Experience macabre Kelly diorama at Benalla Art Gallery

AN installation by artist Jacqui Stockdale, from a body of work called The Long Shot (2020) which uses the Kelly story to revisit and redress dominant narratives of Australian colonial folklore, is drawing visitors to the Benalla Art Gallery. Artist Jacqui Stockdale – who was raised in Benalla before moving to Wangaratta in her teens to study art – regularly engages cultural identity, folklore narratives, masquerade and anthropological complexities in her practise – all evident in The Outlaws' Inn; a life size diorama first shown as part of The Long Shot at Linden New Art, developed further for the local audience. The installation evokes the feeling of entering The Ann Jones Inn, Glenrowan, and was described by Linden New Art Curator Juliette Hanson as "a macabre party of the in–laws and outlaws that surrounded the Kelly family...This highly theatrical scene is laced with a dark humour and Stockdale invites us to sit with Ma Kelly to watch this grisly, animated life–size diorama". Jacqui speaks of an intention to create an environment where visitors "feel privy to a siege, a wake, or a bushranger's family reunion". While The Ann Jones Inn no longer stands, it was famously the site at which the Kelly Gang 'imprisoned' 62 locals without resistance. As the hours passed waiting for the constabulary's train, the gang are believed to have insisted on drinks being poured, and for everyone to enjoy music, singing and dancing. The Outlaws' Inn is also inspired by what the artist fondly describes as "the most bizarre place", The Glenrowan Tourist Centre. Having made numerous research trips, Jacqui acknowledges the support of the owners who generously spent time showing her through the animatronic attraction, including behind–the–scenes sections. The artwork's soundtrack includes the sounds of singing, dancing, laughing, horses in the distance, and a corroboree, with Jacqui having consulted with Pangerang Elder, Uncle Freddie, about Indigenous histories connected to the story. Jacqui now lives and works from Melbourne and is well known for her staged theatrical portrait photography, figurative paintings and drawings, and surreal collage work. More recent works such as The Outlaws' Inn explore animated life–size assemblages, haunting soundscapes, and vaudeville performance. Jacqui Stockdale: The Outlaws' Inn has been presented as part of the Benalla Festival and runs until January 29.

Experience macabre Kelly diorama at Benalla Art Gallery

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