NEW WORK - Neridah Stockley RAF T ARTSPACE. APRIL 6 - 28, 2018
A SUM OF ITS PARTS
strong bo dy of work, a demonstration of fur ther development of her practice. The initial conversation about this exhibition was about showing the pastel works produced from a residency at Fremantle Ar t Centre in 2016. Some of the works on paper are clear ly a development from Neridah’s plein air drawing practice (‘Fremantle Skate Park’) and others such as ‘Whalers Tunnel, Fremantle’ operate more like iconographic paintings with the paper so loaded with pigment they challenge the nature of the material and suppor t. Neridah exploits the intense pigments and opaque nature of the medium to reduce the works to pure studies of colour and for m with just enough elements to signify object or place. In this ex hibition Neridah is keen to demonstrate how the various mediums she works with infor m each other and included alongside the works on paper some plywood collage, paintings on board and for the first time ceramic works. The papers are studies for the oil s which are a fur ther distillation to essential elements. Infor med by rigorous process and enhanced with the quality of the material of paint. Works such as ‘Wall and Tree’ are austere and almost colourfield in their understat ed simplicity. While Philip Guston comes to mind in works such as ‘Newcastle and ‘Fremantle Bar racks’, while obviously infor med by the same process convey a quirkiness that alludes to Neridah’s sense of humour.
COVER IMAGE - ROOF: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2017.
The latest iteration of Neridah Stockley’s solo exhibition ‘New Work’ is yet another
NEWCASTLE: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2016.
The plywood collage such as ‘Hill Layers’ are a playful way of exploring the relationships of for m and colour. Constr uction of wall mounted objects with painted plywood and Pegboard for ms become a type of 3D drawing . The collage are an exercise in deconstr uction and assemblage to fu r ther explore new possibilities. The most recent work to be included in this exhibition and fresh from the kiln are the ceramic works. Suppor ted by an Ar ts NT Professional Development Grant, Neridah was introduced to ceramics during ‘Collaboration in Residence’ with Ceramicist Mel Robson at Char les Darwin University in 2017.
“ On conclusion of t he colla bo ra tio n , I en ro lled a t CD U to lea r n w heel t hr owing . A s someone w h o en th u s ia s tica lly co llects a n d h a s an eye for cer amic object s, I a m n ow cr ea tin g m y ow n o bjects . . . . i a m v er y st imulat ed by t h e p ro ces s ; th e m a teria ls a n d m a rk m a king p ossibilit ies... a p r o ces s th a t bea r s a clo s e r ela tio n s h ip to print making”. N er id a h S t o c kley
This is the first time Neridah’s has included ceramics. The new works on clay for ms operate as drawings on a fired suppor t. The images are from Neridah’s recent travels, ‘small references to overseas shapes, for ms and landscapes... walls and rock.... Mar rakesh, Jer usalem, Petra and Paris’. These intimate and sensitively crafted studies will segue to fur ther exploration we will no doubt see in future exhibitions.
PETRA CLIFFS, TOWER OF DAVID & MOGADOR: Stoneware with Underglaze, 6.5x7cm, 7.5x7cm, 5.5x5cm, 2018.
‘New Work’ (2018) intellectual rigour and process is played out on the galler y walls for us to engage and be inspired by. The late inclusion of the ceramic works helped to totally change the initial idea of the exhibition as works on paper show with other types of work to demonstrate context. As the works came into the galler y and the nature of the exhibition unfolded, a por trait of a multi disciplinar y practice emerged. What began as a linear process of drawing and collage infor ming painting has become omni directional where all the disciplines infor m each other and all have the integrity to stand alone. This exhibition is a celebration of all the aspects of Neridah Stockley’s multi disciplinar y practice as well as the sum of its many par ts. DALLAS GOLD 2018
Hill Layers: Acrylic on plywood and pegboard collage, 55x50x3cm, 2017.
TWO MESAS AND A CLOUD: Oil on board, 40x40cm, 2017.
PARRY ST: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2017.
NEWCASTLE PALM TREE: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2016.
WALL AND TREE: Oil on board, 40x40cm, 2017.
TANKER & MOGADOR SET: Stoneware with Underglaze, 8.5x11cm, 6x6.5cm, 2018.
FARM TREES: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2016.
SEVEN STATES OF SAINT PAULS: Acrylic on plywood collage, 54x46x2cm, 2017.
BARE ISLAND & BUILDINGS: Stoneware with Underglaze, 7x7cm, 6.5x6.5cm, 2018.
FREMANTLE SHADOW: Chalk pastel on paper, 35x26cm, 2016.
FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE: Chalk pastel on paper, 35x26cm, 2016.
NORFOLK PINE FREMANTLE: Chalk pastel on paper, 35x26cm, 2016.
SAINT PATRICKS FREMANTLE: Chalk pastel on paper, 35x26cm, 2016.
SKATEBOARD RAMPS: Chalk pastel on paper, 35x26cm, 2016.
FREMANTLE PARK: Chalk pastel on paper, 26x35cm, 2016.
GARDEN ISLAND CONTAINERS: Chalk pastel on paper, 35x26cm, 2016.
STRAGGLER AT SEA: Chalk pastel on paper, 35x26cm approx, 2016.
ARTHURS HEAD: Chalk pastel on paper, 26x35cm, 2016.
FREMANTLE: Chalk pastel on paper, 26x35cm, 2016.
SAINT PATRICKS: Chalk pastel on paper, 26x35cm, 2016.
WHALERS TUNNEL FREMANTLE: Chalk pastel on paper, 26x35cm, 2016.
domestic; these are long standing motifs. I am not interested in thesis about place. I a m i n t e n s e l y i n t e r e s t e d i n h i s t o r i c a l n a r r a t i ve s b u t n o t b o u n d by t h e m . E ve r y t h i n g i s u p f o r r e - eva l u a t i o n a n d d e c o n s t r u c t i o n … m y ow n i d e a s i n c l u d e d . M y e ye l i k e s t o t r a v e l a r o u n d a n d t h r o u g h f o r m s … t a n k s , b u i l d i n g s , w a l l s , s h e d s , p a r k s , c o r n e r s , h i l l s a n d c l o u d s . I l o o k f o r t h e a e s t h e t i c va l u e i n p l a i n a n d p r o s a i c things; the grey sacrament of the mundane. Making ‘ar t’ often happens in strange and unexpected places. T h e c o n c e r n s / t h e s u b j e c t / t h e t h e m e s r e m a i n t h e s a m e … b u t ge t a d d r e s s e d i n n e w w ay s o f l o o k i n g a n d r e s p o n d i n g . I l i ke t h e t e n s i o n b e t we e n t h e p u r i t y o f c o l o u r a n d t h e ‘ a b s e n c e ’ o f c o l o u r. ‘ R aw m a t e r i a l ’ i s a t e r m I t h i n k a b o u t o f t e n , t h e p hy s i c a l i t y o f p a i n t , t i m b e r, p a p e r, p e n c i l , p a s t e l a n d c l ay … t h e w ay i n wh i c h m a t e r i a l s a r e h a n d l e d a n d r e s o l ve d . O n e o f m y a r t s c h o o l p a i n t i n g l e c t u r e r s i n t h e 9 0 ‘ s u s e d t o s ay … “ t h e l a s t t h i n g we n e e d i s a n o t h e r ‘ p a i n t i n g ’ .”
NERIDAH STOCKLEY 2018
COVER IMAGE - ROOF: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2017.
M y wo r k i s a b o u t r e l a t i o n s h i p t o p l a c e a n d s p a c e … u r b a n , r e m o t e , c o a s t a l a n d
BUILDING: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2016.
SHED: Oil on board, 40x50cm, 2017.
8 HELE CRESCENT ALICE SPRINGS NT 0872. T 0428 410 811 E art@raftartspace.com.au W www.raftartspace.com.au