Guns to Roses brings together artworks from the MRAG Collection, and selected works on loan, that illustrate how artists respond to the precariousness of our times; the fragility of life as impacted by war, political unrest and climate change, and the consciousness of our own mortality. Within this exhibition we find symbols of weaponry transformed into visually seductive motifs, the daily news transformed into a ten metre long scroll and the beauty of our native flora used as a disguise to impart a much deeper message. The central element of this exhibition, drawn from the MRAG Collection, is the installation Gun no. 1, that sees paper weapons transformed into vibrantly coloured rosettes. This work created by Chinese artist Li Hongbo reflects the Chinese saying that ‘life is as fragile as paper’.

Maitland Regional Art Gallery
https://mrag.org.au/whats-on/from-guns-to-roses-from-the-maitland-regional-art-gallery-collection/