Flow: Stories of River, Earth,... | Exhibitions

Flow: Stories of River, Earth, and Sky in the SAM Collection

SAM, Shepparton Art Museum

Shepparton | Australia

Nov 20, 2021 - Nov 20, 2022

Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky in the SAM Collection explores the narratives we weave through the places we inhabit, and the myriad ways in which nature shapes our lives and culture. Drawn from the Shepparton Art Museum Collection, the exhibition features the artwork of over 60 artists from the 1800s to now, and presents a number of recent acquisitions for the first time, including works from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art.

Shepparton鈥檚 people, culture and commerce have evolved around water, and been sustained by it over generations. Its lifeforce courses through the fertile lands of the Goulburn Valley, under expansive skies. The Kaiela (Goulburn River) and Broken Rivers weave across the Goulburn floodplain, while the great Dungala (Murray River) surges to our north. This exhibition celebrates nature鈥檚 power to nourish, inspire and offer solace. It features artworks and narratives from our local context, connecting us with stories and people from other regions across the country.

Change is nature鈥檚 only constant. Where once we marked out four European seasons, today we talk about cycles of change throughout a year, marked by subtle shifts, including the flowering of golden wattle and hint of warmth, fruit trees in blossom, or a river in flood. These changes mark times of abundance, times to gather, or the atmospheric changes marked by river mists and winter floods. Flow offers insights into the evolution and transformation of SAM鈥檚 Collection over time, allowing new patterns and fresh ways of understanding to emerge.