Tamworth Regional Gallery || The view from elsewhere

It will be on display at the gallery until Sunday, March 22.

Prior to the exhibition's conclusion and in celebration of Harmony Day on Saturday, March 21, Dr Sam Bowker will present a guided tour of the exhibition combined with a digital presentation on the big screen with artist Wendy Sharpe at 2.30pm.

In recognition of the cultural impact of Edward Said's book Orientalism (1968), Elsewhere asks, "how can artists represent the experience of travel without 'othering' the places and people they encounter?"

As a result, all of the artworks forming Elsewhere are based on the idea of slow looking and careful listening.

They acknowledge that the artists are visitors, often viewing across language barriers, and that patience is the key to dialogue.

As a group of young Iranian art students said while Wendy Sharpe drew their portraits on a silk scroll, "we can talk through drawing".

Unique to Tamworth, the exhibition also includes remarkable fashion items collected and worn by the artists, including Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery with striped Syrian silks, central Asian ikat dyes, the vernacular hand-embroidery of Siwa Oasis in Egypt, and a resplendent sequinned jacket from Iran.

Wendy Sharpe is an Archibald Prize winner and former Official War Artist who also served on the Council of the Australian War Memorial.

Bernard Ollis is a highly regarded artist and former Director of the National Art School in Sydney.

In addition to their well-established careers as visual artists, both are well-known for their extensive travels and humanitarian work.

Dr Sam Bowker is a lecturer at Charles Sturt University and is the exhibition curator of Elsewhere.

Bridget Guthrie is the Art Gallery and Museums Director at Tamworth Regional Council