Elizabeth Gower - Sweeping in and sorting life

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery

How can the overload of images in daily life be seen as a positive thing? How can we keep ideas alive over decades of practice? How do you KEEP EVERYTHING and not become a hoarder? In this conversation Tai Snaith and Elizabeth Gower discuss an early work of hers on paper called ‘Precious Life’ from the MPRG collection. They explore the practice of collecting and sorting both actual materials and symbols and how it has adapted and changed over her life. Elizabeth shares how she learnt to ‘accept the chaos.’ Image: Elizabeth Gower in front of 'Found Images' NGV Melbourne,1987 (photo: John Brash) from 'Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman' 1974 – 2020. Presented as part of ‘A World of One’s Own’ a podcast and exhibition at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery in 2021. 'A World of One’s Own' is an ongoing document which began in 2017 at ACCA and has had further iterations and exhibitions at Sarah Scout Presents in October 2018, The Art Gallery Of Ballarat in 2019.