Latest News

• Add My News • Search Old News

Gippsland › Latest news › Latrobe Local News

Investigate the domestic landscape at Gallery

By Latrobe Shire Council - 1st February 2005 - Back to News

Currently on show at Latrobe Regional Gallery is an engaging and thought-provoking exhibition by Mark McDean entitled ‘Every home should have one’. McDean works as a lecturer at Monash Centre for Art and Design in Churchill and has exhibited in numerous exhibitions nationally.

Gallery Director, Louise Tegart said that the artist’s unique exhibition was an investigation of the domestic landscape. "Working in various media from crochet to digital photographs, he questions the traditional notion of craft as female practice and transforms the everyday object into something more sublime," Ms Tegart said.

"The exhibition questions the notions of memory and remembrance. To have memory is both safe and dangerous. It connects us, weaving together the private and the public, giving us a sense of belonging, providing warmth, security, comfort and protection.

"Yet memory is also cold and sharp; threatening. It upsets the balance, reminding us of what is absent, filling that empty space with pain, melancholy, regret, and longing," Ms Tegart explained.

Ms Tegart added that memory was essential to the work of Mark McDean. "It is the trigger for the making of the work, and in turn the work prompts and evokes memory for the viewer and participant," Ms Tegart said.

"McDean’s choice of material, process and text for his work activates our senses and imagination. The feel of soft and worn flannelette, (white with pink stripes), is childhood. The look and smell of cardboard is the excitement or disappointment of whatever was in that large box – a birthday present from far away, a new TV, or something used and discarded.

"The crackle and slipperiness of a blue plastic ground sheet is camping, being wet or dry, protected or exposed. The glow and dazzle of pearls and sequins, the delicacy of organza is fairytales, ‘make believe’ and wishing. Care and comfort of the domestic is suggested through sewing, stitching, knitting and crochet work. Song lyrics reach into our hearts, to make us laugh and cry," Ms Tegart said.

Ms Tegart added that through his exhibition, McDean encourage us to feel, leading us to remember and imagine.

"His story is born from a large white Anglican suburban family, where the lawn was mowed, the car was washed and there was safety and comfort in knowing and belonging. It is also a story of lifting the curtain, opening the closet; where questions about gender definition, sexuality, and family relationships, had to be asked," Ms Tegart concluded.

The exhibition continues at Latrobe Regional Gallery until Sunday 27 February.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

• Baw Baw Shire Council endorses 2026 - 2029 Domestic Animal Management Plan to promote safety, welfare, responsible ownership
  Baw Baw Council has endorsed the 2026-2029 Domestic Animal Management Plan to promote responsible pet ownership, enhance animal welfare, ensure community safety, and guide strategic animal management over the next four years.
• Wellington Shire Council seeks feedback on the Domestic Animal Management Plan Review until 24 September 2025
  Wellington Shire Council's draft Domestic Animal Management Plan outlines priorities for responsible pet ownership, safety, and welfare, inviting community feedback from 28 August to 24 September 2025.