Inspired by the origins of the colour blue and Mount Gambier’s iconic Blue Lake, ‘The Blue Exhibition’ is currently on display at The Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre. Bringing together works from The Riddoch Collection, the exhibition celebrates the many shades and forms of blue.
Exhibition curator Serena Wong said that while it seems colours like black and white and shades of red and grey have been around since humans began drawing on cave walls, scholars have recently discovered that in ancient texts across the world the word blue is conspicuously absent.
We use the colour blue today to describe common natural phenomenon, like the sky or the ocean, however it is thought, for at least some cultures, it may be a much more recent invention than we realise.
– City of Mount Gambier Arts and Culture Development Officer Serena Wong
“I find it fascinating that colours are intimately related to language, if there isn’t a word for something, does that mean we don’t see it?”
“Blue is obviously such an important colour for Mount Gambier, it’s hard to even imagine a time before we even had a word for it. I like to think of all this as a way to examine the basic things around us and question if everything we take for granted is as concrete as it seems.”
The exhibition is on display until 7 March 2021 in the Cathleen Edkins Gallery. The Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm weekdays and 10:00am to 2:00pm weekends and most public holidays. Entry is free.
