Trio of new exhibitions open at Mona

Smell the lava. Feel the tremors. Marvel at Christian icons. Check out some tin cans. All will be revealed at Mona.

Hrafntinna (Obsidian) 2021, Jonsi. Picture: Mona/Jesse Hunniford

From 600 year old Christian icons to a volcanic sensory installation created by an Icelandic rock star.

Berridale’s Museum of Old and New Art lives up to its name with three new exhibitions opening this weekend.

Heavenly Beings is an exhibition of over 140 devotional objects depicting saints, virgins and other Christian holy subjects.

It’s the largest such collection to be shown in Australia and will only be on at Mona.

It’s also the first time Mona has hosted an exhibition of purely old stuff.

Senior research curator Jane Clark said the objects dated from the late 14th century to around 1900, with most originating from the 17th and 18th centuries.

“An exhibition that is all old art from the time of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Monet, right through those centuries, was very dear to my heart,” Ms Clark said.

“It dovetails really well with Mona’s interest in what we all have in common, so that however rich and varied cultures are, fundamentally we are all underlyingly the same. We want to believe in something, we think some objects are special and others are not. We value tradition and history and probably most human beings wonder what life means, what lies beyond this earth.”

“I’m not a religions person but I’m absolutely fascinated by what they show us.”

Jane Clark, Mona curator. Picture: Mona/Jesse Hunniford

At the other end of the time scale is Jean-Luc Moulène and Teams’ work which features contemporary sculptures made of wax, metal, sandstone, timber and bone.

There’s also Stacks of coloured cans and a large video projection.

The work was five years in the making and created specifically for Mona.

Errata, Ecatepec, Mexico, 2002-2013, Jean-Luc Moulene. Picture: Mona/Jesse Hunniford

Hrafntinna (Obsidian) by Jónsi is a sensory simulation of a volcano including about 200 wall-mounted speakers, and a dark room lit by a chandelier.

A member of Icelandic experimental rock band Sigur Ros, Jónsi was inspired to make the work when he was stuck in the USA during Covid.

This caused him to miss the spectacular eruption of Fagradalsfjall volcano in March 2021, so he wished to recreate the experience through an artwork.

Visitors to Hrafntinna (Obsidian) are greeted by a the smell of fossilised amber.

During the experience visitors can feel volcanic tremors through a vibrating seat and hear a soundscape of choral hymns, lava hissing and rocks grinding.

Hrafntinna (Obsidian) 2021, Jonsi. Picture: Mona/Jesse Hunniford

Curator Sarah Wallace, who worked on the installation, said the work was a bodily experience.

“It speaks to every sense,” she said.

Director of Curatorial Affairs Jarrod Rawlins said the launch of the new exhibitions was a big occasion for Mona.

“A couple of years ago we launched three exhibitions together and said we’d never do it again, so it’s exciting to do it again,” he said.

“We can’t help ourselves and our fascination for presenting excellent art from all over the world allows us to make bad decisions that end up being great,”