Art Cases

The Art Cases program is a core part of the National Gallery’s Touring Exhibitions program. The program comprises five art-filled cases that travel to schools, libraries, community centres, galleries and aged care homes, where the works are discovered and handled by adults and children of all ages for both exhibition and hands-on programs such as art making and story-telling.

In 1998 Jim and Elaine Wolfensohn generously donated funds to purchase interesting and durable works to tour to metropolitan, regional, and remote areas of Australia. Then known as the Jim and Elaine Wolfensohn Gift, two cases began touring in 1990 and were joined by a third case in 2004.

After three decades of touring, the program was expanded in 2021 thanks to the generous support of the Neilson Foundation. Five cases now tour Australia with revised artworks and themes inspiring creativity, inclusivity and learning.

The five cases and their themes are:

• Red – Bodies
• Copper – Country
• Blue – Earth
• Yellow – Past, Present, Future
• Orange – Form and Function
  

Contact

Are you interested in hosting an Art Case in your local community? The program is free of charge and freight and insurance are arranged by the Gallery.

Please contact travex@nga.gov.au.

The National Gallery’s Art Cases are generously supported by the Neilson Foundation with grateful acknowledgement of founding patrons Elaine and Jim Wolfensohn.

The Bodies Art Case brings together works that explore the lived experience of biology, of flesh and blood and the ways in which our bodies influence memory, space and form. Several of the artworks take the form of internal organs – heart, brain, digestive system – encouraging us to pay closer attention to what is going on inside our bodies, and how these organs influence our experience of the world. Other artworks consider how bodies relate to the external forces, through their ability to manipulate space or how they are shaped in relation to larger social structures. The works in this case encourage us to think about the physical composition of our bodies and how they shape our experience of the world.

Artists & works

• Lionel Bawden
  Brain coral 2003
• Richard Byrnes
  Digestion haiku 1993
• Karla Dickens
  Block and tackle 2020
• Matt Harding
  Sacred Heart 1999
• Emily O'Brien
  Hair chairs 2004
• Neil Roberts
  The space inside my fist 1995

The Country Art Case brings together Indigenous works from across the continent providing many different perspectives, ideas and stories that looked at both land and Country. Many of the works in this case are made by using natural material, sometimes sourced via cultural collection. Knowing how to collect material from the environment provides perspectives to the relationship Indigenous people have to the natural surroundings. This case also looks at the shared histories of non-Indigenous occupation of Australia and the adaptive nature First Nations People adjusted to when looking after and utilising their specific Land and Country. First Nations ideas and philosophies of land and Country provide a holistic view and connects Indigenous people through place, spirit, culture, practice and ceremony.

Artists & works

• Penny Evans
  Burnt Banksia
• Carol McGregor
  Gather Bags ll 2018–ongoing
• Jimmy John Thaiday
  Kebi Nam 2018
• Aubrey Tigan
  Riji 2009
• James Tylor
  Kaurna Wirri Katha, 2020 (Language group Kaurna, Adelaide)
• Lena Yarinkura
  Bush mice 2002 (Rembarrnga/Kune peoples)

The Earth Art Case brings together artists who reflect on the importance of the natural world and our place within it. From ancient times to today, the natural world has provided an endless source of inspiration for artists to articulate the different yet profound ways that cultures connect and respond to the environment. The works in this case span long-standing and contemporary art practices, demonstrating a variety of spiritual, cultural and artistic connections to nature. From the biological to the geological, the microscopic to the visible, the artworks ask us to consider our responsibilities to protect and preserve the intricate and extraordinary diversity of the natural world.

Artists & works

• Leecee and Sonja Carmichael
  DabiyilWagari (Water Carrying) Vessels
• Megan Cope
  Pieces from RE FORMATION 2017
• John Edgar
  Light stone and Red eye 1993
• John Prince Siddon
  Purlkartu skull
• Unknown artist
  Marka mask late 19th – early 20th century
• Angela Valamanesh
  from Miscellaneous items G 2006, re-made 2020

The Past, Present, Future Art Case brings together multiple artists looking at the three concepts holistically through different forms. These forms could be time itself, our human experience of histories or the influence of events in determining the possible future. Exploring the past, present and future through insightful ways, the works in this case allowing audiences to engage and respond through our own experience of the concept. From futuristic creatures to bronze sculptures of worship, the Past, Present & Future case asks us to consider just that, our past, our present and our futures.

Artists & works

• Emily Beckley
  Sabagorar Susueri (Bridal Necklace) 2019
• Ian Howard
  The arms of the people 1990
• Carol McGregor
  Cornerstone 2011–18
• Patricia Piccinini
  The offering 2009
• Unknown artist
  Seated Ganesha 9th–10th century
• David Wallace
  Stockman and horse 1997

The Form and Function Art Case brings together works that blur the line between art and design. Each object can be used for everyday tasks such as serving tea, making light, or even grinding pepper. However, each has also been created with great care and attention to detail that goes beyond the simply functional. Combining historical objects with contemporary works, this Case asks us to consider the relationship between an object’s use and its form. How does an object’s decoration, shape or method of creation change the way we engage with it or its meaning to the user? From the ceremonial to the personal, these objects illustrate the complex systems and rituals that humans have developed over centuries and suggest new ways of relating to one another.

Artists & works

• Lulu Cooley
  Wira (Collecting Bowl) 2018
• Cinnamon Lee
  Palmlight #2 2000
• Karl Lawrence Millard
  Lizard grinder 2000
• Gilbert Riedelbauch
  Double bowl 2000
• Shireen Taweel
  Noor 2016
• Unknown artist
  Ankus [elephant goad] late 19th – early 20th century