Fair Play brings sport into gallery for new art exhibition at Manly Art Gallery & Museum

Northern Beaches

Fair Play is a wonderfully inspiring new exhibition on display from 9 Dec 2022 – 26 Feb 2023.

Each artist chosen uses sport as a motif or a metaphor to inspire the viewer to reflect on broad social issues facing contemporary society such as post-colonialism, environmentalism, belonging, masculinity, and mental health.

Featuring work by multi-disciplinary artists including Billy Bain, Amber Boardman, Michael Garbutt & Sehar Naz Janani, Rew Hanks, Lyndal Irons, Kellie O’Dempsey, Ben Rak, Abdullah M.I Syed, and Gerry Wedd, visitors can expect a far-ranging set of works that inspire and uplift.

The exhibition includes artists working across painting, video, printmaking, ceramics, installation, and performance.

The Mayor of Northern Beaches Council said the exhibition will appeal to locals and visitors by offering something everyone can relate to.

“Both art and sport are important cultural phenomena that enable us to connect and communicate with others at home and around the world – letting us venture across borders, cultures, languages, and generations to find common ground.

“There is a myth that sport and art are natural enemies, as exemplified by the ongoing debate about the allocation of public funding by governments at all levels in Australia, but this new exhibition Fair Play seeks to bridge the gap between these two cultural forms,” Mayor Regan said.

The exhibition curator, Ben Rak said that;”It’s an insightful show that demonstrates how art and sport both empower us to express ourselves physically, emotionally, and intellectually.”

In addition to the artists’ works, the curator has selected works from MAG&M’s collection of paintings, ceramics, and sporting paraphernalia, to encourage the viewer to further consider the fundamental roles of sports and art.

/Public Release. View in full here.