The Mangroves from the Water exhibition opened on Saturday 14 August 2021. Mangroves from the Water is founded by network member Zahidah Zeytoun Millie, and seeks to:
- encourage viewers to realise the beauty and importance of mangroves,
- protect wetlands and mangroves globally which have a strong tie to indigenous people,
- encourage discussion about the mangroves, sea grasses and wetlands, to be held at the Gallery during the exhibition period, and
- emphasise the importance of finding heritage and contemporary storytelling of mangroves that act as a reference point for cultural identity and popular memory in Victoria.
Al the information for the recent exhibition and past exhibitions are detailed in the Mangroves from the Water blog. The exhibition catalogue can be accessed here. A video of the opening ceremony is linked below.
The MFTW exhibition also presented three short films, one was a performance dance in the mangroves at Lake Conneware, Barwon Heads, while the other two films produced by two French artists. Here is a link for one of the three films which we sent to the Barwon heads Primary School.
The exhibition was accompanied by four workshops, including a painting and kayaking workshop Zahdiah Zeytoun Millie ran on Saturday 21 August. Three artists ran a monoprinting, performance dance and storytelling workshops.
The Sharjah Institute of Heritage of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) supported our exhibition with an Arab majlis, books, Arab coffee, dates and a special issue of Al Mawruth magazine about the mangroves. A connection with the Institute is ongoing and will donate these exhibits to the School of Heritage and Museum Studies at Deakin.