Matrimony
The Bishop's Parlour
The Abbotsford Convent
January / February 2025
Matrimony—a solo exhibition by Josephine Mead—was originally curated by Dr Miriam La Rosa and conceived at Walker Street Gallery & Art Centre (Dandenong) in 2024. The exhibition was restaged in the Bishop's Parlour at the Abbotsford Convent as part of MIDSUMMA Festival in 2025.
In Matrimony, multi-disciplinary artist Josephine Mead explores the meaning of ritual, union and love from a queer and feminist perspective. The exhibition showcases multiple paintings of the artist's bridal bouquet, placed in pews, and installed as “spectators” in the gallery. It also includes a lone sculpture entitled Bridal Veil, which Mead has hand-crafted from thousands of brass wedding rings. Accompanying the works is an original digital sound score by Dandenong-based musicians BJ Morriszonkle and Nero Friktschn Feuerherdt. The sound score mimics an orchestra warming up, evoking a feeling of anticipation akin to wedding preparations.
For this iteration of Matrimony, artists Manisha Anjali and Ayman Kaake presented poetic readings on love at the exhibition opening. Josephine facilitated writing workshops on love at Sophia Mundi Steiner School as an outreach program associated with the exhibition, extending the long-stand relationship between the Abbotsford Convent and Sophia Mundi.
The Bishop's Parlour
The Abbotsford Convent
January / February 2025
Matrimony—a solo exhibition by Josephine Mead—was originally curated by Dr Miriam La Rosa and conceived at Walker Street Gallery & Art Centre (Dandenong) in 2024. The exhibition was restaged in the Bishop's Parlour at the Abbotsford Convent as part of MIDSUMMA Festival in 2025.
In Matrimony, multi-disciplinary artist Josephine Mead explores the meaning of ritual, union and love from a queer and feminist perspective. The exhibition showcases multiple paintings of the artist's bridal bouquet, placed in pews, and installed as “spectators” in the gallery. It also includes a lone sculpture entitled Bridal Veil, which Mead has hand-crafted from thousands of brass wedding rings. Accompanying the works is an original digital sound score by Dandenong-based musicians BJ Morriszonkle and Nero Friktschn Feuerherdt. The sound score mimics an orchestra warming up, evoking a feeling of anticipation akin to wedding preparations.
For this iteration of Matrimony, artists Manisha Anjali and Ayman Kaake presented poetic readings on love at the exhibition opening. Josephine facilitated writing workshops on love at Sophia Mundi Steiner School as an outreach program associated with the exhibition, extending the long-stand relationship between the Abbotsford Convent and Sophia Mundi.
Documentation courtesy of Ryley Clarke.
