CIVILISATION

This exhibition is now closed.

Displayed at the Queen Victoria Art Gallery, from 11 November 2017 to 13 May 2018.

CIVILISATION is a large installation of nine painted canvas panels and is the culmination of a series of works painted by George Gittoes during his time in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

The work is inspired by the paintings of Pashto heroes on the rickshaws of Jalalabad, where Gittoes has made his temporary home as he establishes the Yellow House - a haven for artists in war zones.

George Gittoes is an internationally renowned artist and this is the first time this work, which directly relates to his award winning documentary Snow Monkeys, has been exhibited in Tasmania.  

Gittoes has seen and experienced terrible suffering as a result of many conflicts around the globe. Despite the horror he has witnessed he remains a self-described optimist, believing that his role in depicting both the devastation of war and the love and humanity he observes in places like Jalalabad will encourage compassion and ultimately peace. This is why he has established multiple iterations of his Yellow House around the globe, to offer a haven for creativity and freedom of expression that reminds those living with war of the humanity that still exists around them.

Please note: Some visitors may find the themes in this exhibition confronting. Viewer discretion is advised.

Supported by Hatherley Birrell Collection and the Launceston Art Centre.