Josephine Mead’s ‘Matrimony’ is a bold exploration of love, ritual, and union that redefines the traditional through a queer lens. Opening at Walker Street Gallery and Art Centre on September 24 and running until November 15, 2024, this exhibition invites viewers to reimagine love ceremonies, offering a space that is as much about reflection as it is about transformation.
The core of ‘Matrimony’ revolves around Mead’s personal experience with love and its ceremonial expressions. At the heart of the exhibition are paintings of the artist’s bridal bouquet, positioned among 14 pews, deliberately installed as “spectators” within the gallery. These pews, and the bouquets they frame, symbolise the quiet anticipation and sacredness often present in rituals of union. Here, the floral “witnesses” stand as metaphors for the societal gaze, while also holding space for personal reflection on what it means to publicly declare love.
A standout piece, ‘Bridal Veil’, is a hand-crafted sculpture made from thousands of brass wedding rings. The rings – delicately yet powerfully intertwined – serve as a striking visual of the weight of commitment. As viewers observe the sheer volume and intricacy of the sculpture, they are reminded of the complexity of union—one that is both celebratory and binding.
Accompanying the visual elements is a soundscape composed by Dandenong-based musicians BJ Morriszonkle and Nero Friktschn Feuerherdt. Their orchestral-like arrangement, designed to evoke the moments before a wedding begins, deepens the atmosphere of anticipation within the gallery. It resonates with the emotional build-up that precedes a life-altering moment like marriage.
Beyond the exhibition itself, ‘Matrimony’ offers public programs that continue the conversation around love, memory, and identity. Among them are workshops, discussions, and a unique cinema and performance night that promises to challenge and expand viewers’ understanding of queer love.
Josephine Mead’s ‘Matrimony’ is a triumph in exploring the multifaceted layers of love and ritual. By framing these ideas within a queer context, the exhibition offers an inclusive, powerful look at union—one that transcends the heteronormative and invites everyone to reconsider what it means to love and commit.
Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, Corner Walker and Robinson St, Dandenong. (03) 8571 5320
greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/matrimony-exhibition
