Viva Italia! is coming to the Bowery Theatre this week, showcasing a series of works based on the Italian travels of local artist John Barcham.
The gallery is a collection of some of Barcham’s most esteemed pieces, all under the umbrella of his wife’s heritage and their trips together.
“The creation of this series of works spans about 10 years. They are my response as an artist to my involvement with Melbourne’s Sammachese (people who come from San Marco in Lamis) community as well as trips with my Sammachese wife to Italy and San Marco in Lamis in the beautiful Gargano region of the province of Puglia,” he said.
“The works have never been shown in their entirety and shown together contain a narrative of my personal Italian journey. All the works are created from direct experience using my own photography as studio reference.
“The response by people, particularly Italians, to the work is quite extraordinary. During the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s Italians were often subject to ethnic vilification. This coupled with the then government policy of assimilation rather than today’s policies of multiculturalism has meant that subsequent generations have lost touch with much of their language and culture.”
The gallery will be unveiled at a launch event on Friday, July 19, at the Bowery Theatre in St Albans, from 6pm to 8pm, and will then be available for free public viewing from 9am to 5pm every weekday until September 7.
Gerald Lynch
