Image: Wollongong Art Gallery
Wollongong Art Gallery will mark the official opening of ‘GO BAG’ on Saturday 15 August with remarks from curator Olivia Welch and performances by exhibiting artists Lucky Lartey and Scotty So. The opening is scheduled for 1 to 3pm at the gallery, and visitors are invited to explore the exhibition while enjoying complimentary drinks and light refreshments.
According to the gallery’s event notice, Lartey will present ‘In-transit’, described as a participatory exploration of transition and memory. So will perform as his alter-ego Scarlett So Hung Son in ‘Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?’. The gallery’s opening materials also reproduce an image of So’s ‘The Hong Kong Giantess 香江女巨人’ (2023), an oil-on-canvas work represented by MARS Gallery.
‘GO BAG’ is curated by Olivia Welch. In the exhibition information shared by the gallery, the project examines transient living in multiple forms, from migration and housing insecurity to the broader experience of movement and adaptation. The text foregrounds themes of displacement, belonging and resilience, and says the works reflect on diasporic identity, community and survival.
The exhibition brings together artists including Mitch Davis, Lucky Lartey, Vanessa Inkamala and Michael Kempson, Bonnie Huang, Scotty So, and Kartika and Kyati Suharto-Martin. The gallery says many of the works reference the familiar red, white and blue/black woven bag as a global symbol of travel and transition, using that image to consider the practical and emotional weight of what people carry and leave behind.
Welch is also listed as delivering opening remarks at the launch. The gallery’s wider public-programme listing shows that ‘GO BAG’ will continue to be accompanied by related events, including an ‘In Conversation’ session with Welch and artists from the exhibition on Wednesday 7 October, and closing weekend events on Saturday 31 October featuring a curator-led tour and a live performance by Kartika Suharto-Martin.
The gallery’s programme page also notes a separate Culture Mix component on Saturday 26 September, with performances by Suara Indonesia Dance and Kartika Suharto-Martin as Siti Suharti, plus an all-ages zine workshop with Kyati Suharto-Martin. Wollongong Art Gallery lists the exhibition at 46 Burelli Street and says the venue is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and on weekends from 12pm to 4pm.
