The celebration of our August Showcase was our biggest yet with over 150 of our community gathered in the gallery spaces to open 'A Social Object.' and '[our] coming of age'. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came to explore the exhibitions and support our artists.
The celebration of our August Showcase was our biggest yet with over 150 of our community gathered in the gallery spaces to open 'A Social Object.' and '[our] coming of age'. Bar Wunder brought their bratwurst goodness on site and shared their delicious menu ahead of doors opening at their new bar located at 424 Ruthven St. If you can't find us at the studio, you know where we will be (did we mention its dog friendly?)!
'A Social Object.' is a collaborative exhibition by Australian artists, Ellie Farrington, Grace Dewar, Kirsty Lee, Laurie Oxenford, Peta Berghofer, Rianna Hollsten-Provenzano and Theresa Hall. This body of work positions the artist collective as a shared resource to provoke a new point of departure for art making.
Within the parameters of their individual and combined practices, each artist developed new work in a visceral response to The Object; a 25 x 15m white drape. Culminating in a series of sculptures, digital works and installations, A Social Object. is a site-specific exchange that explores how we connect through artforms and social spaces.
Symbolically, The Object cannot physically be manoeuvred nor experienced in its entirety without collective interaction. With this is mind, throughout all stages of the project, 'A Social Object.' invited collaboration. Art production was limited to a six week period, which defined social spaces imperative for idea sharing and process development. This format directed a shared perspective of The Object and fostered ideals of symbolic interactionism and the common good. This, in turn, has blurred boundaries between practices and reframed the role of participants as both artist, observer and curator.
'[our] coming of age' is the debut solo exhibition of Australian movement artist and videographer Kirsty Lee. With a collection of new digital works, Lee forays into the world of video art with an installation that challenges our understanding of storytelling.
Imbued with colour, speed, repetition, and form, '[our] coming of age' is a visual ode commenting on the nature of change; as seventeen years of motherhood transitions with her sons coming of age, and in turn, her own. This project serves as a vehicle to human experience in which Lee curates gesture, emotion, experience and form in such a way to digest the grief and celebration surrounding this passage of time.
In '[our] coming of age', Lee layers real and imagined visuals to harness a sense of wonder. Through raw and vulnerable ambiguity, she shapes both her own narrative, while inviting the viewer to position themselves with in it. Her personal and deeply connective films contextualised a spectrum of emotion connected subtly and authentically by her suspended installation.
Our gallery spaces were completely transformed by the immersive and dynamic installation of both exhibitions, in which contributing artists carefully considered the new perspectives they were offering. In doing so, those in the space could get even closer to the work and delve into new creative experiences.
