Gerlinde Thomas and Roslyn Elms's exhibition, Bygone Eras, Portraits of the Past, is inspired by a shared vision for remembering and representing the past as embodied in culture, personality and mood of the people of past eras.
Inspiration is drawn out of the beauty, glamour, contradictions, romantic impressions and pain of the past.
There are picture stories of the 1600s to the turbulence of the late 1800s, to the seemingly profitable era of the 1920s, riddled with crime and poverty and the beginnings of the emancipation of women.
Then on to the Vaudeville times of the 1930s which, despite the depression, is remembered as the era of escapism and the golden age of glamour.
We then move to the 1940s where the roles of women changed due to the war, and to the 1950s where the concept of the “perfect wife” was established (or not). After this we travel to the swinging and psychedelic 1960s.
This exhibition invites us to reflect, remember and reminisce. We are all people living with the legacy of the past. A past we remember, acknowledge, and hopefully continue to learn from, weaving into the future with our own unique perspectives.
The exhibition is at Gallery One88 in Katoomba from August 8-22.
