Heathcote Paints The Way For Spill Exhibition

The exhibition, which will be on show until Sunday, 12 April, is part of the Tilt program, an initiative by the City of Melville where one artist each year is invited to showcase their talents by exploring an aspect of Heathcote’s multi-layered history, using their chosen art medium or a new exploratory medium. Spill: the insistent body will feature a series of new works in response to the site’s social history as a former mental reception home.

Artist Caitlin Yardley received a grant through the Department of Culture and the Arts last year, specifically to assist with the research and production of this body of work for Heathcote. Ms Yardley said she explored the ideas of containment and disorder for this series, and paid particular attention to representations of the female patients who resided at Heathcote Mental Reception Home. “The works to be displayed at Heathcote are concerned with the materiality of paint, drawing from its metaphorical associations with the body and gender,” she said. “The exhibition will include a series of paintings as well as sculptural pieces that incorporate paint with scientific and medical glassware. Some Heathcote logbooks from the 1920’s have also been integrated into the show.”

Acting Curator Gina Capes said visitors could expect to find a unique portrayal of Heathcote’s social history at this upcoming exhibition. “This is a great opportunity for the City’s residents and visitors to experience the history of Heathcote from a different perspective,” she said. “The City’s Tilt program is proud to support local artists like Caitlin Yardley in its aim to provide original and engaging art to the community.”

The exhibition will be officially opened by Dr Christopher Crouch, Coordinator of Higher Degrees, School of Communications and Arts at Edith Cowan University.

Heathcote Museum and Gallery is open from 10.00am to 3.00pm Tuesday to Friday, and from 11.00am to 3.00pm Saturday and Sunday; it is closed on Mondays.

For further information please contact Ms Capes on 9364 0155 or email gina.capes@melville.wa.gov.au.

To find out more about Heathcote Museum and Gallery please click here