Retrospection: Stories from Three Collections

13 November to 20 December 2026

Bringing together the richness held within the collections of Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Cowra Regional Art Gallery and Orange Regional Gallery.

For the first time, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Cowra Regional Art Gallery and Orange Regional Gallery are sharing the richness of their collections to create three unique exhibitions, each with a different thematic approach: Grounding, Retrospection, and Affinities. Presenting familiar and unfamiliar works in new contexts, each exhibition sparks fresh conversations, fosters community pride within the Central West, and strengthens cultural tourism across the three destinations.

Retrospection: Stories from Three Collections at Cowra Regional Art Gallery explores the approaches taken by Australian artists over the past forty years. It considers the shifts and cultural broadening of artistic practice since the end of the dominant avant-garde movements of the Western art history canon.

Moving beyond a rigid focus on nihilism, rebellion, and prevailing trends, contemporary art practice has evolved to encompass a broader range of styles, subjects, and cultural expressions. Contemporary artists have critically revisited previously unfashionable genres, such as abstraction, landscape and still life, and re-engaged with history to create new forms of expression.

A greater emphasis on First Nations’ and multicultural practice has also contributed to the reimagining of traditional sources. Rather than impeding creative expression, this dialogue with the past has broadened the scope for creativity and inclusion. The exhibition examines this retrospective turn through painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, and video art.

OPENING EVENT 2pm – 4pm, Saturday 14 November 2026
RSVP cowraartgallery@cowra.nsw.gov.au

_{IMAGE Rosemary Valadon, Genevieve, 2008, pastel on paper. Courtesy the artist. Collection of Bathurst Regional Art Gallery}