What brings you joy? Is it your morning coffee on the way to work, sitting outside on a blue-sky day, or the nostaligia from watching a movie from your childhood? That's what the Immigration Museum wants to find out with its latest exhibition Joy, which is all about leaning into what makes us happy and of course, joyful.
Joy is an emotive adventure where creativity, colour and storytelling join forces to take you on a transformative journey. Each of the seven installations come from a different creative, carrying their own interpretation of the meaning of joy. Discover what brings warmth and happiness to each of these artists below.
For Venezuelan-born Australian artist Nadia Hernández, joy revolves around the day-to-day pleasures of culture, food and music. Her installation is made up of bold cut-out vignettes celebrating the daily moments of life, otherwise known in Spanish as 'cotidianidad' or everydayness.
Strike a pose and strut down a runway of colour and light in Spencer Harrison's installation about celebrating who you are. As a queer artist himself, Harrrison wants to showcase the joy that comes from shining as you are.
Ignite your imagination with the Joy Generator, a fusion of colour, technology and augmented reality. Created by globally renowned and future-positive fashion designer Nixi Killick, discover your own hidden joy by playing with colour and thinking outside of the box in this dream-like installation.
Simurgh is a Persian mythical bird that is said to have seen the destruction of the world three times over. The bird is a popular symbol in Eastern literature and works of art, similar to that of the phoenix rising from the ashes. Afghanistan-Australian visual artist and poet Elyas Alavi and Sher Ali portray the Simurgh in their large-scale mural installation — symbolising the resilience, strength and joy of being connected.
Callum Preston never thought he would miss video stores until he realised they were gone. For those who were lucky enough to grow up in the era of renting movies and TV shows on VHS or later, on DVD — you'll love the nostaligia trip from Preston's full-scale replica of a 1990s video store. A 'joy' that he took for granted until years later.
While you sit comfortably in Jazz Money's installation depicting a mural of the Birrarung (or Yarra River), what unfolds is a soundscape of laughter and singing. It may come as a surprise to find out that the Birrarung was once a fresh running river with a waterfall before colonisation. For Money, joy is the domestic space of caring, gathering and sharing — something that would have occured many years ago on the Birrarung.
For Beci Orpin, joy comes from early childhood memories of playing with her toys. Bunny Dearest is a giant soft-toy rabbit, who has been designed to be hugged. Orpin hopes this intallation will transport you back in time to your own childhood and childlike joy.
Tickets for Joy are free for children, and $15 for adults. To find out more about this heart-warming exhibition and to buy tickets, head to the Immigration Museum website.