This weekend Bendigo Art Gallery opens a new exhibition focussing on the dark and beautiful aspects of the Gothic.
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Gothic Beauty: Victorian notions of love, loss and spirituality begins with early Gothic literature and extends the notions of Gothic to encompass Victorian mourning, Dickensian tales, horror, death, romance, science fiction and the terror and the sublime.
Including works from the gallery’s collection as well as contemporary works and loans from state institutions, this exhibition traces the journey of Victorian Gothic into contemporary art and brings together the work of a variety of artists who examine the ideas underpinning this movement.
Michael Vale (pictured) is one such artist who has maintained a fascination with the Gothic, manifesting in his contemporary painting practice.
Channelling the epic landscapes of Salvator Rosa and Gustave Doré, Michael Vale’s works suggest a satiric netherworld that oscillates between the ludicrous and the sinister.
Fictitious tableaux are populated with absurd and clown-like figures performing meaningless actions against a backdrop of sublime landscapes, gathering clouds and encroaching darkness.
Terrifying, comical and threatening, confusion reigns and serves to invoke a heightened state of unease.
Gothic ideas resonate deeply today, with our enduring fascination with ghost stories, zombies, fantasy and terror confirmed by the popularity of supernatural films and texts.
Contemporary artists utilise the gothic genre as a platform to interrogate ideas surrounding horror, supernatural phenomena, carnal desires and heightened psychological states.
That the Gothic continues to intrigue and fascinate suggests a new state of anxiety about the modern world and the ghosts that haunt it.
To celebrate all things Gothic, the gallery is staging a Gothic Night Out. Join us on the dark side in a night of performances, happenings and Gothic art and design.
Featuring live music by the Letter String Quartet, a medium, tarot readings, The Cooling Bed performance by artist Hayley West and more.
Guests must dress in their Gothic finest and prepare to be mystified in a night of dark Victorian revelry.
A Gothic Night Out, Saturday October 13, 7pm – 10pm. Bookings essential by visiting www.bendigoartgallery.com.au