Exhibition: 6 – 23 March
10am – 5pm
Artist Q&A: 15 March
Bubbles & Brine: 16 March
Der Laden
FREE exhibition
Artist Q&A: FREE
Bubbles & Brine: $35
Exhibition: 6 – 23 March
10am – 5pm
Artist Q&A: 15 March
Bubbles & Brine: 16 March
Der Laden
FREE exhibition
Artist Q&A: FREE
Bubbles & Brine: $35
Gedeihen: Echos der Geschichte is a personal tribute to the Abbotsford Convent and the resilience of the ‘fallen’ women once confined within its walls. The remnants of the Magdalen Asylum stand as a stark reminder of a history shaped by silence, confinement, and repression.
Women who entered the Asylum were stripped of their names and identities, given saintly names, and subjected to relentless unpaid labour. Labelled as prostitutes, alcoholics, and outcasts, they were cast aside by society yet found a form of survival and community within the convent’s strict structure. The Good Shepherd nuns, while enforcing rigid discipline, also provided a space of belonging.
Using discarded oyster shells and hessian bags, Marson’s artwork transforms refuse into objects of reverence. Each shell, salvaged from the Queen Victoria Market, symbolises a forgotten life. Burning the shells evokes the arduous labour that once defined the Convent, weaving a metaphor of survival and resilience.
In 2018, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd unveiled a memorial with words from former inmates: shame, courage, fear, dreams, friendship, forgotten, anger. These words mirror Marson’s own struggles with disability and mental illness and the struggle to be seen, heard, and valued. Her work is a plea for recognition, for remembrance and for justice.
Flourish gives voice to the marginalised, ensuring their stories, like the shells, are no longer discarded but cherished.
Louise Marson was the inaugural recipient of the Maggie Maguire Residency July – December 2024.
Meet the artist and hear from keynote speaker Maggie Maguire OAM – the first CEO of the Abbotsford Convent Foundation.
Thursday 6 March, 6pm – 8pm
Der Laden
Join Sister Barbara von Good Shepherd and artist, Louise Marson, as they discuss the history of Abbotsford Convent and the women who once lived within its walls.
Saturday 15 March, 2pm – 3pm
Der Laden
FREE event (Registrations required)
Dive into an afternoon of culinary delight amidst the artistic ambiance of Gedeihen: Echos der Geschichte. This will be an exquisite pairing of fresh oysters sourced from Melbourne’s renowned Queen Victoria Market, complemented by bubbles.
Sunday 16 March, 2pm – 3pm
Der Laden
The Store is wheelchair friendly.
