Archives exist but are not always questioned.  Still, over time documents and stories may be accepted as ‘Truth’, even though what they represent is a selective version of events, not necessarily impartial.

The European history of Australia is seemingly well-documented. Histories recorded in photos, memoirs, art and text have become the source material of many archives.  Looking closely however, we find details and stories that are concealed or hidden from view. The Aboriginal stories, the colonial stories, the overlap and overlay of truth, myth and legend may create a new form of archive. 

In The Alternative Archive exhibition artists personally connect with their Midwest communities and the stories they need to tell.  Artists highlight the loss of Aboriginal language, the quirkiness of private collections, the hierarchy inherent in archives, the deeply personal stories of people living in the Midwest and individual connections to land.

The Alternative Archive: Truths, Myths and Legends of the Midwest brings together the work of twelve artists from the Midwest region of WA.  Ingrid Horn has been mentored by Eve York of Geraldton Regional Art Gallery and Anna Louise Richardson, lead curator of The Alternative Archive. This is a series of interconnected group exhibitions supported by the Connect to the Creative Grid project, through the Regional Arts Partnership Program (RAPP) supported by the State Government of Western Australia and Country Arts WA.

Opening Friday 31st May to Sunday 21st July 2019