Walter Marsh
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Walter is a writer and editor living on Kaurna Country.
AGSA sets reopening date, extends Adelaide Biennial
Saul Steed
Installation view: 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres featuring Tales of Enchantment by Judith Wright, Art Gallery of South Australia, AdelaideThe Art Gallery of South Australia has confirmed it will reopen in June in line with the second stage of South Australia’s unwinding of COVID-19 restrictions, making it the first major gallery in Australia to set a reopening date.
Update 26/5: In light of the state government bringing forward its timeline of relaxed restrictions, AGSA will now reopen from 5 June.
Announced this morning, director Rhana Devenport explained that AGSA will reopen from 8 June, with as-yet-unspecified restrictions on capacity and a renewed emphasis on physical distancing and hygiene measures within the gallery space.
“While attendances will be diligently monitored and the safety guidelines outlined by Government adhered to, we are so pleased to welcome a limited capacity of visitors back into the Gallery, reopening windows to other worlds through art,” Devenport said.
In addition to the reopening, Devenport confirmed that AGSA’s 2020 Adelaide Biennial, which had its original season essentially halved when the gallery was forced to close in mid-March, will be extended by to Sunday 2 August. The exhibition’s original run was slated to conclude on 8 June – the new date of reopening.
Saul Steed
Vistitation to AGSA’s Elder Wing will also resume from 8 June“We are delighted to extend the life of the 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres. Visitors are welcomed back into the arena to experience the re-emerged monsters of our time in this prescient exhibition,” Devenport says.
From Monday South Australia entered the first stage of post-COVID reopening, with intrastate travel resuming and cafes and restaurants permitted to offer limited outdoor dining options once more. Other museums and galleries in South Australia are also likely to tentatively reopen from 8 June, which will also see cinemas and theatres, beauty salons, gyms and seated dining resume, along with limits on gatherings lifted from 10 people to 20.
As of Tuesday 26 May there have been a total of 440 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Australia, with one active cases in the state. Of that tally, 435 people have officially been cleared of the virus, with over 90,000 tests undertaken. Readers are advised to consult SA Health’s website for the latest information.
Read the state government’s COVID-19 recovery plan here
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