Zombie Eaters paintings exhibition and talks launched at MAMA in June

Launched on Friday night, the gallery's Winter exhibition Zombie Eaters is a celebration of contemporary and late 20th Century Australian painting, said curator Michael Moran.

"Despite the name this is an old fashioned painting show," he said.

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"Painting, for years and years - decades - has been thought of as the boss of the arts, it's bigger than sculpture, it's more important than photography.

"And nonetheless people still suggest that painting's over, painting's dead, painting's died.

"But it never dies, which is where the idea of a zombie comes from: it just never dies, it walks and walk and walks forever and refuses to die."

Mr Moran said the show looked to take that idea further to suggest at something more powerful than a zombie. "That's the zombie eaters," he said.

"This group are the zombie eaters, they're the ones that are more powerful than your regular zombies and they make sure that paintings live forever."

The exhibition comprises over 40 works, drawn from the MAMA's collection, institutional and private collections and from artists' studios.

Mr Moran said there was a focus on four artists - Archilbald winner Fiona Lowry (pictured), Australian Chilean artist Juandavila, "exciting" youngster Hamishi Farrah, and Mangoplah artist Kate Smith - in the show.

"Which is good because in the sprawlingness it gives you something to hang on to," he said.

"But then amongst them there's roughly 30 other artists work as well and they cover a range from hyper real works and still life works and beautiful floral arrangements, but then through to contemporary surrealism.

"It does cover a lot of ground."

On Wednesdays between 12 to 12.30pm from June 22, a member of museum staff will offer a free 'Lunchtime Talk', which is an introduction and personal insight into two selected paintings and invite audience questions, interpretation and open discussion.

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