COLLECTORS - An excerpt from the collection of Jeff Hinch

COLLECTORS An excerpt from the private collection of Jeff Hinch 17 June to 12 July 2014

Jeff Hinch at the exhibition opening 18 June 2014

COLLECTORS An excerpt from the private collection of Jeff Hinch 17 June to 12 July 2014

“I could not imagine living in a house with blank walls... my collection is how I can express myself, it is a representation of who I am.”

- Jeff Hinch, 2013

Artwork by Joel Bliss, Robert Boynes, Will Coles, Fiona Fenech, Sarah Field, Todd Fuller, James Guppy, Carol Murphy, Anne Ross, Amanda Schulz, Marc Standing, Kylie Stillman and Lezlie Tilley.

Interview with Jeff Hinch WHAT IS YOUR MOST RECENT ACQUISITION? An Amanda Stuart mummified dog - which guards the entrance to my apartment.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU RE-HANG YOUR COLLECTION ?

WHAT SPARKS THE NEED TO SHAKE THINGS UP? I try and have a seasonal re-hang. Therefore, at least twice a year I will organise a huge re-hang to coincide with the changing of the seasons. Re-hanging forces you to view an old favourite from a different angle, or room. And you are always constantly surprised as to how much you had been missing.

ARE THERE ANY THEMES OR IDEAS THAT REOCCUR THROUGHOUT YOUR COLLECTION? There are a few stable ideas that seem to interplay with my collecting so far. One of the primary ideas is a simple but very firm connection to my subconscious and how it reacts to a certain subject matter. One of the most recent themes to surface, was my immediate response to art as anti-art or everyday objects with a subtle twist or sometimes not so subtle, that is, where art assumes it’s place within our lives in the most innocent or disguised ways, almost as a tease to see if you are paying attention. From as innocently as a tea cup and saucer with hand made chocolates made of human hair, I like the idea of it being allowed to become subversive, to disguise itself and to play tricks.

YOU SEEM NOT TO BE AFRAID OF CHALLENGING SUBJECT MATTER, WHAT TYPE OF IMAGERY DO YOU ENJOY LIVING WITH ?

Anything that’s tough, would probably be the most direct answer. For me art and all imagery has to have a sense of self.

It has to have enough substance to be able to challenge, make uncomfortable and question our opinions on sometimes quite touchy subjects. And at other times just have the presence to exist as what it is, a beautiful image. I do see a clear direction

coming into my work now that is very reflective of my current thoughts on human interaction and how it has lost that personal touch, I am finding myself drawn to imagery of unconnected people, almost mad like which I am finding rather exciting.

Perhaps that’s just maybe an internalisation, but I find most human interaction puerile, information has lost its relevance, and with the meteoric rise and impact of social media,we have lost truly how to connect with people, more often when you observe a conversation, it’s just a group of people waiting patiently, sometimes not even managing that, waiting to say their piece, whether it has relevance to the discourse or not.

WE ALL HAVE “THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY”, IS THERE A PARTICULAR ARTWORK THAT YOU WOULD SNAP UP IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE AGAIN? There have been a few that I have missed out on by usually indecision, but one piece that I would definitely purchase if it came up for sale would be ‘pretty in pink’, a down syndrome child in pink jumpsuit. An amazing portrait, a tough subject, and yet she is so abundantly happy. A perfect combination.

THROUGHOUT YOUR YEARS OF COLLECTING, HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR “STYLE” CHANGE, ALTER OR EVOLVE? My taste, style and therefore art pieces have evolved over my time of collecting for sure. I am still drawn to the quirkier, darker, tougher pieces as I always will be, but as mentioned previously, there are always times of calm either in your personal life or psyche, and it’s those moments, when you suddenly realise that you managed to successfully stop thinking, that I often find myself staring at one of my more tranquil pieces. As I believe my collection and the process of ‘pulling’ it together so to speak, represents a very subconscious dialogue with myself, and for anybody that buys or collects art, I am not surprised to see the collection or media change. Each piece has managed to evoke or resonate at a particular time on a particular day when unbeknownst to me I was feeling either relatively forgiving or unforgiving of myself, my surroundings or the people I found in life at the time.

Fiona Fenech ‘Inky Doll, R.I.P’ 2008 BFK paper, thread, vinyl print 29 x 38cm

Fiona Fenech ‘Inky Doll, Crouching Gremlin’ 2008 BFK paper, collage, thread, vinyl print 29 x 38cm

Fiona Fenech ‘Inky Doll. Fairy Double’ 2008 BFK paper, thread, vinyl print 29 x 38cm

Kylie Stillman, ‘Georgie’ 2012 book carving on timber wall 18.5 x 17 x 10.5cm

Lezlie Tilley, ‘410 Stridor + 83 Conformity’ 1995-98 metal + rubber on board - diptych, 61 x 120cm

Carol Murphy, ‘Doormat’ 2005 ceramic, 14.5 x 36 x 12cm

Amanda Schulz ‘Act (Mood Swing)’ 2007 porcelain, glaze, bricks, eye bolts 60 x 29 x 27cm

James Guppy, ‘Exercising Restraint #3’, ‘Exercising Restraint #2’, ‘Exercising Restraint #1’, 2002 acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30cm each

James Guppy, ‘Peeping Box #1’ 2003 acrylic on paper, timber, bevelled glass, 42.5 x 42.5 x 8cm

Marc Standing, ‘Nipper 1’ 2006 oil on linen, 120 x 120cm

Anne Ross ‘His Master’s Voice’ 2002 patinated cast bronze, hand blown glass 39 x 20 x 20cm

Todd Fuller, ‘Tethered’ 2012 white earthenware, wire, oil, pigment balloon, pva and timber 74 x 40 x 90cm

Robert Boynes, ‘News’ 2001 acrylic on canvas, 120 x 80cm

Robert Boynes, ‘Yawning Man’ 2002 acrylic on canvas, 120 x 150cm

Sarah Field, ‘A Little Bit of Death’ 2009, soap dish detail

Sarah Field ‘A Little Bit of Death’ 2009 brass shower, antique soap holder, resin, human hair, 153 x 50 x 59cm

Joel Bliss ‘Two Four’ 2011 steel, grip tape, paint 75 x 45 x 16cm

Will Coles, ‘Nothing’ 2008 arctic white resin - unique, 100 x 143 x 11cm

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