Newcastle gallery The Lock-Up is reopening its doors this week with an anticipated group exhibition featuring ten national and international contemporary artists.
Named after the Madagascan ritual Famadihana, the Dancing With The Dead exhibition will showcase the work of Khadim Ali, Soojin Chang, Dr Fiona Foley, Dr Mojgan Habibi, Pieter Hugo, Lindy Lee, Pierre Mukeba, Sarker Protick, Stanislava Pinchuk, and Jemima Wyman.
The traditional Madagascan process of “dancing with the dead” sees families and loved ones exhume bodies from tombs and carefully re-wrap them, then lovingly
dance with their corpses.
Much in the same way, this exhibition aims to explore the concept of death as
permeable and to dance along with lightness to such heavy questions as: “what is our relationship to the nature of death and darkness?” and, “what can our experience of
loss look and feel like when re-interpreted, re-performed and re-presented in a gallery setting?”
Transgression is reached by bringing together imagery that would not
often be seen to align; celebratory, dancing and joy – alongside the darker and more sombre approach to death and endings.
This spectrum from light to dark allows audiences to reflect on collective experiences
such as loss, religiosity and ritual.
Dancing With The Dead is on at The Lock-Up from Saturday 20 June to Sunday 9 August
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The Lock-Up will reopen to limited numbers of visitors from 20th June, using a free one hour timed-entry ticket system.
• At this time The Lock Up’s opening hours will be changing to Thursday – Sunday 11am – 3pm with four, one- hour sessions each day.
• You can book your free one-hour ticket at The Lock-Up – head to www.thelockup.org.au
