The Kerry Packer Civic Gallery: Where Art meets Democracy, Diversity and our Future

Nestled in Adelaide’s contemporary West End Arts Precinct, The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre’s Kerry Packer Civic Gallery plays a pivotal role in Adelaide’s art scene – presenting up and coming local talent, as well as rising international artists.

The Gallery also offers a dedicated space for community groups to convey important social messages. To this end, the Gallery flourishes with creative interpretations of the themes of The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre: Strengthening our Democracy – Valuing our Diversity – Building our Future.

Jacinta Thompson elaborates: “It is fascinating to see how artists lend themselves to these ideas – using their artistic flair to showcase their own interpretation of these concepts. Collectively, their work contributes to a creative patchwork – that innovates and constantly expands our understanding of these themes”.

Being a Civic Gallery attracts an eclectic group of prospective artists, including those that are often under-represented in the mainstream arts, and indeed the community. This year alone will showcase work from refugees, students, African street and contemporary artists, and prisoners. The team also work with major international humanitarian groups, for example, Médecins Sans Frontières and Community Organisations, such as the mental health service, Neami National.

This contemporary art space pushes boundaries. Artists and groups are encouraged to curate an exhibition that will expand the possibilities of this unique exhibition space. Recently, street artists creatively took advantage of that opportunity – painting a full-sized mural directly onto the Gallery’s walls.

Every year there is striking diversity in the exhibition programme, and 2019 will be no exception. Preview the upcoming exhibitions:

Fire and Flavour, 1-26 Apr

Photo credit: The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre

A collection of photographs recording the journey which photographer Tony Lewis and writer Nigel Hopkins made to Thailand with chef Nu Suandokmai, to Nu’s family farm where he was taught to cook by his mother and older sister Lek.

Nu’s whole family grew up knowing how to cook, and some of his siblings run restaurants in Bangkok.  The aim of the journey was to document the food grown and cooked on the farm, and produce a book as a tribute to Nu’s mother.

Writer, Nigel Hopkins will share the stories behind the photographs and the journey to Thailand in a forum.

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, as part of Tasting Australia

Photo credit: The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre

Cultivate, 1-29 May

Cultivate explores the concept of recovery through nurturing and strengthening a person’s identity. Featuring multidisciplinary artworks by emerging artists attending the Neami National Visual Art Programmes, the exhibition encompasses the depth of the human psyche and the community connection we invest in to grow and flourish.

“Cultivate explores why we need, as a community to bond in the human experience. In a world where fear is currency, this exhibition celebrates diversity and encourages respect for all. Recovery makes everyone stronger and lightens the load through art and beauty” – Betty Artis

Creative team: Artist and Curator Elyas Alavi and Arts Coordinator Vass Hay.

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and Neami National

Viola by Catherine Pallin

SA Refugee Week 2019 Youth Poster Awards Exhibition, 3-28 Jun

In this exhibition of posters, we see students taking a leadership role in empathising with, offering support and advocating for, the world’s most vulnerable, and especially refugees displaced across the world, those coming to our shores and those presently within Australia’s guardianship.

Where some might find it more convenient to either ignore or depreciate the plight of people fleeing their homelands and desperate for sanctuary, these students have taken on the mantle of ethical warriors, standing up for the weakened and willing to do what is needed to bring the social and economic justice we, as a country, advanced all those years ago.

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and the Australian Migrant Resource Centre

Photo credit: The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre

Illusion, 3-28 June

In this exhibition, that traverses both Nexus Arts Gallery and the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, visual artists Elyas Alavi, Avan Anwar and Sha Sarwari’s practices consider conflict, displacement, news headlines and empathy as broad international concepts, while commenting on personal, cultural and collective experiences within an Australian context.

Creative team: Elyas Alavi (SA / Afghanistan), Avan Anwar (VIC / Kurdistan), Ali Eslami (Iran), Sha Sarwari (VIC / Afghanistan), Dominic Symes (SA), Curated by Priya Pavri (SA)

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and Nexus Arts, Exhibited at both Nexus Art Gallery, Lion Arts Centre (17 June – 19 July), and the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery (1-29 July)

The light of Soul, Aluminium Foil, String, Bulb Light string, Dimensions Variable, 2017 (Photo credit: Avan Anwar)

Art by Prisoners, 1-30 Aug

Art is a constructive activity through which to express and manage these emotions, unearth new talents and strengths, help reconnect with lost identities and find new ones, creating a vision and hope for a more positive future. Art by Prisoners comprises artwork created by people incarcerated in South Australia’s adult prisons. The works offer glimpses into the pain, isolation, and regret often experienced as a result of crime and punishment.

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, as part of SALA

Photo credit: The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre

The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre’s Kerry Packer Civic Gallery is open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm and Thursdays until 7pm, Hawke Building Level 3, UniSA City West campus, 55 North Terrace, Adelaide.

The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre run a parallel programme of exciting events. In May, the Centre explores Palliative Care and Australia’s investment in this much needed sector. There is also the opportunity to catch up on The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre’s recent events, by accessing podcasts or videos from the ‘Relive our Events’ section on the Hawke Centre website – including: The Cause of Women – a provocative discussion with French journalist and author, Annick Cojean and Octopizzo: The Journey – detailing the work of the Kenyan Octopizzo Foundation, which provides young people with opportunities to cultivate their artistic talent, and by doing so, further develop themselves.

Find out more about the Hawke Centre and keep up-to-date with its latest programmes here.