ten chosen to feature in the institution’s New Histories exhibition, which will see contemporary artists respond to high-profile works in the collection.
Melbourne-based artist Gabrielle de Vietri, who describes Homeless as “epic” and “sentimental”, will use the painting as inspiration for a letter-writing project, asking parents at Bendigo workshops next week to contribute correspondence addressed to their children.
The letters will be interred in a time capsule inside the gallery, only to be opened again in 2070 when they’ll be passed on to the children.
The painting reminded Ms de Vietri of the love and fear she felt for her three-year-old daughter, and said she hoped writing letters “created an opportunity to communicate the universality of this hope and anxiety”.
It was possible the artist would not be alive for the capsule opening 50 or more years from now. It was a reality she had factored into the project; her daughter would inherit the task of tracking down the letters’ intended recipients.
But how do you write a letter that won’t be received for more than five decades?
“It’s a bit like writing a letter to an alien,” Ms de Vietri said.
“We’re living in a time of impending crisis and instability, so you have no idea what they’ll be like, what the world they’re living in will be like – technology, communication, how they’ll get around.”
One letter already submitted for posterity is from a mother, Lizzy who tells her daughter’s future self about the meal she just prepared before asking: “I wonder what you’ll be eating when you read this letter? Will you be growing your own food?”
Some were more pessimistic. An environmental specialist who participated in an early writing workshop predicted the world might not be around for their child to receive the letter.
It’s a dim view of the future, but one not too far from Ms de Vietri’s. Like the industrial revolution of Kennington’s painting, change in the modern world was leaving people behind, she said.
“I’m realising I’ve gone through most of my life thinking we’re ever-evolving, but as we put pressure on Earth and its ecosystem, things could get much worse quite soon.”
But it’s a fate Ms de Vietri’s work is trying to arrest.
She counted herself as more activist than artist these days; she recently made headlines as one of a group of people who draped Pablo Picasso painting Weeping Woman in a black cloth, a protest against National Gallery of Victoria security provider Wilson.
The company was responsible for security at the refugee detention centre on Manus Island.
Bendigo workshops take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Letter-writing packs will also be available for those unable to attend the workshops.
Visit bendigoartgallery.com.au to learn more.