General News
15 August, 2025
Gallery launches first national tour
IN a major milestone, the Warrnambool Art Gallery has launched its first ever nationally touring exhibition under the directorship of Aaron Bradbrook.
Curated by the gallery and touring with NETS Victoria, ‘Kait James: Red Flags’ opened this month at Ararat Gallery TAMA before heading to Wangaratta, Orange, Tamworth, Adelaide and Hobart.
The exhibition premiered at the Warrnambool Art Gallery in October 2024 and sees Wadawurrung artist Kait James combine autobiography, incisive analysis and wry humour in the re-appropriation of culturally insensitive, mass-produced souvenirs from the 1950s to the 1980s.
At the same time, the gallery has also loaned one of its most important and highly-valued works to the University of Melbourne’s Potter Museum of Art for its flagship exhibition following a $14 million redevelopment.
Minjah in the Old Time, painted in 1856 by Robert Dowling, features prominently in the 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art exhibition.
Warrnambool Art Gallery director Aaron Bradbrook said the exhibitions were important contributions to First Nations truth-telling, and both demonstrate how the gallery can engage meaningfully on the national stage.
“Both exhibitions occurring simultaneously highlights the value of what we’re doing with our contemporary program and what we’re doing with our collection,” Mr Bradbrook said.
“From my understanding, Red Flags is the first national touring exhibition that the Warrnambool Art Gallery has ever had.
“Other institutions are taking notice and they want to bring the content that we are curating to their venues and to their audiences.
“It shows what we can achieve when we have works from the 19th century through to the 21st century currently exhibiting around the country.”
Mr Bradbrook said that both opportunities reflected the gallery’s dual role of honouring its historical collection while engaging with the evolving themes and messages of contemporary art.
“When Minjah in the Old Time was acquired in the 19th century, it was a contemporary work and over time, it’s become a much-loved favourite,” he said.
“Supporting contemporary art today is part of that same tradition we have as a public institution, where we acquire works of art for present and for future audiences, both locally but also nationally and internationally.
“Red Flags is Kait’s first solo exhibition outside of Victoria, so it’s a momentous part of her career that we are honoured to be a part of.
“It’s also great for the gallery and for Warrnambool as a city, where we are building momentum and significantly increasing our national exposure.
“That’s part of our strategic plan, to look at innovative partnerships across national and international platforms to build the brand and reinforce Warrnambool’s position as an innovative cultural destination.”
‘Kait James: Red Flags’ is a Warrnambool Art Gallery exhibition, curated by Aaron Bradbrook and touring nationally with NETS Victoria.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and the Visions of Australia program, and has received development assistance from NETS Victoria’s Exhibition Development Fund, supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
Visit www.thewag.com.au for more information on current exhibitions.
Entry to all current exhibitions is free.
