Elephant in the Room - a curated group exhibition

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Animal Welfare League fundraising exhibition 4 to 29 November 2014

Elephant in the Room a curated group exhibition in support of the Animal Welfare League NSW 4 to 29 November 2014

A portion of the sales in this exhibition, depicting critters, creatures and canines, will directly benefit the Animal Welfare League NSW. The Gallery will donate 20% of each sale to the AWL to support them in caring for surrendered, neglected and abandoned animals. AWL has been in operation for over 50 years and maintains two shelters, a veterinary clinic and twelve branches of volunteers and we are delighted to be able to support them.

Artists include Sybil Curtis, Amanda Davies, Todd Fuller, Jody Graham, Claude Jones, Irianna Kanellopoulou, Waratah Lahy, Helen Mueller, Mylyn Nguyen, Uracha Oliver, Janet Parker-Smith, Patsy Payne, Hanna Tai, Lezlie Tilley, Peter Tilley, and Nicole Welch.

Sybil Curtis, ‘The Dog in the Room’ 2014, oil on linen, 35 x 35cm

Sybil Curtis Artist Biography Receiving a Bachelor of Science from the University of Queensland in 1967, Sybil Curtis’ artistic career began in the 1980’s, influenced by her experience with scientific illustration. Her architectural paintings employ mining and industrial subject matter, finding beauty within and giving warmth and personality to these areas of construction. Curtis’ paintings are held in numerous collections, including those of the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane City Hall Art Gallery & Museum, Ipswich City Council Regional Art Gallery, Redcliffe City Council, Gladstone Regional Art Gallery, Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Technology Sydney Collection, as well as private and corporate collections in Australia and New Zealand.

Amanda Davies, ‘Devil Dog’ 2013 oil on linen, 30 x 30cm

Amanda Davies, ‘Devil Woman’ 2013 oil on linen, 45 x 60cm

Amanda Davies (courtesy of Bett Gallery, Hobart) Artist Statement ‘Devil Woman’ and ‘Devil Dog’ were painted to raise awareness of the iconic Tasmanian devil, which is endangered by the tragedy of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease. I live on the Tasman peninsula, which is geographically isolated from mainland Tasmania and has low numbers of diseased devils. It is anticipated that a protected wild healthy devil population can be established on the Tasman, as well as other key sites in Tasmania and abroad, in an effort to conserve this animal’s future.

Todd Fuller, ‘Burrow’ 2010, hand drawn film - 3:49mins, edition of 10

Todd Fuller Artist Biography Todd Fuller is a 26-year-old graduate of Sydney’s National Art School. His practice integrates sculpture, animation, drawing, performance and painting to construct narratives drawn from his personal history. Fuller has exhibited across the country at venues including Canberra’s National Portraiture Gallery and Deakin University. He has also exhibited in New York, Rome, Seoul and Nottingham and has undertaken a residency to the Cite International des Arts in Paris. Fuller was awarded an honourable mention at the 15th Asian Art Biennale. In 2013, he was appointed Art Fellow at Sydney Grammar School and in the same year was awarded the William Fletcher Traveling Fellowship to the British School at Rome.

Ashleigh Garwood, ‘The Threshold #1’ 2011 silver gelatin lith print - unique, 50 x 40cm

Ashleigh Garwood, ‘The Threshold #2’ 2011 silver gelatin lith print - unique, 50 x 40cm

Ashleigh Garwood Artist Biography Ashleigh Garwood is a photographic artist working primailry in silver gelatin. She is interested in analogue and alternative photographic processes and has exhibited at The National Portrait Gallery, Dresden Public Art View, Firstdraft and Perth Center of Photography.

Jody Graham, ‘Hyena’ 2013, ink, acrylic, pastel and charcoal on paper, 76 x 56cm

Jody Graham Artist Statement ‘Hyena’ is a work inspired by my trip to South Africa in June 2012 where I joined a group of artists on safari. The negative reputation this species has in Western culture initially stirred my interest and opened up another area of creative inquiry that included wild animals. In the hyena I saw a highly efficient, powerful animal that exhibited similar complex pack behaviour that we can observe in our own society. Its finely tuned instincts, magnificent form and unpredictable nature made them one of my favourite wild animals to observe on this trip.

Claude Jones, ‘Corpus Coop’ 2013 ceramic bisque, hennequen, glass eyes 65 x 25 x 15cm

Claude Jones, ‘Fowl Play’ 2013 glazed ceramic, epoxy clay, hennequen, cane, acrylic varnish, 104 x 66 x 24cm

Claude Jones, ‘Bent on Destruction’ 2013 glazed ceramic, epoxy clay, acrylic, varnish dimensions variable

Claude Jones (courtesy of Artereal Gallery, Sydney) Artist Statement My art is inspired by a strong conviction in the need to reassess our relationship with animals, to consider their sentience and to approach more ethical ways of treating them. To this end my work is focused on the creation of chimeric and anthropomorphized sculptural and 2D works that critique various modes of animal exploitation.

Our childhood love of animals is endorsed in illustrated children’s books, movies, stories, toys and domestic pets, yet whilst our warm affection for animals is fostered, our taste for animal products is simultaneously cultivated.

My recent work explores the idea of a child’s loss of innocence in relation to the animal world – the moments when it becomes acceptable to commit violent acts on those we love. Children can be seen as both victimisers and victims - growing up in a culture that condones the entrapment, torture and killing of the very same animals they adore.

Whilst the subject matter may seem disturbing, I employ narrative ambiguity, soft colours and decorative elements that belie the sinister narrative content of the work. – in the same way that the sordid underbelly of ‘legitimate’ mistreatment and exploitation of animals is repressed and sugarcoated.

Irianna Kanellopoulou ‘Big day out’ 2014 ceramic, glazes, 9 x 9 x 6cm

Irianna Kanellopoulou ‘Wild Rider’ 2014 ceramic, glazes, 8 x 13 x 4cm

Irianna Kanellopoulou ‘Jungle Boogie’ 2014 ceramic, glazes, 17 x 8 x 6cm

Irianna Kanellopoulou Artist Statement My work is strongly character-driven, deliberately shifting relationships between human and animal qualities while drifting in and out of an augmented reality. Different characters and personalities are captured in a fleeting moment to reveal a network of masked identities, fragmented conversations and hidden emotions. Focusing on the micro the work draws our attention to the small details which are often overlooked.

This microcosmos highlights the transformation and personification of such images as a means of making sense of our surroundings and projects a narrative of a surreal and superior reality; a super reality.

Waratah Lahy, ‘Boxed (Bears)’, ‘Boxed (People)’, ‘Boxed (Turtles)’, ‘Boxed (Snakes)’, ‘Boxed (Mountain Goats)’, Boxed (Spider)’, 2014, oil on linen

Waratah Lahy Artist Biography Canberra-based artist Waratah Lahy’s works are concerned with the overlooked moments of the everyday and iconic cultural obsessions. In 2007 she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Visual Arts) at the Australian National University, Canberra.

Obtaining the ANU University medal for her first class Honours Bachelor of Arts degree, Lahy has since undergone residencies at the Citee Internationale des Arts in Paris, awarded by the Australia Council for the Arts (2012), Megalo Print Studio (2011) and Schloss Haldenstein in Haldenstein, Switzerland (2005). Lahy also participated in an exchange to the Faculty of Fine Arts at Chiang Mai University in Thailand (1997).

Helen Mueller, ‘Potted Herring’ 2014, etching and woodcut - triptych, 20 x 15cm each

Helen Mueller Artist Statement Where have all the herrings gone? They are disappearing from the sea into our pots and from our pots into oblivion. (www.sustainableseafood.org.au)

Mylyn Nguyen, ‘The Great Escape’ 2013, water + ink on paper, fibre, plastic film + acrylic - timber box, 25.5 x 39 x 29cm variable

Mylyn Nguyen Artist Statement Bryant Street is where I do not remember. It is where I was the star of many portraits in front of flowers, cars and apples. It is also where I was new, unknowing and unknown.

Acacia Street is where I waited for the alien space ship to pick me up. It is where my brother stuck the end of a pen up his nose and we had to go to the doctors to pull it out; he got a lolly and I didn’t. It is also where I noticed I had a nose.

Baradine Drive is where robots regularly visited me and threw enormous tomatoes at the house. It is where I ruled with an iron fist as cardboard box castle queen. It is also where my failed attempts at the ideal ladybug portable enclosure ended up in escapees or death.

Sutherland Place is where I wished I had an imaginary friend. It is where I caught mice in the garden. It is also where I thought baby mosquitoes were water fairies.

Derby Road is where I turned 16 and didn’t get my magical powers. It is where I noticed I was Asian and so were many others. It is also where I loved maths and grid paper.

Lancaster Avenue is where I covered my room with a thousand paper cranes. It is where I found out I loved chocolate covered cheesecake and Japan. It is also where my imaginary friend was born.

Botany Road is where I had nothing but cartwheels. It is where my bookshelf is more like a wall of knick, knacks and frivolousness. It is also where I miss freshly mowed grass, trees and bees.

Uracha Oliver, ‘A picture of brave cat in the city without soul’

Uracha Oliver, ‘Picture of three cats lost at Bent Street, Sydney’

Uracha Oliver Artist Statement I rescue cats, I foster them then leaving me for new homes. They are happy-sad stories..so I draw after work, next to my foster cats, they helped to me choose my colours and just being there happy to chat along... I am a cat now..

Janet Parker-Smith, ‘Autonomous Beings’ 2014 collage, 28 x 38cm

Janet Parker-Smith, ‘Supreme Ranking’ 2014 collage, 28 x 38cm

Janet Parker-Smith Artist Statement These works are representative of human and nature and their boundless capacity for re-invention and rejuvenation. ‘The curios’ are evidence of a mutation that may provide advantageous new traits that could survive or they may bring adverse effects on our environment.

Patsy Payne, Elephant in the Room’ 2014, laser cut corten steel , edition of 3, 180 x 115 x 3cm

Patsy Payne Artist Statement The shadow of a figure bending over reminded me of a swaying elephant.

Hanna Tai, ‘Come to Me’ 2014, single channel video, no sound - 5:06mins, edition of 8

Hanna Tai Artist Statement ‘Come to Me’ is a silent video shot on my mobile phone of animals coming towards me. I hold out my hand and hope they will trust me.

Lezlie Tilley, ‘Elephant #3’ 2014, digital print on cotton paper, 29.5 x 21cm (flat)

Lezlie Tilley Artist Biography Lezlie Tilley has studied at the National Art School (formerly East Sydney Technical College) in Sydney and Newcastle School of Art & Design, where she completed a BA in visual arts in 1983. Since then Tilley has exhibited in a multitude of group exhibitions and numerous solo exhibitions, the majority of which have been with Brenda May Gallery (formerly Access Contemporary Art Gallery). Tilley has also had solo shows at Nick Mitzevich Gallery, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, and PODspace Gallery in Newcastle.

From 2000 - 2001, Lezlie Tilley’s collaborative exhibition with Peter Tilley, ‘Parallel & Crossovers: An Artistic Relationship’, curated by Anthony Boyd, toured New South Wales. This exhibition was on view at Maitland City Art Gallery, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, Manning Regional Art Gallery, New England Region Art Museum, Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery and Access Contemporary Art Gallery. Tilley’s work is held in the collections of Artbank, Warrnambool Art Gallery in Victoria, Maitland City Art Gallery in New South Wales and Newcastle Region Art Gallery in New South Wales, among many other public, corporate and private collections. Tilley has received numerous awards, prizes and scholarships for her work since 1967, most recently winning the Gosford Art Prize in 2012.

Peter Tilley, ‘Coming Home’ 2014, cast bronze - unique, 21 x 21 x 12cm

Peter Tilley Artist Biography After studying Ceramics (1973-75) and receiving a Certificate of Art (1978-79) from Newcastle School of Art & Design, Peter Tilley completed a Master of Philosophy (Fine Art) at Newcastle University (2008-10). He has had over thirty solo exhibitions, including a collaborative venture with Lezlie Tilley titled ‘Parallel & Crossovers: An Artistic Relationship’. Curated by Anthony Boyd, this exhibition toured New South Wales from 2000 - 2001. It was on view at Maitland City Art Gallery, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, Manning Regional Art Gallery, New England Region Art Museum, Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery and Access Contemporary Art Gallery (Brenda May Gallery’s former incarnation).

2014 marks Tilley’s tenth year as an exhibitor in Sculpture by the Sea, his pensive figures becoming an iconic feature of this annual event. He is represented in a multitude of collections including those of Arts ACT, Artbank, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Regional Art Gallery, Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery, Maitland City Art Gallery and Muswellbrook Regional Gallery among others. Tilley’s work is also in private collections in Denmark and across Australia.

Nicole Welch, ‘Apparitions #6 - Projection Le Kangaroo me change, 1869’ 2014, pigment ink, face-mounted, edition of 6, 80 x 80cm

Nicole Welch Artist Statement ‘Apparitions #6 - Projection ‘Le Kangaroo me charge, 1869’, is a photographic record of a media installation at Wallaby Rocks made during an artists’ residency at Hill End in 2014. The projected image is an illustration extracted from the French book Australie : voyage autour de monde by De Beauvoir, published 1869. An early equivalent of a Lonely Planet guide for the 1860s it represented a surge in interest in the ‘New World’ of Australia. A heroic image of conquest, ‘Le Kangaroo me charge’ projected onto the escarpment of Wallaby Rocks fixes time, encapsulating the past and present, both simultaneously active and representative of the layers of historical strata embedded in the landscape. The slaughter and removal from landscapes of an iconic species, a continuing thread through time, with historical notions of abundance now but a myth that underpins a continuing subjugation of country.

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