Madonna Del Rosario

From a crown of roses to an iRosary, a stunning exhibition of artworks inspired by the Catholic rosary opens at artisan on Thursday 22 May 2008. The exhibition, Madonna Del Rosario showcases beautiful and quirky jewellery and objects by leading Australian artists and designers. It opens for the first time in Queensland and is proudly presented by St George bank.
An initiative of the Wollongong Italian community, in partnership with Wollongong City Gallery, the exhibition was the highlight of their 2006 Madonna Del Rosario festival; an annual event based on Southern Italian traditions celebrating Our Lady of the Rosary. Artisan has recreated the exhibition, enhancing it with a special Queensland addition, featuring works by local artists: Madeleine Brown, Anna Varendorft, Rachel Apelt, and Ky Curran.
The exhibition highlights not only the ingenuity of the artists and their fascinating responses to the Rosary but also their diverse and often symbolic use of media such as ceramics, paper, metal, coral, graphite, found objects and pasta.
Local artists, Rachel Apelt and Ky Curran, respond to the symbology of the Madonna: Rachel, by creating a new set of mysteries – the Five Agnostic Mysteries – which reference not only the numerology of the Rosary but also non -Christian archetypes of the compassionate mother. Meanwhile Ky creates a wall of Marys that form a shrine to the endurance of a mother’s love.
Carlier Makigawa, Dinosaur Designs, and Prue Venables stay true to the traditional form of the rosary, conceived as a contemplative piece for thoughtful meditation. Similarly, Roseanne Bartley, Annabelle Collett and Julia Moretti explore historical and ecclesiastical aspects of Catholicism, using materials of Italian origin.
Gerry Wedd and Sheridan Kennedy use the symbology of the rose as their point of reference. Sheridan devised a wearable ball game from a five-petalled extracted rose motif, while Gerry constructed an untouchable ceramic crown of roses and thorns inscribed with lyrics from David McCombe’s ‘Someone Watching Over Me’,
Others, including Sean O’Connell, Jane Bowden, Pierre Cavalan, Marilyn Puschak and Kathryn Orton, produced works that demonstrated the correlation between the repetitive process of making and the equally repetitive incantation of prayers.
While for the itinerant Roman Catholic, Will Soeterboek brings the ritual of the rosary into the 21st Century with his remarkable iRosary mp3 player, which plays the perfect mantra for meaningful moments.
Madonna Del Rosario was be opened by Grace Grace MP, Member for Brisbane Central, with a highlight performance by the Holy Cross Italian Choir. The exhibition runs until the 5th July 2008