The First Coat Studios June Showcase featured two energetic, memorable exhibitions; 'Hotbox Healing (and Servo Sunsets' by David Usher and Ian McCallum and debut solo show, 'Generasian' by emerging artist Jennifer Spalding.
Our June Exhibitions saw ‘Hot-Box Healing (and Servo Sunsets)’, the third exhibition by serial collaborators, David Usher & Ian McCallum taking over the Main Gallery. A homage to the great Australian road trip, this show explored the wonders of the service station as golden beacons of hope and healing.
This series of large format paintings use a mixture of mark making and metallic paint to pay tribute to the phenomenon of the ‘Hot Box’. Inspired by hand-painted menus and their DIY add ons, ‘Hot-Box Healing (and Servo Sunsets)’ celebrates Australian service stations as unadopted monuments of our time.
Varying from their previous creative collisions, in ‘Hot-Box Healing (and Servo Sunsets)’ Usher revisits his earlier illustrative approach and hand style typography. Combined with McCallum’s signature block lettering and social commentary, each piece is centred by the illusive bain-marie and it’s medicinal magic.
'Generasian’ was the debut solo exhibition by emerging artist, Jennifer Spalding, featured in the Project Space alongside 'Hotbox Healing'. This collection of paintings are expressions of how she adapts to, as well as questions, the stereotypes and expectations of Thai and Australian cultures in everyday life. Through colour, illustration and gesture she considers how her identity is constructed by these ideas.
Recently Spalding spent three months living with her mother in Thailand, which initiated a new curiosity about personal, everyday experiences. After returning to Australia, she found it challenging to readjust to the cultural differences and began comparing the two lifestyles. In Thailand, a simple necessity like water was at times limited, whereas in Australia it’s available at the turn of a tap. Things like food and transport seemed to be a luxury. It was out of these comparisons and associated feelings, such as guilt, that her current ideas stirred and developed.
As an extension of these observations, Spalding began to question her place in the world and the ‘why’ behind the everyday habits of our society. This lead to her carefully considering trend culture, consumerism, convenience and simple intention, expressed through spray painting, illustrative mark-making, painting and digital design.
We celebrated the opening of our June Showcase on the 22nd of June, which featured a number hotbox treaties from 'Dickie's Delicacies' including our favourite classics, Chiko Rolls, Potato Scallops and much, much more. A big thanks to Stephen Denham who spent the night playing the classic servo attendant behind the bain-marie.
Image by studio friend Delong Lin.
