The antiquities exhibition, Decadence and
Domesticity, which I have curated for the Arts West Gallery (located on the ground floor of the Arts West Building at the University of Melbourne) opened today. Decadence and Domesticity features Graeco-Roman
antiquities, rare prints and books and is concerned with the theme of the Domus (house) and its iconography. The
exhibition consists of three main sub-themes: Domestic Cult, Women’s
Beautifying Procedures, and Feasting. It is made up of seven displays: the first
and second cases concern religion and focus on the deities Cybele and Silvanus,
the third case displays objects related to women and cosmetics, the fourth case
features Roman terra sigillata
pottery, the fifth case Syracusan coins, and the sixth case displays Greek and Roman
terracotta lamps. On the wall opposite is a frieze
consisting of Pompeiian frescoes and a TV screen featuring the feast scene from
Fellini’s 1969 film the Satyricon. Decadence
and Domesticity is one of three exhibitions within the Arts West Gallery;
the other two being Transforming Space
by Simon Young and his company Lithodomos, which is about 3D Reconstructions of
ancient sites and immersive virtual reality experiences; and (re-)Producing Power by Annelies Van de Ven which uses plaster casts and copies of Mesopotamian antiquities in order to
explore concepts of power expressed in material culture and the acquisition and
control of knowledge. Together, these three exhibitions are part of The Arts of Engagement exhibition which
opened today, 20 August and runs until 23 October 2017.
