Toyota Community Spirit Gallery 2008 Sculpture Exhibition
cryptozoology in Search of the Missing Link
September 3 to November 21, 2008 Toyota Australia, 155 Bertie St, Port Melbourne, Victoria Inquiries Ken Wong 0419 570 846 Gallery Hours Mon- Fri 1-6pm or by appointment
Toyota Community Spirit Gallery The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery is an initiative of Toyota Community Spirit, Toyota Australia’s corporate citizenship program. Toyota Community Spirit develops partnerships that share Toyota’s skills, networks, expertise and other resources with the community. The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery aims to provide space for artists, especially emerging artists to show their work The space is provided free of charge to exhibiting artists, no commission is charged on sales and Toyota provides an exhibition launch and develops a catalogue for each exhibition. The gallery has now shown works by over 360 artists. This project is mounted in consultation with the Contemporary Sculptors Association, Hobsons Bay City Council and the City of Port Phillip.
cryptozoology in Search of the Missing Link Tony Adams Greg Ades Sam Anderson Peter Andrianakis Leanne Baker Shannon Baker Kylie Beard Shawn Begley Mary-Anne Bleakley Jodi Blokkeerus Drasko Boljevic Russell Brazier Kerry Cannon Katrina Carter Heather Clugston Laurie Collins Rod Cooper Mark Cowie Dalia
Curator Thanks to
Exhibiting Artists William Eicholtz Savaad Felich Monica Finch Tanja George Andrew Green Mandy Gunn Chelsea Gustafsson Matthew Harding Lis Johnson Julee Latimer Louise Lavarack Angela Macdougall David Marshall Fleur McArthur Darren McGinn Anna Minardo Annee Miron Sandra O’Dea Cristina Palacios
Luciana Perin Lani Pinnington Geoffrey Ricardo Jason Roche Luke Rogers Peter Rosman Natalie Ryan Annemarie Schweitzer Fatih Semiz Vipoo Srivilasa Marika Strohschnieder Cyrus Wai-Kuen Tang Corey Thomas Liz Walker Carmel Wallace Anthea Williams Belinda Wilson Pam Wragg
Ken Wong Tania Blackwell, Hobsons Bay City Council Julie Collins, Contemporary Sculptors Association Sharyn Dawson & Louisa Scott, City of Port Phillip Katarina Persic, Toyota Australia
Catalogue Editing & Prepress Watch Arts (watcharts.com.au) Graphic Design Sandra Kiriacos
IMAGES: (FRONT COVER: A Golden Fleece (detail) by William Eicholtz, polymer cement, plastic & fabric, 2008 Inside page; : Puff Coral by Vipoo Srivilasa, ceramic & mixed media, 2008. Back Cover: In Our Hands (back view) by Vipoo Srivilasa, ceramic, 2008 The opinions and points of view expressed by participants through the artworks and artists statements in this exhibition and catalogue are those of the individual person or persons and are not intended to reflect the position of Toyota Australia.
ken wong Curator
This exhibition is the fourth annual indoor outdoor sculpture exhibition and the eighteenth in a continuous program of exhibitions for the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery since it commenced operations in July 2004. Cryptozoology, in search of the missing link features the works of 56 artists exploring the diversity and excellence of sculpture practice in our community including for the first time, the works of two interstate guest artists. The practice of art is on many levels, always a search to express something that is missing, intangible, something that through the act of making the artist seeks to say for themselves and others that goes beyond words. The pursuit of this search often involves an enormous amount of research and disciplined study, to examine and understand the visual language that has been created throughout the millennia of human existence and expression. In fact it is the practice of art, through cave paintings and artefacts that gives us our earliest insights into our ancient ancestors and the development of the human animal. However, regardless whether the artist is a trained professional or not, the making of art is always a naĂŻve act of faith. By definition the act of creation, requires us to take that blind leap, to try to discover or express something that in the moment before creation does not exist. The modern world we as human beings have created is filled with many wonders, and for those of us lucky enough to live in an affluent society, an abundance of worldly goods to service our every desire. For all that though, there seems to be something missing. We can only hope that those among us who profess to be artists, continue to find the courage to take that naĂŻve leap of faith that is required in search of the missing link between us all. Welcome to Cryptozoology. Ken Wong is the Director of Watch Arts, a Melbourne based contemporary arts consultancy. He has worked in the fine arts industry for over ten years in both commercial and community arts, curating and managing a host of projects including gallery and outdoor sculpture exhibitions.
Artists and works
Page
Tony Adams Emerald City Mixed medium, 160 x 120 x 40cm, 2008
$3500 ........................ 12
Greg Ades
House Oil on wood, 51 x 47 x 65cm, 2007
$9900 ........................ 13
Sam Anderson
Big Business Recycled Metal, 175 x 170 x 380cm, 2008
$6800 ........................ 14
Peter Andrianakis
I am Bronze (Edition of 3), 160 x 50 x 44cm, 2008
$30,000 ..................... 15
Leanne Baker, Heather Clugston & Annemarie Schweitzer
Cell 4 Plastic shopping bags, 250 x 600cm circumference approx, 2007 $3000 ........................ 16
Shannon Baker
Alternative Fueling Toyota Corona & mosaic tiles, 2007
$6990 ........................ 17
Kylie Beard
The Curiosity of Shadows Wire & Recycled materials, 50 x 100 x 5cm, 2008
POA ........................ 18
Shawn Begley
First Class Whore Wood, 7 x 13 x 8cm, 2008
$600
Every morning I wake I die a little bit more, I put on my shirt and feel like a whore Wood, 10 x 15 x 22cm, 2008 $1000 ........................ 19
Mary-Anne Bleakley
HEAR no evil, SEE no evil, SPEAK no evil Mixed media, 12 x 32 x 14cm, 2006
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$420 ........................ 20
Jodi Blokkeerus
Artists and works
Imaginary circus clouds of the future Mixed media, 36 x 30 x 45cm, 2008
Page
$760 ........................ 21
Drasko Boljevic
Dr Livingstone Mixed media, 15 x 11 x 8cm, 2008
$400
Last Stand Mixed media, 16 x 14 x 14cm, 2008
$400
Fun in the Butchers Shop Mixed media, 9 x 10 x 10cm (each), 2008
$400 (pair) ................ 22
Russell Brazier
Sans Title Steel, paper, wood & iron, 124 x 106 x 54cm, 2007
$2500 ........................ 23
Kerry Cannon
Toys Bronze & paint, 50 x 45 x 63cm, 2005
$6600
Pinata Bronze, paint & steel, 130 x 120 x 50cm, 2005
$43,000 ..................... 24
Katrina Carter
Best Before Marble, 150 x 50 x 120cm, 2008
$7000 ........................ 25
Laurie Collins
Identity Recycled steel, 200 x 100 x 100cm, 2007
$1000 ........................ 26
Rod Cooper
Sound sculpture with feather Mixed media, 124 x 40 x 30cm, 2008
Droner Mixed media, 33 x 26 x 26cm, 2008 Krank Mixed media, 21 x 21x 21cm, 2008 Legs (self portrait) Mixed media, 101 x 43 x 30cm, 2008 Surround Sound Mixed media, 101 x 100 x 100cm, 2008
$800 $1200 $1000 $2000 $1100 ........................ 27
Mark Cowie
In Search of Kindred Spirits Welded recycled mild steel, 158 x 45 x 55cm, 2007
$3000 ........................ 28
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Artists and works
Page
Dalia
Word Power and the Human Condition No. 15 Wood, pape & string, 190 x 140 x 240cm, 2007
$3500 ........................ 29
William Eicholtz
A Golden Fleece Polymer cement, plastic & fabric, 350 x 120 x 130cm, 2008
$26,000 ..................... 30
Savaad Felich
The Circle Home No.2 Recycled timber & found objects, 100 x 52cm, 2008
Monica Finch Free Fall The Mother Sister Totem
$1100 ........................ 31
Clay & steel, 37 x 15 x 15cm, 2007 $450 Clay & serpentine rock, 20 x 6 x 6cm, 2007 $350 Clay & steel, 190 x 20 x 20cm, 2007 $800 ........................ 32
Tanja George
One World Metal, 150 x 130 x 50cm approx, 2008
$750 ........................ 33
Andrew Green Fishing Holiday Love Wood, 20 x 25 x 17cm & 25 x 20 x 17cm, 2005
$1750 ........................ 34
Mandy Gunn
Flowering Desert Corrugated iron, 150 x 150 x 12cm, 2003
Scroll Yellow Pages woven on cotton, 1000cm x 60cm x 400cm, 2004
$2000 $10,000 .................... 35
Chelsea Gustafsson
Trophy Head Mixed media, 24 x 21 x 13cm, 2007
$500 ........................ 36
Matthew Harding
Nano Stainless Steel, 210cm diameter, 2007
$30,000 ..................... 37
Lis Johnson
Hide/Trap 2 Mixed media, 86 x 70 x 110cm, 2008
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$7500 ........................ 38
Julee Latimer
Artists and works
Dress Up Mixed media, 15 x 27x 11cm, 2008
$800
Page
....................... 39
Louise Lavarack
Veil Mixed media, 330 x 120 x 3cm, 2007
POA ........................ 40
Angela Macdougall
Watch Your Back Metal & timber, 188 x 290 x 46cm, 2008
$2200 ........................ 41
David Marshall
Petecormic Growth Mixed media, 100 x 250 x 60cm, 2008
NFS ........................ 42
Fleur McArthur
Travels in Colour Paper, foamcore & cardboard, 50 x 46 x 35cm, 2008
$475 ........................ 43
Darren McGinn
The Black Sheep Ceramic, 11 x 45 x 48cm, 2008
$2200 ........................ 44
Anna Minardo
Penelope Stone Mosaic, 50 x 50cm, 2008
$17,000 .................... 45
Annee Miron
Where was that? Timber, glass, silk & lights, 60 - 80 x 46 x 156cm, 2008
$1760 ....................... 46
Sandra O’Dea
Torso Mixed media, 70 x 20 x 15cm, 2006
$250 ......................... 47
Cristina Palacios
13.7 Pnaspermia series 2007 Concrete, Dimensions variable, 2007 El Nido
Mixed media, 27 x 56 x 27cm, 2006
NFS NFS .......................... 48
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Artists and works
Page
Luciana Perin
Landforms I Mixed media, 60 x 70 x 8cm , 2007
$1300 ........................ 49
Lani Pinnington
Untitled (flyer) Mixed media, 45 x 70 x 50cm, 2007
$1200
Dribbler Mixed media, 20 x 20 x 15cm, 2007
$800 ........................ 50
Geoffrey Ricardo
Longer truths, longer lies Painted & patinated copper, 102 x 102 x 190cm, 2007
$16,000
tall tales Painted & patinated copper, 188 x 57 x 110cm, 2007
$13,000 ..................... 51
Jason Roche
Insatiable Limestone, construction adhesive & PVA, 27 x 28 x 26cm, 2008 $700 ........................ 52
Luke Rogers
Untitled II Steel with copper patina, 58 x 47 x 15cm, 2007
$3500 ........................ 53
Peter Rosman
Be alert not alarmed Plastic & concrete, 6 pieces of 25cm diameter (various heights), 2008
$1250 each piece ...... 54
Natalie Ryan
Untitled Mixed media, 150 x 370 x 370cm, 2007
$10,000 .................... 55
Fatih Semiz
Crux Australis Painted Steel, 138 x 115 x 36cm, 2008
$12000
Frost Aluminium, 57 x 55 x 20cm, 2005
$5000 ........................ 56
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Vipoo Srivilasa
Artists and works Page
In Our Hands Ceramic, 60 x 56 x 20cm, 2008
NFS
Puff Coral Ceramic& mixed media, 20 x 19 x 13cm, 2008
$1200 ........................ 57
Marika Strohschnieder
Pink Toh Mixed media, 50 x 40 x 75cm (flower dimensions variable), 2008 POA ........................ 58
Corey Thomas
Stage Coach Found objects, steel & wood, 75 x 120 x 50cm, 2008
$1750 ........................ 59
Cyrus Wai-Kuen Tang
What else is there? Fibre glass, resin & timber, 150 x 100 x 50cm, 2008
$800 ........................ 60
Liz Walker
Shop till you drop Recycled metals, pop rivets 3 pieces; 85 x 65 x 25cm,84 x 58 x 28cm, 85 x 43 x 17cm, 2008 $1600 for entire work ........................ 61
Carmel Wallace
Red Sea: totemic anemones Beach found cray pot throats, cable ties, 237-134cm varied heights, 30cm diameter, 2007 $3750 ........................ 62
Anthea Williams
Used By Molasses Dreaming 44 gallon drums & scrap steel, 150 x 138 x 150cm, 2007
$5200
..................... 63
Belinda Wilson
DMZ love nest Korean silk, silk and felt, 30x19x8cm each (30 works in total), 1999 $189 each .............. 64
Pam Wragg
Urban Spaces Brushed aluminium enamelled, 90 x 117 x 8cm, 2008
$20,000 .................... 65
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Locations
Sculptures are located in the following areas
Outdoor Area
Bistro
Pond
Auditorium
Gallery
Reception
Atrium cryptozoology
Bertie Street Entrance
Locations outdoor works Kerry Cannon Pinata
Shannon Baker Alternative Fueling
Sam Anderson Big Business
Fatih Semiz Crux Australis
David Marshall Petecormic Growth
Peter Rosman
Be alert not alarmed
Angela Macdougall Watch Your Back
Cristina Palacios
13.7 Pnaspermia series 2007
Laurie Collins Identity
Katrina Carter Best Before
Bistro
Matthew Harding Nano
Pond
Anthea Williams
Used By Molasses Dreaming
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tony adams
Emera ld City (deta ill) Mixed media, 160 x 120 x 40cm, 2008
isplacingtakinggleaningcleaningreugatheringfetchingcollectingremovingd uncoveringdiscoveringlookingfind up) ng( cki )pi ver g(o din ben ling cyc singre gliftingtyingbalancingorganisingsift ingtouchingcarryingdragginglumpin hcombingscoringdisrupting ingsortingpocketingscavengingbeac Tony studied sculpture at the National Art School in Sydney and completed a Masters of Visual Art at the Victorian College of the Arts. Over the past fourteen years, his sculptural practice has utilised materials and objects from his immediate environment including; industrial waste, plant matter and rural waste and more recently urban waste. These materials have been refigured into objects, installations and ephemeral site-specific works. Tony is currently working on a Masters by Research at Monash University called Anatomy of Waste. This project involves exploring the notion of artist as archaeologist, or more precisely a ‘flotsamotolgist’. In collecting and working with the refuse and junk of modern society, this work is inherently involved in political and social commentary. Last year he won the Montalto Sculpture Prize with an ecological work entitled Vanish [collaboration with Caitlin Street]. His works are held in various private and public collections.
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greg ades The house has been a recurring image in my work since the late eighties. Based on the ubiquitous child’s drawing featuring a pitched roof, two absurdly high windows and a door, it’s not so much a comment on suburbia but more an attempt to redesign it. Over recent years I have been making architectural models of the house with a view to building it as a functional living space. Essentially I am aiming to take the two dimensional image contained in my paintings and turn it into a three dimensional reality.
House Oil on wood, 51 x 47 x 65 cm, 2007
Greg has been a practicing artist residing in St. Kilda since the early 1980’s. He was a finalist in the 1992 Moet et Chandon prize and short-listed for the P.S.1 studio in New York in 1999. His work has been reviewed and written about in several art journals and was featured in an ABC television documentary in 2001.
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sam anderson
Big Busine ss Recycled metal, 175 x 170 x 380cm, 2008
The sculptures I make evolve from the materials available - old farm machinery is ideal with so many angles and shapes -and is very suggestive of new forms and directions for my work to take. The ‘Big Business’ sculpture is made from old tobacco burners, hayfork parts, water tank Iron, and saw blades (which are ideal for the shark’s teeth!). The title refers to the ‘decisive attitude’ that business necessarily requires - rather than the more negative connotations associated with ‘sharks’. Regardless - in business, don’t jump in the deep end without looking! A shark is a finely tuned machine - just like big business. Sam was born in Devonport and grew up on the North Coast of Tasmania before moving to a farm near Wangaratta. After working as a wool classer, station hand and many other jobs throughout Australia, he finally decided to follow his creative ambitions. In 2003 he started a diploma in silver-smithing and jewellery design, which he successfully completed in 2004. From small things, big things grew. Jewellery design evolved into significantly larger works which has now become a full-time sculpture practice. He exhibits regularly at Muse Gallery in Milawa and recently won the Gardener’s Choice Award at the 2008 Wangaratta Current Sculpture Biennial – his first sculpture competition.
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peter andrianakis
“I am�. This is the hand which you are born with and the hand which you hope to leave with. When you are born it is empty and when you leave it will also be empty.
Peter was born in Greece in 1947 and migrated to Australia in 1955. He was awarded a scholarship and obtained a Diploma of Youth Work, going on to work with the Brotherhood of St Lawrence. His lifelong fascination with art led him to studies at RMIT. He eventually became a Master Builder to finance his artwork, setting up his studio alongside his build ing business at 274 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy. Peter then established The Fitzroy Gallery at this site. This enabled him to pursue his art full time whilst providing a venue for other artists to show their work. The Fitzroy Gallery has also been a venue for plays, choral concerts and other musical events. Presently Peter is working as a full time artist, painting and sculpting, both on commission and in order to exhibit his work.
I am Bronze (Edition of 3), 160 x 50 x 44cm, 2008
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leanne baker, heather clugston & annemarie schweitzer It could be said that the most invasive and insidious icon of rampant consumerism is the seemingly innocuous plastic shopping bag. Its progressive insinuation into almost every area of retailing has resulted in major environmental problems. As Cell 4 approx., 2007 nce residual garbage mfere circu in 600cm x 250 Plast ic shopp ing bags, its inability to breakdown under normal waste disposal methods and timescales has meant this particular combination of carbon and hydrogen is proving to be a nightmare. Our collaborative practice is an ongoing re-configuration and re-construction: by reusing this material we aim to emphasise the idea that a single use product is both impractical and wasteful and constitutes an environmental hazard in disposal and or destruction. The random accumulation of the plastic bag cells is reminiscent of heaped indestructible landfill and remnants of previous forms of habitation. Leanne, Heather and Annemarie attended Victorian College of the Arts together in 2003 and over the past four years have developed a collaborative installation practice that involves the use of plastic shopping bags filled with waste plastic. These same bags have provided the basic materials for each of their installations, with only some minor additions for repair; the damaged bags then become part of the fill.
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shannon baker
Alternat ive Fueling (detail) Toyota Corona & mosaic tiles, 2007
Alternative Fueling: The layout represents the alternative fuelling sources most likely to be embraced in future years. Hydro alternative fuelling - represented by the lake Ethanol alternative fuelling – represented by theand the waterfall cornfields Wind Power – represented by the Wind Mills in the Solar Power – represented by the sun image field Bio Diesel – represented by canola flowers This mosaic car was created by student Shannon Baker as part of her Year 12 Major in Design & Technology at De La Salle College in Cronulla, NSW. The work has been included in this exhibition by special arrangement. It is an example of how the practice of art offers the individual an opportunity for personal expression that goes beyond ones age or level of experience, and provides a particular perspective to the broader community. Using a Toyota Corona, the theme of her design is literally a vehicle to explore the possibilities of alternative energy including solar, hydro and wind power. The black side of the car represents the effect on the biosphere if alternative fuelling is not adopted in abundance and utilised by the community.
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kylie beard
The Curiosity of Shadows Wire & recycled materials, 50 x 100 x 5cm, 2008
They stand strong, Those who have endured the distance. Though they may be gnarled and bent They nurture the delicate that rest in their shadows. The true measure of their success The day that they themselves will look up To the silhouettes of their young And take solace in their towering shadows.
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From a young age Kylie has always been interested in hands on art practice, enjoying creative projects, photography and painting. Training at university in Product Development (similar to industrial design) she was lucky enough to have access to a design studio including modeling materials and was able to experiment with different mediums for various projects. She began painting during her university years and spent two years learning silver-smithing (2003/2004) which she enjoyed because of its hands-on nature. In 2005, Kylie took a short course in outdoor sculpture to develop her sculpture and metal-crafting skills. She relocated to Melbourne in 2006 and has continued to paint and exhibited her first piece in the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery exhibition Rising Tide in December 2007. Light and the patterns it makes influence most of her works.
shawn begley
F irst Class Whore Wood, 7 x 13 x 8cm, 2008
This sculpture is one of several sculptures based around mortality, our dreams ending sooner than desired. ‘First Class Whore’ represents the trappings of success in a fiscal sense, where everything you desire is available. Your every tangible consumable can be afforded. Is there something missing? What happened to that dream? The one thing that couldn’t be bought with a cheque. Shawn completed his Bachelor of Arts in 1988 and has exhibited in various exhibitions since the late 1980’s. He was a finalist in the Lake Macquarie Sculpture Prize in 1996 and also the Montalto Sculpture Award (2003 and 2004) and the Yering Station Sculpture Award in 2004. He has travelled extensively, including a period of study in marble carving in Carrara Italy. His work is held in private and public collections including Macquarie Bank and St Vincents Hospital.
Every morn ing I wake I die a little
bit more, I put on my shirt and feel like a whore Wood, 10 x 15 x 22cm, 2008
The sculpture represents a bed bedspread a shirt with the collar ; the sitting atop. Every morning I wa and tie ke I realise it is one less on this earth. I, like others have a dream, a dream tha many have potential, however, may nev t may to fruition. When I put on my shi er come a weight of treachery, for I am rt, I feel not that dream and time is running outliving .
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mary-anne bleakley
HEAR no evil, SEE no evil, SPEAK no evil Resin & embedded paper, fabric, decorative trim, 12 x 32 x 14cm, 2006
Traditionally, 3 monkeys represent this concept. Wikipedia says “one of the most visual phrases in existence”. I modelled a pet-like shape to illustrate this visual phrase. The ‘no evil’ ideas are embraced by the paper I’ve embedded in my cast forms. HEAR: music notation SEE: painted colour SPEAK: language, words Mary-Anne grew up in New Zealand but came to Australia in the 80’s and studied painting in NSW and sculpture in Victoria. Her Melbourne based practice includes drawing, painting, design and sculpture. In 1982 she took first place in the New Zealand stamp design awards and in 1991 won the contemporary art section of the Royal Overseas League Annual Painting Competition. She continues to exhibit regularly as her varied skills give her a big palette to play with. “There’s always something to do”, she says.
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jodi blokkeerus
Imaginary circus clouds of the future (detail) Mixed media, 36 x 30 x 45cm, 2008
Mr. Emanat searches, collecting data in his little notebook. How strange these little faces are; thoughts captured and memories encased, but how to extract them without destroying them? Jodi is an artist based in Melbourne. After completing her Bachelor of Arts at Victoria University in 2006, she started her business, Liquid Moon in late 2007. Jodi uses a variety of mediums including polymer clay, fur, felt, wire, fabric, pencil and ink. She loves bringing her creatures to life, whether through illustration or sculpture. In her work, she explores imagination beneath the layers of reality, using her many creatures to communicate ideas and tell stories.
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drasko boljevic
My work is apocalyptic in nature. Blinded by the smog of tomorrow’s progress we seem to forget what still stands. As humans separate ourselves from nature, we become engineers and observers of a land once understood.
Dr Livingst one (detail) Mixed media, 15 x 11 x 8cm, 2008
Drasko lives in East St. Kilda but was born in the former Yugoslavia in 1969. He completed his degree in sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb, Croatia and became a participant of the “Modern Times” anti-war arts movement and was selected for the ‘Ten Most Talented European Sculptors’ exhibition in the city of Labin in 1992. He migrated to Australia in 1993 and graduated a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in sculpture at the Victorian College of the Arts in 1997. The same year he opened in partnership, Azibi Gallery in St Kilda, an art space for non-established artists which operated until 2001. He has continued to explore various mediums and exhibit at a variety of venues including a recent solo exhibition of painting and sculptures at BRIGHTSPACE in St. Kilda entitled The Time Machine. The works exhibited here are from this most recent body of work, exploring small-scale kinetic sculpture.
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russell brazier This piece has evolved over three years, including reconstruction and various surface treatments. The piece is now resolved – only the surface oxidisation will continue unabated. The piece not only explores gesture, but also employs disparate sculpture mediums (welded steel and paper towel) to form an ambiguous tactile surface (oxidising iron pigment on paper). The plinth is raised above the floor surface to suggest the illusion of weightlessness, in contrast to the bent, heavy visual mass of rusted iron resting upon it.
Sans Title Steel, paper, wood & iron, 124 x 106 x 54cm, 2007
Russell was born in Melbourne in 1952 and began drawing from an early age. He made his first sculpture at fourteen years of age and was significantly influenced by the work of Henry Moore. He was apprenticed at the Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Arts and was one of the last apprentices to be trained in the six hundred year old craft of hand-setting lead type from type cases. Between 1975-77 he lived overseas before returning to Australia where he worked in the newspaper industry for twenty-six years, much of it on night shift. In the late 1970’s he became involved with street poetry as well as pursuing freelance illustration and cartooning. He has been making sculpture consistently since 1988 working in a variety of materials including ceramics, copper, galvanized iron, steel and bronze. He has also recently returned to formal study and last year completed a Diploma of Visual Arts from CAE majoring in Sculpture.
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kerry cannon Represented by Ceramic Break Sculpture Park
My work is figurative and narrative which means I am interested in telling stories; these are stories that I read and interpret or ones that I make up myself. A piñata is an effigy of an animal that children destroy to get the candy inside. The analogy for the war in Iraq seemed irresistible.
Pinata Bronze, paint & steel, 130 x 120 x 50cm, 2005
Kerry was born in 1958 in the USA where he took a degree in science and worked as a volunteer in Jamaica for two years before going on to complete his Masters in Finance at University of Colorado in Denver in 1987. He became a small business owner but moved to Australia in 1995 where he began working as a full time artist. In 2003 he opened the Ceramic Break Sculpture Park, located on a bushland property at Warialda in northern NSW. It has three galleries, a gift shop and a ‘Ceramic Break’ where people are encouraged to break ceramics to create an artwork in the bush. Kerry describes himself as ‘hopelessly optimistic with a sincere desire to do something genteel’.
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katrina carter My art focuses on the re-use and manipulation of commonly discarded, often mundane objects, addressing issues of waste, recycling, consumerism and the environment. Today we have a society that expects and is expected to consume and discard at an incomprehensible rate. The bread tag is a subliminal part of this consumer culture and contributes to the immediacy of our life today. It is a culture where we are constantly bombarded with information and distractions and expect instant gratification. The bread tag Best Before frequently displays the words Marble, 150 x 50 x 120cm, 2008 “Best Before” which brings to mind the environment, our society and the world in general. By elevating this small seemingly insignificant everyday object into a large indestructible monument I hope the viewers will be drawn into considering and reflecting on the issues that have engaged me. Katrina grew up in country New South Wales and has always collected discarded objects, things that people generally regard as of no importance or past their use by date. After leaving school she studied in Sydney at Shillitos’ School for Colour and Design obtaining a Diploma and then spent time working in the design industry. Later she moved to Melboume to pursue her art career, where she began exhibiting her work and studying, firstly at CAE and then at Latrobe College of Art and Design. Artists such as Robet Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Joseph Comell, Arman, Marcel Duchamp, Kun Schwitters, Rosalie Gascoigne, Christian Boltanski, Peter Aitkins and Fiona Hall with their unexpected contrasts, deliberately untidy contours, collections, juxtapositions, repetitions and nonconformity excite and inspire her. Her interest in installation and sculpture is increasingly becoming the focus of her practice.
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laurie collins
Identity Recycled steel, 200 x 100 x 100cm, 2007
There are so many forms in the industrial world that are not appreciated in any aesthetic manner and it is only when they are junked that they can be captured to be part of a sculpture or furniture piece. I really like recycling material that has already done one life in another form and many of my pieces are left unpainted so that they can rust naturally and so that people can enjoy seeing the component parts in close to their original form and colours. I try to show humour in many of my pieces as it is a part of my personality and seems to strike a chord with my audience. This piece is really about how we create an identity for ourselves from a variety of bits and pieces. The identity hides our true selves but sometimes the identity is only two dimensional and people can see through it. A trip to China in 2007 is part of this reflection as the statement felt true for China as for most of us.
Laurie graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Arts and Craft in 1978 after studies at Preston Institute of Technology, RMIT and Melbourne State College. Since then he has taught technology at Mortlake and Drouin Secondary College. He has always made sculpture and furniture, but in recent years has been producing significantly more work. His practice mainly utilises scrap steel and sometimes wood and his process is about allowing the shapes and forms to suggest possible ways to use it.
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rod cooper
My compositions come from the objects I build. Although I draw inspiration from the instruments of other musical cultures, my formal training as a sculptor enables me to transform old concepts into new metallic or technological hybrids. The instrument becomes the composition. They create an environment, which renders threedimensional space through the physical properties of sculpture and the acoustic spatial qualities of sound. Sound often forms an important part of the memories from our past. We ignore the noise around us in order to reach our aims with technology.
Legs (self portrait) Mixed media, 101 x 43 x 30cm, 2008
Rod is an instrument builder, performer, and sound/visual artist. His interest in instrument building started while completing his sculpture degree in 1988. The noisy environment of metal workshops and the sounds of construction developed his awareness for the potential of metal sculptures to become musical objects. Between 1989-1998 he ran a metal work business, creating furniture, sculpture and musical instruments. The skills learned while working as a craftsman have enabled him to gradually develop more complex instruments over the past decade. He now combines his visual work with his music as either installations or freestanding objects.
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mark cowie
In Search of Kindred Spirits Welded recycled mild steel, 158 x 45 x 55cm, 2007
Mark has exhibited in a variety of sculpture exhibitions throughout Victoria including the Moreland Sculpture Show (2004, 2007, 2008), the Toorak Festival of Sculpture (2005, 2006, 2008) and the Tesselaar Sculpture Prize (2008). His most recent solo exhibition was held this year at The Convent Gallery in Daylesford, and he was also the winner of the 2008 Mt Buller Art Prize for Sculpture. His works and numerous commissions can be found in a number of private and public collections.
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I work with mild and recycled steel, and have found that this outwardly rigid material can be manipulated, re-defined and transformed into abstract pieces that essentially represent the organic intuitive structures of nature and the elemental patterns of the human psyche. As is the case with paradoxes, steel can indeed be treated in such a fashion so as to coerce a softer, more emotional representation. It is how the creative energy manifests itself that remains the most fascinating and stimulating aspect of this conversion process. Through this process the individual human spirit is united with that of the unconscious, which generates emotional connections, and, ultimately, produces work of creative substance. This piece recognises the desire of individuals to find others with whom they have an affinity; allied in nature, character, qualities and spirit.
dalia
Word Power and the Hu man Condition No. 15 Wood, paper & string, 190 x 140 x 240cm, 2007
My ongoing concern is the continuity of the Human Condition and its fragile Wo rd Power and the Hu man Con ditio n No. 15 (det ail) emotional variations. My respect for the natural world, in particular the Australian landscape, gives me visual direction. Poets utilize varying styles and structures to maximally convey poetic thought and increase word power. This work explores the traditional rhythmic, rhyming, stanza poetry, which inevitably develops momentum, inertia and predictability in format. Our innate familiarity with the rhythm of life and our heartbeat, helps our intellect find affinity with the non confrontational, traditional verse format. Dalia migrated to Australia with her Lithuanian parents and was raised and educated in Melbourne. She has always worked in the visual arts in the fields of sculpture, painting and performance art. Her particular interest is the human condition and the cultural dichotomies experienced by migrants. She has staged exhibitions, performances and events both in Australia and overseas, where her work is held in public and private collections.
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william eicholtz
A Golden F leece (detail) Polymer cement, plastic & fabric, 350 x 120 x 130cm, 2008
As if raising a sacrifice, this faux bronze youth holds his charge high above the heads of the attendant crowd. Impossibly balanced on a soft plinth / mattress, is he in a dilemma of his own making, or a perverse and erotic boudoir romp? Made from unorthodox art materials, traditional appearance is combined with iconic Australian imagery of the ram and stockman in a playful and knowing game of historic art and cultural reference. This sculpture appears to balance a large bronze figure atop a soft base, and supported by mere garlands of flowers and fruit. Lifted 3.5 metres high, the light-up ram, the archetypal “Golden Fleece”- another iconic Australian long gone from our roadside petrol stations, smiles benignly. He understands the inevitability of his fate.
Awarded the 2005 Helen Lempriere Award for his sculpture The Comrades Reward, William has long been exploring themes of classical european imagery in his contemporary sculpture. With a sense of theatricality and humour, and a unique melding of materials, he appropriates influences that place his figurative work firmly in the current art arena. William was fortunate to be selected to participate in an ABC TV documentary “Artists at Work” in 2008. This documentary featured his sculptural process, from initial ideas to successful completion, of a commission for TarraWarra Museum of Art, in Healesville, Victoria.
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savaad felich In my arts practice and career I have met many artists, those who are college graduates and those who have entered via another door. The latter from discovering an innate artistic talent, sometimes later in life, and perhaps undertaken community run art classes and summer schools, to trades people who have re-directed their various skills to create art. These are all valid routes. It may look different but the creative impetus is the same. My recent practice uses an array of found objects and I am fascinated by arrows, which in some form or another, I incorporate into my work. In archery the integrated steps prior to releasing the arrow are paramount, as is the vision of seeing the arrow home.
The Circle Home No.2 Recycled timber & found objects, 100 x 52cm, 2008
It was inadvertently through horticulture while working for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, in the late 70’s early 80’s that Savaad initially discovered an inherent gift for woodcarving. His arts practice has slowly moved away from direct carving to assemblage and construction using an array of found objects and materials, including furniture parts and wine barrel staves and ends. Concurrent with his arts practice Savaad is also involved in arts administration and has been a coordinator for the Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition & Awards for the last eight years. He is also a committee member for the Yarra Valley Arts Council and has been involved with the organization of a number of art exhibitions, art residences, judging and arts speaking forums.
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monica finch
Free Fall , 2007 Clay & stee l, 37 x 15 x 15cm
Sister Totem Clay & steel, 190 x 20 x 20cm, 2007
In my work as an art therapist I am continually inspired by the people I meet. They reveal the tenacity of the human spirit and the gentle communion that can be experienced in sharing. As an artist I am interested in representing these expressions of the soul and spirit. My current practice engages with the archetypal representations of the feminine that can be found in antiquity, but seeks to explore contemporary aspects of motherhood and sisterhood drawn from my own personal and family relationships. In 2000 Monica returned to study as an adult to develop a career and for personal fulfilment. She knew clay was “it� for her from the first time she used it in a sculptural class. She graduated with honours in both a Diploma of Visual Arts: Ceramics and Diploma in Art Therapy in 2005. Since then she has established her art studio and art therapy practise in rural Victoria.
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tanja george In the fabrication of my sculpture, I use a vast variety of materials. My fascination lies with everyday objects, discarded industrial-mechanical components and wood. Just as the objects that I use in my work seem to have reached the end of their life span, I transform them into something new. To me they are treasures that have an aesthetic life beyond their function. My work seeks to acknowledge their beauty and value, drawing parallels with the disparities of human race. We come in all shapes, forms and colours, but we all belong to one world, the same world. If only we treated each other with respect, this could be the best world.
One World Metal, 150 x 130 x 50cm approx, 2008
Tanja was born in Vienna, Austria but grew up in Germany where she worked as a journalist for Esquire magazine. In 1989 she moved to Australia where she studied film, completing her Bachelor of Film and Television at Victorian College of the Arts in 1995. In recent years, her creative instinct has found a new form of expression through a steadily developing sculpture practice. She has exhibited in various exhibitions throughout Victoria and was this year selected to exhibit for the Williamstown Festival Contemporary Art Prize.
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andrew green
F ishing Holid ay Love 17cm, 2005 Wood, 20 x 25 x 17cm & 25 x 20 x
r circle partly When I lived in a hotel I was privy to theminne g bashed by because a mate and I saved a patron fro bein ds told their ban two angry brothers. I learnt that three hus ead inst flying to wives they were going on a fishing holiday,off. Bangkok to get their rocks Andrew has been devoted to the image for over ten years and has worked as a staff and freelance photographer for various publications including The Age newspaper. His interest in visual arts has also expanded recently, exhibiting his photographic works in various group exhibitions and pursuing still life and drawing classes at Footscray Community Arts Centre. In the past two years he has been short-listed for the Williamstown Festival Contemporary Art Prize and this year was the recipient of the Local Artist Award. He is currently contemplating a return to formal studies in visual art and sculpture.
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mandy gunn
Scroll (detail) Y ellow Pages woven on cotton, 1000cm x 60cm x 400cm, 2004
Often materials are hand cut and reconstituted through textile related techniques into assemblages, installations and sculpture. This piece was hand woven from cut pages of the Melbourne Yellow pages, to resemble an ancient scroll. Mandy trained at Monash University and the Victorian College of the Arts where she completed her Masters of Fine Arts in 2000. She has exhibited widely all round Australia, completed residencies and undertaken projects funded by the Australia Council and Regional Art bodies as well as working at Aurukun Community with the women there. She is well known for her work with recycled materials and has a number of pieces in public and private collections. She has taught at RMIT since 1995 and currently lives and works in South Gippsland.
F lowe ring Des ert Corrug ated iron, 150 x 150 x 12cm, 2003
I work with found materia reassembled, a comment ls cut and on society. The materials fo our wasteful r this piece were collected around Broken H like area. The shapes are ill, a desert flowerlike and reflect the way plants ov ertake old inhabited sites.
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chelsea gustafsson
Trophy Head x 13cm, 2007 Resin, foa m, paint, timberr & varnish, 24 x 21
Chelsea was born in Melbourne in 1975 and grew up in East Gippsland. In 1994 she studied painting at RMIT TAFE, followed by a couple of years travel overseas. She has been involved with prop making in film and television, and between 2001 and 2007 Chelsea worked for a small sculpture and design firm in Melbourne. In 2007 she was a finalist in the Metro 5 Art Prize and the ANL Maritime Art Prize in Port Melbourne. Chelsea lives on the coast in Barwon Heads and has since resumed her studies, this time in the field of Graphic Design, at the Gordon Institute of TAFE in Geelong.
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Much of my work is two dimensional, but I also find the need to execute some of my works three dimensionally. I have been exploring the theme of modern man and playing around with the concept of the threat of oldschool masculinity, whereby the need for power and the mentality of having to conquer all will ultimately leave us, ironically, vulnerable to being expunged through our own exploits of the planet. I often attempt to inject an edge of quirkiness or novelty into my work in order to avoid the complete cynicism and darkness lurking beneath the surface.
matthew harding Represented by Australian Art Resources We shape objects and they shape us. We engage ourselves in the materialisation of ideas and within our explorations we make humble and meaningful discoveries about our lives. My current work looks at how the growth patterns and structures of living organisms are influencing the architecture of nano science and the implication this technology has on our perception of who we are. From my earliest memories of sketching and observing the details of ‘little’ things in life such as seedpods, plants and insects, I was led down the enchanted garden Nano path of art and science Stainless Steel, 210cm dia meter, 2007 as a way of appreciating and making meaning of existence. I felt a strong parallel between a scientist working away in a lab and my childhood in the shed, both playing with the building blocks that shape and give meaning to life. Matthew is an artist and designer engaged in a diverse and innovative contemporary practice spanning sculpture, public art and design over the past two decades. His training in the visual arts, construction industries and various craft traditions enables him to push the boundaries of materials and process. His work encompasses cutting edge technologies through to traditional methods in wood, stone and bronze. Whether carving delicate fine art pieces, prototyping designs for production or working on large-scale public sculpture; Matthew’s desire is to make objects that feed the spirit.
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lis johnson The deer is a recurring idea and form in my work. An immature female animal, the deer is a vehicle to represent fragility, innocence, the vulnerability of nature, something which is fleeting - poised to disappear. I have placed it in varying landscapes and contexts, as a defiant yet fragile witness. ‘Hide/ Trap 2’ is the polar opposite of another Hide/ Trap 2 work, the pure white foliag e, acrylic lacqu er, acrylic & Alpha-gyps u m, fibreg lass, steel, dried , 2008 110cm x 70 x 86 c), plasti , metaphysical ‘Hide/ metal n oil paint, dross (molte Trap’ 2006, which is about the folly of over-protectiveness, as well as referring to the white cube of art, as a safe but sterile and limiting container of artistic expression. With ‘Hide/Trap 2’ dark materials form a black rectangular solid. The ground is a concentration of machineproduced substances and life-depleted matter. The deer is unable to move within a brittle scorched hedge, poised to flee, but immobilized by the legacy of a carbon-fuelled culture. Lis has been a full-time professional sculptor since 1992. She has formal training in art history, theory, research and practice, has taught sculpture at tertiary level and exhibited in numerous group, solo and selected exhibitions. She has been awarded several public art commissions and also completed numerous private commissions. Primarily a modeller and carver, Lis is a figurative sculptor who works with a wide range of contemporary and traditional media. Her broad range of practice has included work for architects and designers, museums and zoos, and the display, theatre and film industries. She works from her studio at Fundere Fine Arts Foundry and Studios in West Footscray, and is currently creating a bronze figurative commission, Love and Action, celebrating female spirituality for Star of the Sea College, in Gardenvale.
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julee latimer
Dress Up Sculpting compoun d, & concrete substrate, glass & beads, 15
x 27 x 11cm, 2008
This piece is a tribute to the love of dress up and sparkle many little girls share, regardless of background or cultuthat Reaching womanhood does not always diminish this. Therre. a child within us all. This sculpture was inspired by a friene is admission that as a child she decided she would be a princ d’s she grew up, just as a little boy dreams of being a firemess when an. Julee started working with mosaic approximately ten years ago but it has always taken a back seat to her painting due to frequent overseas moves. Now she has settled in Australia on a permanent basis, she is finally in a position to pursue her passion for mosaic. Only recently she has started to make her own sculptures and intends to work more intensively in this area into the future.
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louise lavarack
Photograph John Gollings
Veil line, Wooden clothes pegs, cold water dyes, acrylic varnish, nylon fishing stainless steel rod & fixings, 330 x 120 x 3cm, 2007
A peg is the point of restraint that prevents freshly washed clothes from flying off in the wind or falling into the mud. Veil subverts this function and elevates pegs from the repetitive labour of behind-thescenes domestic duty to sumptuous public display. Furthermore, the form of Veil, as a twofaced curtain, embodies the interface between private and public realms. Suspended at window or door, a curtain filters vision into or out of a room and marks a threshold that is both physical and psychological.
Louise specialises in artworks for public spaces. Her installations focus on ephemeral aspects of environment and human usage, and on a physical and metaphorical geometry of site. She often uses repeated elements integrated with existing features of the site in order to delineate the site itself and to choreograph the viewer. Since graduating from Fine Art at RMIT in 2000 Louise has been regularly short-listed and commissioned for major public art projects initiated by developers and various levels of government. In 2001 she was a finalist in the Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award and in 2005 a finalist in The Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture. Concurrent with these activities Louise carries out private commissions and acts as a consultant artist to landscape architects and urban planners.
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angela macdougall Represented by Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
Watch Your Back Metal & timber, 188 x 290 x 46cm, 2008
This piece represents a female figure walking along a narrow path. She is moving forward but conscious of history and acknowledging her past. I sense a feeling that the figure is confident, a well-defined movement forward. She is considering her development, her arrival at this point. However there is no pause. The gesture of review or looking back is also one free of restraint. Here is an individual who has strength; she has the embodiment of ambition and the desire to take advantage of her lot. She is made of reclaimed metal. Angela completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture at RMIT in 1989 and returned after a stint travelling and working in Japan to complete her Honours in 1995. She has exhibited widely in numerous solo and group exhibitions since 1992 and last year received the People’s Choice Award at the Montalto Sculpture exhibition. She has completed major public and numerous private commissions and her works are held in corporate and private collections in Australia and Japan including Artbank and the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Sydney.
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david marshall
With the imminent collapse of the matrix in which we exist, the long chain of molecules extracted from the earth will reinfiltrate the natural world, emerging as polymer regrowth.
Petecormic Growth 2008 wate r, dye, 100 x 250 x 60cm,
es & Burnt redbox trunk , Pete bottl
David has worked as a landscape contractor for the past twenty-seven years, specialising in the design and construction of Japanese gardens/interiors. Now semi-retired, he has been developing his ideas and concepts in recent times and is pursuing opportunities in the field of contemporary sculpture. This year he was Highly Commended in the current Outdoor Sculpture exhibition at Wangaratta.
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fleur mcarthur
This work explores colour, and the concept of being an armchair traveler. The suitcase is evocative of travelling, and yet is constructed from card and paper, not functional for real travel. Moreover, it explores the travels within the realm of the imagination and the winged flights of the mind. Travels in Colour Paper, foa mco re & card boa rd, 50 x 46 x 35c m,
2008
Fleur graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne in 1998, and has participated in numerous exhibitions such as the Arthorses exhibitions, The Toorak Festival of Sculpture and was selected as a finalist for the Audi Art Prize in 2007. Her professional work and practice continues to evolve through explorations of diverse media and ideas.
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darren mcginn
The Black Sheep Cera mic, 11 x 45 x 48cm, 2008
My artwork focuses on the landscape and theatre of everyday life, the stage and setting is where most of us actually live; and that place is the urban environment. ‘The Black Sheep’ represents the hundreds of thousands of Australians who live in caravan parks. For some it’s a temporary measure while they go through a financial rough patch but increasingly it’s a long term option for people who can’t afford to rent or buy a house or unit. The St Vincent De Paul Society says there has been at least a doubling in the number of people turning to caravan parks since 2001. In a report called Residents At Risk, the charity estimates at least 50,000 people across the country are one step away from homelessness and using caravan parks as crisis accommodation. Darren completed a Graduate Diploma in Fine Art in 1988 at RMIT, going on to complete his Master of Arts in 1991. He has worked for many years as a lecturer and teacher of ceramics and sculpture at various institutions including the University of Melbourne and Victorian College of the Arts. He was the recipient of the Commonwealth Post Graduate Research Award (1990-91) for research studies and has received numerous awards in national exhibitions for contemporary ceramics. He is currently a PhD Candidate at Monash University and in 2007 was the recipient of the Toyota Community Spirit Artist Travel Award. He recently opened a solo exhibition at Geelong Gallery as part of a successful application to the Shell Arts – Geelong Regional Artists Program and this year received the 3D Award at the Williamstown Festival Contemporary Art Prize.
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anna minardo My art is always evolving in constant search of true essence. I feel the need to capture the soul of that which I decide to express, whether through drawing, painting, sculpture or mosaic. To me, the media is only a tool I use to project my inner desire of expression. The techniques which we have inherited from the masters, have always been of great interest to me through out my life. It is always a challenge to be able to assimilate knowledge and acquire skill. In my Mosaic the challenge is to learn to absorb and experience spontaneity, integrating the past and present of ancient flow (andamento).
Penelope Stone mosa ic, 50 x 50cm, 2008
Anna learned to paint as a child in Rome, both her parents being recognized artists. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Faculty of Architecture Rome and began her professional carrier in North America where she worked as interior designer with major architect firms in Montreal, Boston and New York. Since 1975, Anna has devoted her life to art dividing her time between Italy and Australia. Her paintings, mosaic works and sculptures have been exhibited and are held in private and public collections in Italy, Germany, Russia, North America, Japan and Australia. Earlier this year she was a finalist in the 2008 Archibald Prize.
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annee miron
Where was that? (deta il) x 46 x 156cm, 2008 Timber, glass, silk & lights, 60 - 80
marks we make on the land and that it I am continually drawn to themes aroundoftheart is as a momentary experience, not as in turn makes on us. For me the nature of fragile silk embroideries clustered over an eternal bronze. This piece is made up hts of the light boxes mimic the contours customised light boxes. The variable heig roideries capture moments of the sites of the land on which they stand. The embdense tea tree prior to Anglo European history such as when it was cloaked in -like, sensual fragments of the past. occupation. The silk images become film Annee completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at RMIT University in 1997 and works as an artist, curator and project manager nationally and internationally. In 1999-2000, as a curator and artist, she presented the (re)construction touring exhibition and forum series investigating concepts of memory at the Yarra Sculpture Space, Melbourne, and at regional galleries in Mildura, Maryborough and Benalla. In partnership with Magdalena Moreno, Annee presented Mi Museo (My Museum), at Galeria de la Universidad Catรณlica de Chile, Santiago, 2003. Her projects have received grants from the Chilean Government, Dame Elizabeth Murdoch, Arts Victoria and the Myer Foundation. More recently she has shown in group exhibitions including Trocadero Studio Artists, 2007 and Lexicon, 2006.
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sandra o’dea
I use visual signs of femininity, such as the motif of dress to distinguish actual gender roles. As a female, I am constantly questioning my role as a woman in today’s society, for and from the male glare; let’s take for example, the issue of cover girls and how they affect woman’s perception of self and men’s perception of women. For women, the response is often deep feelings of envy for what is missing, longing, shame and desire which are linked to woman’s anxiety over the male gaze. For men the response is that women become idealized and unreal, a commodity that can be purchased used and thrown away or discarded. Torso Mixed media, 70 x 20 x 15cm, 2006
Sandra was born Melbourne in 1956 and currently lives at Mornington. She has been interested in style, colour, texture and design for as long as she can remember. With a background including dance, fitness instruction and theatre design, her interest in visual art became the focus of her life when she returned to study in the mid nineties, completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Victorian College of the Arts and most recently, her Masters of Fine Arts at Monash University. She has exhibited widely in both group and solo exhibitions and her works have been collected and published in Australia and the United Kingdom.
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cristina palacios
2007 13.7 Pna spermia serie s able, 2007 Con cret e, dim ensions vari
‘13.7’ billion years ago the Big Bang occurred. I believe all life starts as a dot in the universe; a single cell containing atoms that transforms into matter, energy and sometimes humanity. Cristina was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to Australia in 1987. She studied for a Diploma of Visual Arts at the CAE, before going on to complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction at RMIT University in 2007. She has participated in over 20 group exhibitions and in 2005 was invited to hold her first solo exhibition, by the Argentine Government, at the Palace of the Legislature in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the same year she was short listed for the St. Vincent’s Hospital Residency, and in 2006 she was short listed for the Mary and Lou Senini Art Award at McClelland Gallery. In 2006 and again in 2007 Cristina was invited to exhibit with the International Bokuga Association in Tokyo, Japan winning an award for excellence in 2007. She has realized several commissions, and her work is held in private collections in Australia, America, Argentina, Italy, France and Japan. She is currently enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts at RMIT.
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luciana perin
Landforms I Domestic material: pasta coloured with seppia (cuttlefish) ink, 60 x 70 x 8cm, 2007
The performative ritual of ‘making pasta’, a simple and mundane practice gives insight not only into a cultural habit, but into a personal landscape shaped by time, tradition and memory. Maintaining the translocated ‘usanza’ or custom alive is a way of preserving ones identity. This work references cultural practices and their meaning when dislocated or relocated from the place of origin. It attests to the loss in the transmission of traditional knowledge –in this instance ... by mother to daughter in an industrial world where technology replaces human connection and transmission with instant, artificial downloads of knowledge (from the internet). Luciana began her career in art as a teacher but in recent years has developed a firm and active focus on her own practice, participating in numerous exhibitions in Australia and overseas including four solo shows. She is interested in exploring notions of physical and psychological consequences that arise from cultural upheaval; assimilation, dislocation and dispossession.
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lani pinnington
Dribbler Mixed media, 20 x 20 x 15cm, 2007 Untitled (flyer) Mixed media, 45 x 70 x 50cm, 2007
The installations I present are a combination of high fantasy and banal everyday objects that revolve around a fusion of ‘organic machine’. The creature/monster type beings are (at the moment of their creation) precariously on the verge of extinction as they manifest the naïve objectivity of the hand made. They are warped, hybrid reincarnations of second hand toys and dead animals whose found remains are used as sculpture material. My work does not aim to suggest other worlds but instead tries to highlight the underlying, faulty or sinister fabric of human nature and an unseen social, and environmental decay. Lani is an emerging artist originally from Mildura in rural Victoria who now lives and works in Melbourne. Her art education has extended across the fields of photography, printmaking, and sculpture, informing her current practice of mixed media, sculpture installation. She is currently studying the Masters of Visual Art course at the Victorian College of the Arts and is one of eight short-listed artists for the 2008 Toyota Community Spirit Artist Travel Award.
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geoffrey ricardo Represented by Australian Galleries
Long er truth s, longe r lies x 102 x 190c m, 2007 Paint ed & patin ated copper, 102
tall tales Painted & patinated copper, 188 x 570 x 110cm, 2007
Geoff studied printmaking at the Chisolm Institute of Technology and graduated from Monash University, obtaining the Graduate Diploma in Fine Art Printmaking. His practice has developed steadily over the past 20 years and he now has regular solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Australia and internationally. His paintings, prints and sculptures are represented at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Tasmania, the Holmes A’Court Collection in Western Australia, and other regional galleries and institutions. His work is also in many private collections throughout Australia.
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jason roche
Insatia ble 26cm, 2008 Limesto ne, construction adhesive & PVA, 27 x 28 x
What interests me deeply is the everyday overlooked object; the art of human industry. To take a designed consumer item and recontextualise it into an art object, an object to be thought about without its function. What I hope is that an object will be seen for what it is; and then, perhaps, re-seen as something different. Jason grew up in Frankston and currently lives in Red Hill. He has explored many fields of artistic endeavour including music and acting and it was at acting school while making masks that he discovered his interest in sculptural form. His practice is primarily in stone carving but also includes fabrication in metal, timber, bronze and clay. He has travelled widely overseas, most recently to China as part of his Masters of Fine Art studies at RMIT University, where he completed a large stone public sculpture called Bear/Dog for the Shaanxi College of Costume Art in Xianyang.
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luke rogers
Rather than crave perfection, my works are more a reaction to transmittable moments. A focus on expressive power within assembled elements, aesthetic tension and exploitation of disposition balances assertive assemblages. Untitled II Steel with copper patina, 58 x 47 x 15cm, 2007
Luke is a designer/artist who creates a diverse range of furniture, sculpture and concepts for a wide variety of clientele. Inspired by experiences in Melbourne and New York City where he was fortunate to work with leading blacksmiths and metal sculptors, Luke developed Luke Rogers Studio in 2003. Over the past few years he has created, developed and produced concepts for landscape architects, product designers, retail stores, restaurants, bars and galleries. His works have been shown in various exhibitions including the Yering Station Sculpture Award in 2004. In 2005 he was commissioned by Mushroom Records to create a music industry award sculpture and in February this year commissioned his first major urban artwork for Grande View Apartments in Queens Road St Kilda.
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peter rosman
Be alert not alarmed Plastic & concrete, 6 pieces of 25cm dia meter (various heights), 2008
This work is the second of a series of installations using colourful children’s artefacts and recycled “green” pipes which are adapted to an existing public structure. These colourful elements contrast with the backdrop of a bleak anonymous grey outbuilding located in an open area, and show a variety of activities associated with children as they play, investigate, and interact with their outdoor environment. The installation examines our new state of visual awareness as constantly promoted in all forms of mass media. Peter is a Melbourne sculptor who retired in 2006 after 30+ years teaching children. Raising a family and working full-time meant that his artwork consisted mainly of ideas and sketches for many years, which are documented at his website, Terminal Art Works [http://www.anywhere.com. au]. Since retirement he has returned to full time art practice. His early work has been recognised here in state and national collections, with artist residences in WA and QLD and overseas in several recent Sculpture symposiums in Portugal, Czech Republic and Switzerland. Peter has just returned from Europe where he attended and produced a work for 4th International Sculpture Symposium in Davos, Switzerland.
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natalie ryan
The artist acknowledges the support of Linden’s Artist Studio Program.
Untitled Taxidermy foa m animal casts, prosthetic eyes, synthetic fibres, wooden board., 150 x 370 x 370cm, 2007
The cadaverous presence establishes a relation between here and nowhere ... He no longer has any relations with this world, in which he still appears, except those of an image, an obscure possibility, a shadow which is constantly present behind the living form and which now, far from separating itself from that form, completely transforms itself into a shadow. – Maurice Blanchot
Untitled (detail)
Natalie is a Melbourne based artist working primarily with sculpture and installation. She completed her Bachelor of Fine arts at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2002 and is currently completing her Masters of Fine Art at Monash University, with the assistance of an Australian Postgraduate Award. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and has recently commenced a three-year studio residency at Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts.
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fatih semiz
Crux Australis Painted Steel, 138 x 115 x 36cm, 2008
Fatih graduated from Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul, with a Fine Arts Degree in Sculpture in 1992. He has exhibited widely in Europe and in 2004 was granted a two year artist in residence at Overnewton Anglican Community School in Keilor, Victoria. He now continues to work and exhibit in both Europe and Australia.
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My first interest was in ancient, primitive stone forms and the accompanying techniques, and many of my early works were created in marble and stone. Although I continue to work with stone, my more recent works can be considered as ‘constructive’ pieces. I have always been interested in architecture and geometry, and exploring modular repetitive shapes. My latest works are based on this, creating new designs in various shapes and sizes and then combining these shapes to create complex forms based on simple principles. I find this aspect of creativity intriguing. The combination of basic foundations and creativity can lead to many different pieces.
vipoo srivilasa Represented by Uber Gallery
In Our Ha nds m, 2008 Cera mic, 60 x 56 x 20c
Puff Coral
Cera mic & mixed media, 20 x 19 x 13cm, 2008 My works explore the inherent commonalities between the cultures of my native Thailand and my new home of Australia. My work is theatrical, flamboyant, humorous and always enriched with an inherent search for beauty. My latest series of works has evolved from my concern for the coral reefs and eco-systems of Australia and Thailand and the damage that is being done to them as a result of society’s greed and over consumption. I hope the viewer can find humour in the works despite the seriousness of the subject matter, and that this will increase public awareness and highlight the importance of these issues.
Vipoo was born in Thailand where he studied for his Degree in Fine Arts at Rang-Sit University in Bangkok before migrating to Australia in 1997. Using blue and white ceramic, he creates complex narratives through highly decorated images applied to the surfaces of ceramic forms. His work requires an intimacy in which the key elements of the drama are often found in unusual places within the forms themselves. His decorative creations range from interpretations of landscape, architecture, and cultural celebrations to social questions on a global scale. Vipoo is one of eight finalists in the 2008 Toyota Community Spirit Artist Travel Award.
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marika strohschnieder In early 2008, I commenced a series of dog portraits in oil. Upon completing a study of a French Bulldog, I was struck by the role dogs play in contemporary society. In fact since the beginning of history, humans have created images of dogs, which illustrate Pink Toh rs flowe cial artifi & wax c, fabri the important Galva nized wire mesh, s varia ble, 2008 Scul pture 50 x 40 x 75cm, F lower role dogs have played in daily life and imagination. Depictions of dogs in art are a testament to how closely humans live with dogs and through their unrivalled proximity to humans have come to represent a remarkably wide spectrum of values and emotions. Contemporary society and human intervention have led to the 21st century dog being a far cry from his ancestors. I am particularly interested in examining this curious evolution and the role of the dog in society. Marika lives in Williamstown, but was born in Germany where her creative career started as a stone sculptor. She was apprenticed to stonemason Uwe Bernhard, from 1986 – 1989, where she learnt to appreciate the discipline required of a craftsperson and artist. She then undertook formal study in the field of art conservation and has worked as a conservator in five countries and in a diverse range of organisations – including at the Metropolitan Museum, New York and currently at the National Gallery of Victoria. Parallel with her work as a conservator, she has continued her artistic practice principally as a jeweller and sculptor although she also paints and draws.
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corey thomas Represented by Australian Art Resources
Stage Coach Found objects, steel & wood, 75 x 120 x 50cm, 2008
I often work with found objects, embedding history within the actual materials. This whimsical work has been created with a strong sense of forward motion using the hobbyhorse as a muse. The old cowboy boot, tractor seat and hobbyhorse are from a bygone era and each represent a different mode of transport. Its stature makes it appealing for a child to ride, and the actual pieces themselves make the work quite toy like – evoking memories of our own childhood. Corey trained as a dancer, moved into performance, then migrated to sculpture with a focus on creating narratives with form. His work often explores historical and cultural themes. It involves working with a broad spectrum of mediums that evoke a range of emotions from humour to pathos. He has worked in many areas of Australia – from the South Australian desert to St Kilda beach. Each landscape stimulates new content for the work in terms of the stories of the people, culture, space and the actual materials themselves.
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cyrus wai-kuen tang
What else is there? (detail) F ibre glass, resin and timber, 150 x 100 x 50cm, 2007
This installation explores the fabrication of the experiences of micro and macro spaces, with the objective of contrasting reality and fantasy. The application of different architectural scales will be the main focus of the work. My art practice is a journey to investigate the ways in which certain physical materials and constructions can evoke the psychological space and fantasy of childhood. I experience my Asian world as a memory; larger than life and engulfing, even threatening me as a huge, drfiting fragment from my past. My view of Australia is like a distant city seen from a descending passenger jet, and also as an unreal model world.
Cyrus migrated to Australia in 2003 and graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2004. Since then she has been working to develop her career, completing an artist residency in Tokoname in Japan in 2005 and exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions. As an Asian immigrant, she seeks to create a dialogue between east and the west culture, reflecting her struggle to start her new life and the interchange between the past and the present. She is currently studying for her Masters at Monash University, and is one of the short-listed artists for the 2008 Toyota Community Spirit Artist Travel Award.
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liz walker
Shop till you drop Recycled metals, pop rivets, 3 pieces
variou s sizes, 2008
We have a huge appetite to consume and possess and shopping has become a contemporary obsession that is perhaps exploitative of our inherent ancient instincts as a hunter-gatherers. In an abundant society, the pressure is always there to upgrade and replace unnecessarily, even though this is having a devastating impact on the environment and possibly our lives. Instead of directing our retail dollar toward needless purchases for short-term gratification- we should invest in greener, more environmentally sound lifestyles. We should learn to communicate with each other more, enjoy the pleasure of making things, repair items that have broken and value what we have and want less. These shopping bags are bottomless, oversized and cumbersome and represent the ultimate burden of needless consumerism. Liz was born in Melbourne but has lived in rural NSW and Victoria for nearly twenty years where she worked in a variety of occupations including practicing and teaching pottery. She returned to Melbourne in 2003 to undertake the Diploma of Visual Arts at RMIT, going on to complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in drawing in 2006. That same year she was the winner of the Area Contemporary Art Space Exhibition and this year was short listed for the Williamstown Festival Tattersall’s Contemporary Art Prize. Liz lives in Brunswick and is currently completing her Master of Fine Arts at RMIT.
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carmel wallace Represented by Gallery 101, Melbourne
Red Sea: totemic anemone s 30cm dia meter, 2007 Beach found cray pot throats, cable ties, 237-134c m varied heights,
My Red Sea suite of work addresses issues including those of global warming and marine pollution. The materials used to construct these sculptural pieces have been collected on my many walks along the beaches of southwest Victoria. The red plastic fragments have washed up after breaking loose from cray-pots. Patinas and coralline encrustations are evidence of their sea journeys. The colour red signals not only danger, violence, and sacrifice, but also vitality, passion and transformation.
After completing an Arts degree and Diploma of Education at La Trobe University, Carmel went on to earn an Honours degree at Deakin University, and subsequently completed her PhD in 1998. Her work is primarily concerned with place and particularly the coastal sites around her home, exploring the human need to experience a connection with the landscape, striving for an all-embracing understanding of the places where we live. Her work has been exhibited in New York and London, and selected for numerous national exhibitions including The Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW. Awards include the 2008 Regional Arts Victoria Contemporary Cultural Development RAVE Award. She has had a number of solo exhibitions and her work has been acquired for collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia, and the State Library of Victoria.
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anthea williams This piece is part of a series of sculptures using 44 gallon drums. The title ‘molasses’ refers to the contents which are used as a supplement for feeding stock, (mostly cattle). Waste products from the rural / industrial area of Latrobe Valley in Gippsland are prominent in my practice and have been used to comment on consumerism, leading us to question the concepts of decay and beauty.
Used By Molass es Drea ming 44 gallon dru ms & scrap steel, 150 x 138 x 150cm, 2007
Anthea completed a Post Graduate Diploma in fine art at Monash University Gippsland in 1986, returning there to complete her Masters in 1999. She has travelled widely including Israel and Rome in 1984 and New York, Cuba, Mexico and San Francisco in 2005. She has also exhibited internationally in the USA at the Soho Chelsea International Art Competition and been the recipient of grants and awards including the Janet Holmes a Court Artist Grant in 2007. She was recently featured in the Contempora 2 sculpture festival at Docklands and her works are held in public and private collections throughout Australia.
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belinda wilson
DMZ love nest 1999 Korean silk, silk and felt, 30 x 19 x 8 cm each (30 works in total),
These soft sculptures were inspired by a two year stay in Korea and created using traditional Korean fabric. The fabric is used in clothing and adornments and is known as the Hanbok. The Hanbok forms a highly effective expression of Korea identity as the materials and designs provide a glimpse into the Korean lifestyle. The colours indicate the values and world view of the Korean people. The soft sculptures represent an East meets West attitude. They reflect upon my interpretation of woman in Korean society and how I was sometimes viewed as a Western woman in Korea. Belinda is a Victorian artist who has exhibited both nationally and internationally taking her inspiration from wherever she happened to be living. She has travelled extensively throughout Asia, Europe but in more recent times has returned to regional Victoria to re-engage with her spiritual home. Her work is inspired by the surrounding environment, which she captures on canvas, paper or in sculptural forms.
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pamRepresented wragg by Kazari Cities, buildings and constructions have always provided a rich source of material for my work. For an abstract artist they offer endless possibilities. The variety of shapes, textures and the complex relationships discovered, are what drives me to try to make work which expresses the visual impact these basic forms have had on me.
Urban Spaces Brushed alu miniu m ena melled., 90 x 117 x 8cm, 2008
Pam was born and educated in the bayside suburb of Brighton and living opposite the sea nurtured her love of space. She remembers being drawn to the work of English sculptor Caro long before she began to study art. She attended RMIT and was excited and inspired by the welded steel sculptures of her lecturer Len Parr. During the 60’s while raising a family, she founded an experimental art group for children and teenagers. Their direct approach to making art was in many ways similar to primitive art, which had always interested her. In 1974 she returned to studies and began working with found materials, especially fabricated steel off cuts. These somewhat simple geometric forms became the basis of her developing visual vocabulary. In1977 she began post Graduate studies at Victorian College of the Arts and continued her exploration of spatial relationships. She made many trips to Asia during the 1980’s including Japan, Taiwan and Korea and was inspired to explore the potential of small sculpture. Her recent practice has been prolific with six solo exhibitions in the last three years and several group exhibitions including the Yering Station and Montalto Sculpture Prize. Her works are represented in several regional art galleries throughout Victoria.
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