Our Lucky Country, 2006 and 2008, Hazlehurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre
Curators: Ron and George Adams
Artists: Ron Adams, Liam Benson, Maria Cruz, Elizabeth Day, Sarah Goffman, Michelle Hanlin, Soda_Jerk, Ruark Lewis, Adam Norton, Anna Peters, Nana Ohnesorge, Nuha Saad, Huseyin Sami, George Tillianakis and Mimi Tong.
Over an 18-month period Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre and MOP Projects collaborated on the Our Lucky Country project, two exhibitions sparked by the now infamous ‘Cronulla riots’.
The first exhibition in December 2006, titled Our Lucky Country (difference), examined and responded to issues of identity, trust, culture and community. The second exhibition in the series, titled Our Lucky Country (still different), sees the same group of 16 artists commissioned to make new work that articulates an understanding of cultural difference in the community, and in particular the Sutherland Shire. Throughout 2007 these artists engaged in a residency program at the cottage on the grounds of Hazelhurst, where they had the opportunity to connect with the Sutherland Shire community to produce new work. For some, the experience challenged perceptions polarised by the events of 2005. Others have chosen to reflect on a broader jostling and argument about the state of our multicultural society today.
Catalogue essay: Ann Finegan, Wild Genealogy and Rhizomatic Links, 2007.
Exhibition documentary by Daniel Mudie Cunningham, 2007.
ELIZABETH DAY 