The Goulburn Regional Gallery has opened the doors for its latest exhibition - Bright.
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Showcasing colourful abstracts from seven prominent Australian women, Bright is a rejuvenating and uplifting experience with bold strokes and textural elements.
"It's a true honour to bring together these amazing abstract artists, who so thoughtfully and rigorously work in their fields thinking about material meaning and layering," Gallery director Yvette Dal Pozzo told guests at the opening on Friday, October 21.
Taking inspiration from diverse sources including architecture, dance, design, nature and music, each artist's works are bold and teeming with energy.
The exhibition spans a range of forms, scale and materials, celebrating artists who challenge assumptions and expand possibilities.
At different moments, the exhibition exudes a sense of discovery, contemplation and optimism, engaging viewers in works which express the breadth of colour, line and movement.
Showcasing the practices of six artists, Bright features works from Emma Beer, Vivienne Binns, Yvette Coppersmith, Lara Merrett, Gemma Smith, Esther Stewart and Margaret Worth.
"They're really thoughtful and playful works and I encourage you to spend some time with the works and let them linger with you," Ms Dal Pozzo said.
During her opening, Ms Dal Pozzo also offered a special thank you to the Goulburn West Public School, which is currently curating a display in the gallery's window.
"It's extremely special to have Goulburn West Public School come to curate the window and they've picked some works which speak to the environment and the landscape," she said.
She said the students visit each exhibition at the gallery and it was wonderful to share and build a love of the arts with them.
Lara Nicholls, a former curator of Australian art at the National Gallery in Canberra and currently curating works at the Australian War Museum officially opened the exhibition to guests on Friday night.
"I am absolutely delighted to open the show," Ms Nicholls said.
"You walk in and you're suddenly re-energised."
Ms Nicholls said the exhibition was guided by the theme of colour and abstraction, but 'bright' was a broadly intangible concept.
However, she said based on her past experiences holding national exhibitions that collectively female artists had a different connection to the idea of bright.
She said it was a largely "broad and amorphous" concept, but female artists had a strong relationship with it and a different kind of boldness in their works that 'Bright' had been able to capture.
Bright runs through the summer months until January 21.
