17 April – 23 May Critical Fixtures From architecture to subtle sounds to etheric resonances read by a clairvoyant, Critical Fixtures reinterprets RMIT Gallery and its home in historic Storey Hall through the site-specific work of six contemporary installation artists, who invite us to use our senses to experience the qualities of spaces that may not be immediately obvious. It is fitting that Critical Fixtures re-launches the Gallery after a recent renovation, given that the Gallery re-opened in 1996 with a site-specific show also following a major refurbishment. Curator Mark Brown Artists Denis Beaubois, Mark Brown, Kate Fulton, Robbie Rowlands, Mark Themann, Mimi Tong. Public program 14 May, Robbie Rowlands; 15 May, Mark Brown, artist talks.

17 April – 23 May Central Periphery brings the work of six Northern European artists to Australia for the first time, in a ‘conversation’ that explores ideas of nature, architecture and chance processes through the atmospherics of weather, languages of abstraction, points of view and space, and a minimalist aesthetic. Curated by Scottish artist Alan Johnston, Central Periphery reveals the ways in which abstraction can be a vital means of expressing perceptions of place, space and time through a ‘living geometry’. Artists Franz Graf, Kristján Guðmundsson, Alan Johnston, Martina Klein, Ragna Róbertsdóttir, Karin Sander. Public program 17 April, Alan Johnston & Ragna Róbertsdóttir, artist talks.

5 June – 18 July SCHMUCK 2009 is the world’s leading survey exhibition of contemporary jewellery. Held in Munich each year, it attracts more than 600 entries from 123 countries. From this field sixty finalists are chosen; their work is shown in the final exhibition and they compete for the prestigious Herbert Hofmann Award. Now in its fiftieth year, SCHMUCK will show in Australia for the first time. Three Melbourne jewellery designers are finalists in SCHMUCK 2009, Robert Baines, Laura Deakin and Julia deVille. Artists Alexandra Bahlmann, Robert Baines, Rut-Malin Barklund, Peter Bauhuis, David Bielander, Helena Biermann Angel, Iris Bodemer, Frederic Braham, Yu-Fang Chi, Laura Deakin, Julia deVille, Sam Tho Duong, Iris Eichenberg, Beate Eismann, Ute Eitzenhöfer, Hana Fišerová, Kiko Gianocca, Christine Graf, Susanne Holzinger, Gabriela Horvat/Paula Dipierro, John Iversen, Stephanie Jendis, Junwon Jung, Jiro Kamata, Vered Kaminski, Ulla and Martin Kaufmann, Maki Kawawa, Beppe Kessler, Marta Kisand, Daniel Kruger, Oliwia Kuczynska, Tarja Lehtinen, Felix Lindner, Natalie Luder, Patrick Marchal, Stefano Marchetti, Märta Mattsson, Mikiko Minewaki, Eija Mustonen, Evert Nijland, Nuntaka Nopkhun, Kasimir Oppermann, Nathalie Perret, Katja Prins, Ulrich Reithofer, Tabea Reulecke, Linus Roeder, Daniela Schwaag, Q Hisabashi Shibata, Giovanni Sicuro Minto, Monika Strasser, Carine Terreblanche, Timothy Information Limited, Terhi Tolvanen, Tota Reciclados, Sarah Troper, Lisa Walker, Mona Wallström, Julia Walter, Norman Weber. Featured classic artist Gerd Rothmann. SCHMUCK is a special exhibition of the International Trade Fair in Munich, managed by the GHM — Society for Handicraft Fairs, organised by the Chamber of Trade and Crafts for Munich and Upper Bavaria and supported by the Danner-Foundation, Munich. Public program 5 June, Panel Discussion: Robert Baines, Julia deVille, Simon Cottrell and Wolfgang Lösche.

5 June – 18 July Johannes Kuhnen: a survey of innovation Artist Johannes Kuhnen is a distinguished pioneer of the process of anodising and colouring aluminium and its application. He combines traditional working methods with industrial materials and processes. The works are recognisable through his dynamic use of colour, form and attention to detail. He has had a sustained major influence on contemporary Australian gold- and silver-smithing through his teaching at the School of Art, Australian National University, Canberra. This travelling exhibition is cur ated by Daniel McOwan Director, Hamilton Art Gallery, Victoria on behalf of the School of Art Gallery, Canberra. Public program 5 June, Johannes Kuhnen, artist talk.

7 August – 12 September Liu Xiao Xian: From East to West Liu Xiao Xian is one of the most compelling contemporary Chinese Australian artists who explores the nuances between East and West with playfulness and wit, revealing some profound differences as well as shared concerns and values. Born in China and raised during the Cultural Revolution, Liu Xiao Xian left Beijing for Sydney after the Tiananmen Square Massacre. On this twentieth anniversary of Tiananmen, RMIT Gallery is focusing on his photographs and sculptures which explore the subtleties of his experiences. Curators Suzanne Davies and Sarah Morris Public program 7 August, Liu Xiao Xian.

7 August – 12 September New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography This exhibition showcases the best twenty-five entries in the annual Eureka Prize for Science Photography, sponsored by New Scientist. The Eureka Prize is awarded for a single photograph that most effectively communicates an aspect of science and is a significant component of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, Australia’s premier science awards. For this prize, the definition of science is a comprehensive one including the natural, physical, applied or life sciences (including agricultural sciences); environmental issues; biodiversity issues; flora and fauna; medicine; astronomy; information technology; technological innovation; engineering and health science; as well as work that addresses the social or economic consequences of science. The winners of the 2008 Prize were Phred Petersen; Steven Morton and Katrina Putker. Curated and managed by the Australian Museum. Artists Renata Buziak, Glenn Campbell, Kevin Cooper, Jenny Davis, Jason Edwards, Kirk Gilmour, Silvina Glattauer, Philip Hart, David Kelly, Noel Knight, James Lockington, Rachael Middlebrook, Nick Moir, Steven Morton, Ken Ng, Ron Oldfield, Lesley Pain, Phred Petersen, Katrina Putker, Ben Rak, Peter Solness, Mark Talbot, Michael Thomson, Wade Tozer, Mick Tsikas. Public program 17 August, Phred Petersen and Dr John Long, Head of Sciences, Museum Victoria.

RMIT Gallery 2009 Exhibition Programwww.rmit.edu.au/rmitgallery

MAIN IMAGE: CRITICAL FIXTURES Mimi Tong, Picture Fixture 2009, metallic photographic prints on mdf, installation view. Photo: Mark Ashkanasy. 1 CRITICAL FIXTURES Robbie Rowlands Green Doors 2009, discarded RMIT Gallery entrance doors, White Elephant 2009, cut gallery display wall, installation view. Photo: Mark Ashkanasy. 2 CENTRAL PERIPHERY Ragna Róbertsdóttir installing Lava landscape, 2009, pumice from the volcano Helka in Iceland. 3 SCHMUCK David Bielander, Scampi bracelet, 2007, coppered silver, elastic. 4 EUREKA PRIZE FOR SCIENCE PHOTOGRAPHY Phred Petersen, Blast Wave 2008, mounted photograph, 470 x 370 mm. 6 JOHANNES KUHNEN Johannes Kuhnen, Vessel 2009, anodised aluminium, titanium, 710 x 460 x 87 mm. 7 FROM EAST TO WEST Liu Xiao Xian, Our Gods 2004, porcelain, overglazed gold, underglazed copper red: Christ 63 x 61 x 38cm, Buddha 61 x64 x40 cm, installation variable.

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10 September Songs from the Apotek Mamalian Orchestra The David Chesworth Ensemble creates a vast soundscape generated by orchestral and exotic instruments, voice, as well as electronic means in a feast of striking, scraping, blowing, shaking, pushing, pulling and plucking. Playing the works of its founder, David Chesworth, one of Australia’s key composers and sound artists, and others, this performance continues RMIT Gallery’s commitment to sound-based works.

25 September – 25 October Shelter: On Kindness is an exploration, an exercise in inviting artists, architects, writers and thinkers to reflect on what qualities of environment and circumstance afford us shelter in a physical and metaphorical sense. Is shelter a sense of safe haven, a place to protect ourselves from the natural elements, from the unrelenting pressures of modern life or, perhaps, a place or space to reflect on our innermost thoughts? Shelter:On Kindness examines ideas of nurture and kindness, through the filter of the writings of psychoanalyst and author Adam Phillips and historian Barbara Taylor on the history of kindness. See On Kindness, Penguin 2009. Part of the 2009 Melbourne International Arts Festival. Curators Suzanne Davies, Vanessa Gerrans and Sarah Morris. Writers and exhibitors include Charles Anderson, Nigel Bertram, Robert Bridgewater, Gregory Burgess, Anne-Laure Cavigneaux, Professor Peter Corrigan, Rodney Eggleston, Professor Terunobu Fujimori, Stephen Haley, Professor Alan Johnston, Professor Murdo MacDonald, Professor Paul Memmott, Adam Phillips, Alan Saunders, Pip Stokes. Public program 1 October, Professor Terunobu Fujimori, public lecture; 24 October, Japanese tea ceremony; 25 October, ArtPlay workshop.

25 September – 25 October Konsortium: Schwarz Modernism, Post-Modernism, avant-garde or mainstream – younger artists aren’t bothered with categories or charging art with ideology, according to German writer Sebastian Preuss. This is true of Konsortium, a group of artists from Düsseldorf who are making an iconic break from Modernism. In Schwarz, they bring their work to RMIT Gallery for the first time. Artists Lars Breuer, Sebastian Freytag and Guido Münch. Public program 25 September, Konsortium, artist talk. Supported by the Goethe-Institut, Australia.

5 November – 5 December Super Human: Revolution of the Species Emerging artistic and scientific practices have evolved new species of hybrid artforms. Super Human revisits the Cartesian body and its place in contemporary culture through its focus on Cognition & Neurology (Mind), Augmentation & Biological Manipulation (Body), and Nanoscale Interventions (Spirit, that which is not visible). Showcasing work in these fields by a new generation of Australasian artists, Super Human exposes our aspirations and fears about our bodies and their extraordinary functions. Presented by The Australian Network for Art and Technology. Artists Kirsty Boyle, Justine Cooper, Jonathan Duckworth, Donna Franklin, Tina Gonsalves, Leah Heiss, George Poonkhin Khut, Angela Main, Brad Nunn, Jill Scott, Paul Thomas, Tissue Culture & Art Project (Oron Catts & Ionat Zurr), Mari Velonaki in collaboration with David Rye & Steve Scheding. Public program 6 November, Jonathan Duckworth and Leah Heiss, artist talk.

5 November Robyn Beeche Book Launch Australian photographer Robyn Beeche made her mark capturing the art, music and fashion worlds of London in the ’70s and ’80s. Her innovative design sense and engagement with photography, fashion and the avant garde have captivated Australian design writer Stephen Crafti who launches his book Robyn Beeche, Visage to Vraj at the RMIT Gallery in celebration of the first Robyn Beeche retrospective held in 2007 at RMIT Gallery.

November Penetralia Project Publication Launch RMIT Gallery launches Penetralia: Art, Architecture, Education & Psychoanalysis in Melbourne 1940–2004, an extensive publication documenting the critically acclaimed exhibition held at RMIT Gallery in 2004, including the papers delivered at the associated seminar series. The publication features the work of leading Australian artists, architects, educationalists, writers and psychoanalysts who contributed to the Penetralia Project.

16 December 2009 – January 2010 Siemens–RMIT Fine Art Scholarship Awards The Siemens-RMIT Fine Art Scholarship Awards is one of the most progressive scholarships of its kind in Australia. Now in its ninth year, it enables RMIT students to further their careers in fine arts by assisting their research and production costs. Each year eight students share $32,000: five undergraduate travel scholarships and three postgraduate scholarships. The partnership demonstrates the commitment of both Siemens and RMIT University to innovation, knowledge and excellence.

Fracture Gallery Federation Square Curated by RMIT GalleryRMIT Gallery is guest curator in 2009 for this unique space in the Atrium at Melbourne’s landmark square. 29 January – 29 March Acclaimed London artist, Shane Waltener, stretches hundreds of metres of hand-knitted shirring elastic between the Gallery beams. A giant, elegant spider web, Another World Wide Web reflects his ongoing interest in celebrating needlecraft and the message that we are all connected, and that beauty is in the detail. 9 April – 12 June Emerging Sydney talent Soo-Joo Yoo presents Untitled, an installation of flickering lights, aluminium and clear tubes, acrylic, roofing sheets and rubber that winds its way outside of the Fracture Gallery and into the Atrium. 7 September – 20 November Interested in creating motorised, interactive sculptures, Arthur Wicks’ interactive Ship of Fools depicts the world-weary soul. Activated by the viewer and powered by the sun, three whimsical boatmen propel their primitive craft across the Fracture Gallery floor on a futile journey for a destination never reached. Fracture Gallery is presented by Federation Square and curated by Sarah Morris, RMIT Gallery.

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RMIT Gallery is Melbourne’s most vibrant public art and design gallery. We explore all aspects of visual culture, presenting changing exhibitions of Australian and international design including fashion and architecture, fine art, craft, new media and technology. RMIT Gallery

presents regular floor talks, lectures and public events to coincide with exhibitions. The public program provides an enjoyable and social means of experiencing contem-porary culture. RMIT Gallery welcomes school and community groups and can arrange introductory talks as required.

RMIT Gallery is housed in Storey Hall, an internationally celebrated example of archi-tectural innovation. Located in Swanston Street, near the intersection with La Trobe Streets, RMIT Gallery is diagonally opposite Melbourne Central Railway Station and can be reached by trams travelling on Swanston and La Trobe Streets, including the City Circle Tram. Limited street parking is available. Melways reference: 2F E1.

RMIT Gallery www.rmit.edu.au/rmitgallery 344 Swanston Street Melbourne Australia 3000 GPO Box 2476V Melbourne 3001 Telephone: + 61 3 9925 1717 Facsimile: + 61 3 9925 1738 Email: rmit.gallery@rmit.edu.au

Gallery hoursMonday–Friday 11–5, Saturday 12–5. Closed Sundays and public holidays.Free admission. Lift access available.

Left: RMIT Gallery facade. Photo: Tim Griffith

7 SHELTER: ON KINDNESS Terunobu Fujimori & Nobumichi Ohshima (Ohshima Atelier), Chashitsu Tetsu (Teahouse Tetsu) 2006. Photo:Masuda Akihisa. 8 SCHWARZ Lars Breuer Gefallener Engel (Fallen Angel) 2008, framed oil painting on wallpainting: painting: oil, 142 x 142 cm, wall: lacquer and acrylic, 380 x 610 cm Photograph: Heiner Blum, Frankfurt. 9 SUPER HUMAN Angela Main Metazoa 2008, interactive video/augmented reality installation. 10 ROBYN BEECHE Zandra Rhodes Egyptian 1987; helmet & earring: Andrew Logan, make-up: Phyllis Cohen. Photograph: Robyn Beeche. 11 SIEMENS-RMIT FINE ART SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS Carmenza Jimenez-Osorio Apartheid Harp, 2008 (details) knitting yarn, push pins, glue can 500 x 210 cm, Photo: Mark Ashkanasy. 12 FRACTURE GALLERY Soo-Joo Yoo Untitled 2009, fluoro lights, aluminium and clear tubes, acrylic, roofing sheets and rubber. Photo: John Brash.

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