June 3, 2019 Image: ‘The Seat of Love and Hate’, by eX de Medici, 2017-2018. Photo by Rob Little.
The Ideal Home exhibition opens at the Powerhouse Museum on 8 June exploring the history of Australian home told through household objects, furniture and design classics. Co-presented by Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and Penrith Regional Gallery, the exhibition explores Australian experiences of home and family life across the past 120 years whilst simultaneously addressing contemporary social issues of domestic violence and homelessness.
More than 45 objects and artworks from the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences collection will be on display including furniture, home appliances, architectural models, interior design and everyday domestic objects, with an emphasis on mid-century Australian design.
There will be two new additions to the exhibition this June; ‘Prevail‘, a group of eight small vessels displayed in a still life arrangement by Adelaide-based ceramic artist Kirsten Coelho and Sydney designer Charles Wilson’s flamboyant red leather upholstered Swivel Chair.
Highlight pieces on display include ‘The Seat of Love and Hate’ an 18th century French love settee upholstered with machine embroidered fabric by acclaimed artist eX de Medici; Karla Dickens series of appliqued straightjackets ‘Bound’, exploring the experience of some women as ‘bound’ to the home by domesticity, family, financial dependence and addiction; a piano donated to the Museum on behalf of the people who lived at the
Martin Place safe space, a tent city set up for homeless people; and an architectural model representing a suburb display for Ropes Crossing in Western Sydney.
Powerhouse Museum Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said: So much of our lives take place in our homes, around our furniture and the household items we interact with everyday. This exhibition delves deeper into these “everyday” objects to not only explore the connection between design and technology with Australian history, but to also address social issues that continue to present in home life today.
THE IDEAL HOME
On display from 8 June
Images available to download here
Website: maas.museum/event/the-ideal-home/
Ticket prices: Included in general admission to the Powerhouse
Museum ($15 adult, Free for Children 16 and under).
MEDIA CONTACTS
Sasha Haughan
sasha@articulatepr.com.au
0405 006 035
Kym Elphinstone
kym@articulatepr.com.au
0421 106 139