With its roots in the Shakespearean play of the same name, Tempest is a major new art exhibition currently on display at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG).
Conceived and developed by internationally acclaimed curator Juliana Engberg, Tempest will transform TMAG’s galleries into a world of shipwrecks and stormy seas, romance, discovery, tragedy and magic, creating a new and exciting experience for visitors.
Historic works from TMAG and other state collections will be shown alongside contemporary works by international and Australian artists including Tacita Dean, Valerie Sparks, Fiona Tan, William Kentridge, Victor Alimpiev, Hernan Bas, Mariele Neudecker, Rodney Graham, Pat Brassington, Rosemary Laing, Paul Wood, Ricky Swallow, Kit Wise and David Stephenson.
Visitors to TMAG will begin their journey through Tempest as they enter the whimsical and evocative Prospero’s Library in the iconic Central Gallery. Designed in response to the magical powers of Shakespeare’s Prospero, it will evoke a sense of wonder and discovery with flying books, bookcases, natural history specimens and historical artefacts, providing a richly decorated setting for events and public programs throughout the exhibition period.
In the main exhibition spaces, Tempest will create an organic ‘tempestuous’ trail for visitors to follow through the temporary galleries, as well as extra ‘interventions’ in the museum’s permanent exhibitions and transitional spaces such as the stairwells, foyers, and historic Watergate entrance.
“Tempest sets a new level for the dynamic exhibitions and programs the museum aspires to deliver as a must-see tourist destination and cultural hub for all Tasmanians,” says Janet Carding, Director Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. “It also demonstrates the museum’s commitment to developing partnerships in order to create exciting and innovative projects for the public.”
“It has therefore been wonderful to strengthen our collaboration with Dark Mofo in 2016, with Tempest’s themes and ideas providing the inspiration for this year’s festival.”
Tempest
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Dunn Street, Hobart
Exhibition continues to 20 November 2016
Free admission
For more information, visit: www.tmag.tas.gov.au for details.
Image: Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg (1740-1812), A shipwreck off a rocky coast (1760s), oil on canvas, 83 x 126.4 cm. Collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.