Yellamundie, Civic Place Library and Art Gallery, Liverpool

Exhibition dates: 3 December 2023 - March 2024

'Most of the population live in an urban environment. This environment affects us - the kinds of people that Australians are, and the way we behave. It affects our formative years, so it is a very important element ... It's where 95 per cent of Australians actually live.' 

Howard Arkley, quoted in Jason Smith, Howard Arkley: The Retrospective, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2006, p. 21 

Howard Arkley: At Home Curated by Litsa Veldekis in association with Kalli Rolfe Contemporary Art

The exhibition has a special emphasis on suburbia and community but in the most bright and colourful Pop Art way.

What makes Howard Arkley’s paintings so appealing is that the subject matter of house exteriors and interiors could be any Australian house or township with its wrought iron fences, red brick houses and domestic interiors of richly diverse backgrounds.

 Arkley’s work was made at a time when suburbia was shunned and seen as devoid of art, but Arkley saw a richness of colour and form everywhere. He is a champion of seeing beauty in the everyday. The suburbs are where he was born and raised and formed his career. These artworks depict Australian iconography in a bright and colourful palate. They illustrate a pride and beauty in the suburbs and the richness of our community. 

I would like to acknowledge the generosity of the Estate of Howard Arkley, Kalli Rolfe and the private collectors who have kindly loaned artworks to this exhibition. We wish to thank Mayor Ned Mannon, Liverpool City Council and the team at Casula Power House Art Centre. We are delighted to showcases an exhibition of key works from this esteemed Australian artist

Liverpool Council has delivered a world class, state of the art building whose main purpose and vision is to tell stories which connect with the Liverpool community, its values, history, experiences and surroundings.  Yellamundie – The durang word for Storyteller allows the community to connect with one another through literature, learning, art and culture.  Yellamundie sets a benchmark across the region as a centre and depository for information, an avenue for creative learning, and a space for connection and creativity.

It is a nostalgic show, a champion of where we come from, never forgetting out roots but progress and development is afoot. Howard Arkley embraced this with his artworks depicting Freeway overpasses, apartment buildings and industrial scenes. This links to Liverpool’s story as a real coming of age - giving the people of Liverpool an amazing state of the art building to enjoy. This exhibition is the first story to be told here- an exciting future of story telling lies ahead. 

I am overjoyed that this is the first solo show of Howard Arkley’s work in Sydney since his untimely death in 1999. A real coup for Western Sydney and a draw card for the summer program at Yellamundie, Civic Place Library and Gallery, Liverpool

for available works email: art@litsaveldekis.com