AN exhibition giving an insight into the powers of harnessing wartime public perception through advertising, graphics and information – whether true or false – is at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery until early July.
Propaganda: A selection of posters from the Australian War Memorial, displays many of the key posters designed to inflame public opinion and fashion public thinking during the war and, in some cases, generate a wave of recruits.
The artworks have come from the Australian War Memorial which has one of the world’s largest collections of historic propaganda posters.
The exhibition also includes commissions from three contemporary artists: Alison Alder, Wendy Murray and Jake Holmes, who respond to the posters, and the collection, by exploring and presenting fresh perspectives on the roles and history of propaganda posters.
Propaganda will run until Sunday 8 July.
Another exhibition: Andrew Hazewinkel: What The Sea Never Told will run Saturday 5 May-Sunday 8 July.
Hazewinkel spent 10 weeks as a resident at the historic Police Point, Portsea. His works filmed at, above and below the waters of Port Phillip are a meditation on the sea and the tragic drowning of 15 young men off Mt Eliza in 1892.
His works, which include film, photography and publishing, start with the drowning of the players from the Mornington Football Club, who were returning home by sea after playing against Mordialloc. Only four bodies were ever recovered. The event is still regarded as one of the worst sailing disasters in Victoria’s history and remains the greatest tragedy in Australian football history.
Their deaths had a devastating social and economic impact on the young community of Mornington, and triggered a nation-wide response whereby football clubs as far away as Broken Hill donated money to support families affected.
Hazewinkel, a contemporary artist who grew up in Mornington, spent his youth swimming in and sailing on the same waters that took the lives of the young men. He also lived for a time in the house of one of the families who lost three sons in the disaster.
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is at Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington. It is open 10am–5pm Tuesday to Sunday.
Exhibition admission fees are $4 adults/$2 concession.
Details: 5950 1580 or visit mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au
The website offers information about exhibitions and special events, including artist and curator talks, school holiday workshops, podcasts and artist videos.
First published in the Mornington News – 1 May 2018
