Roman Spectres
Ghostly remnants of the Roman world
The stone, marble and ceramic remnants of ancient Rome reveal the stories of the people of the thriving multicultural empire.
The broken and incomplete remains of the ancient world are the ghosts of lives lived thousands of years ago. The beautifully carved sculptures, fragile ceramics, and intricate mosaics that adorned Roman homes, temples and streets are now headless figures, hollow-eyed faces, or fragments encrusted with the earth or sea that swallowed them millennia ago. In this exhibition, 2000-year-old marble portraits encircle the headless statue of an unknown Roman man. A columbarium inspired façade is filled with memorials to faceless people mourned by those they left behind.
A detailed model of Pompeii constructed entirely from LEGO explores the ancient city throughout three time periods: life in the ancient city, the history of archaeological discovery at Pompeii and and the pop culture reception of the story of Pompeii.
From names and faces recorded in stone to a contemporary reconstruction of an ancient city, this exhibition reanimates life in the vibrant Roman world.
Curator
Candace Richards
Designer
Studioplusthree
Exhibition Manager
Luke Parker
In December 2024, Roman Spectres was updated to include Stephen Ralph's artwork The Other Woman. This piece is made up of four marble heads, each one a copy taken from a plaster carving. The artwork sits alongside the 2000-year-old marble portraits, a subtle intervention that, in the words of the artist recognises "the continuity of artmaking, from ancient times to now...."
The Other Woman 2024
Chillagoe marble, concrete plinth
courtesy of the artist and The Commercial, Sydney
Open seven days a week
Mon - Fri: 10am - 5pm
Sat - Sun: 12 - 4pm
Please note: The Chau Chak Wing Museum is closed from 5pm Friday 20 December 2024 and will reopen at 10am Tuesday 7 January, 2025.
Ongoing exhibition
Nicholson Galleries, Level 2
Chau Chak Wing Museum
Free
'Roman Spectres' (installation view), Chau Chak Wing Museum, 2024. Photo by: Stefanie Zingsheim.
50
automatic
Link
'Roman Spectres' (installation view), Chau Chak Wing Museum, 2024. Photo by: Stefanie Zingsheim.
50
automatic
Link
'Roman Spectres' (installation view), Chau Chak Wing Museum, 2024. Photo by: Stefanie Zingsheim.
50
automatic
Link
Header image by Stefanie Zingsheim
Phone: +61 2 93512812
Email: ccwm.info@sydney.edu.au
Chau Chak Wing Museum
University Place
Camperdown NSW 2050
