THREE new exhibitions will open tonight at the Broken Hill City Art Gallery, in addition to the 2025 Pro Hart Outback Art Prize Exhibit.
Local artist Aimee Volkofsky will launch her exhibit We Were Women Before Our Time; Ann Mitchell will show works from her series Going, Going, Gone; and Isabella Seraphima Rose will be showing her works Outback Dreamscapes.
Gallery and museum manager Kathy Graham said the works are all very different from one another which will make for a dynamic opening event.
“These three exhibitions are incredibly diverse in form and subject, yet all share a deep sense of care, for people, place, and the natural world. It’s wonderful to see such strong work coming from both local and national artists. This will be a very special opening night,” she said.
Mitchell’s work is a poignant tribute to endangered and extinct species, through watercolour painting that encourages viewers to reflect on the fragility of ecosystems and urgency of conservation.
Volkofsky’s multimedia installation will share the voices of multiple generations of women living in and around Broken Hill.
Through sound, video, archival material and diary excerpts spanning over a century, We Were Women Before Our Time will present a layered portrait of girlhood, feminism, identity and survival as a woman in the remote mining town.
Seraphima Rose’s Outback Dreamscapes blur the line between realism and fantasy, reimagining colonial terrace houses within natural landscapes.
Along with the three solo exhibitions, the gallery will present the opening of the 2025 Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, showcasing works by 50 artists from across the country in a wide array of media including painting, sculpture, textiles, photography and printmaking.
The works explore the complexity and beauty of life in regional Australia.
Ms Graham said the works are a celebration of the Outback.
“The range of work in this year’s exhibition is a real celebration of Outback life,” she said.
“It’s inspiring to see such talent and vision coming from all corners of the country.”
The exhibition honours the legacy of the late Pro Hart, and is made possible thanks to generous support from the Hart family.
The prize winner will receive $20,000, with a $2000 second prize winner to also be announced at the opening tonight, and public voting for the $1000 People’s Choice Award will also open.
The opening event will commence at 6pm Friday, August 15 at the Broken Hill City Art Gallery with live music, light refreshments and bar facilities on offer.
All are welcome and entry is free.
