urbantide - 20 emerging artists from the communities of Hobsons Bay, Port Phillip & beyond

Toyota Community Spirit Gallery presents

urbantide 20 emerging artists from the communities of Hobsons Bay, Port Phillip and beyond

June 1 to August 31 2005 Toyota Australia 155 Bertie Street Port Melbourne Victoria 3207 Gallery Hours: Thu & Fri 1pm to 6pm or by appointment Inquiries phone Ken Wong 03 9690 0902

urbantide

20 emerging artists from the communities of Hobsons Bay, Port Phillip and beyond

Toyota Community Spirit Gallery The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery is an initiative of the Toyota Community Spirit program.

The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery aims to provide space for artists from the City of Port Phillip and City of Hobsons Bay to exhibit their work.

Toyota is pleased to present urbantide curated

by Ken Wong. Toyota is working with the Hobsons Bay City Council and the City of Port Phillip on this project.

urbantide

20 emerging artists from the communities of Hobsons Bay, Port Phillip and beyond

artists

guestartists

MarisaAvano DonBlick SuzanneCroft RonEden SarahEwing ErikaGofton PeterGresham AnnetHammacher MaciejKarolczak HenriettaManning AdrienneMazer-Swinton ThomasMorison AndrewMusgrave IlonaNelson JuliePetrovich IvanaPinaffo CarlReis WendyRennie JennyDavis BibiViro

curator

KenWong

thanksto

KatarinaPersicHobsons Bay City Council SharynDawsonCity of Port Phillip CathTempletonToyota Australia

invitationand cataloguedesign

WatchArts

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KenWong

Curator

This exhibition is the second dedicated specifically to the works of emerging artists and marks the first twelve months of operation for the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery. During that time it has been my pleasure and privilege to curate the exhibition program documenting and providing exposure for the works of over 70 local artists.

Urbantide features the works of 18 artists who live, work or have a connection to the communities of Hobsons Bay or Port Phillip showcasing the quality and diversity of local practice. For the first time we are also exhibiting two guest artists providing opportunity and exposure for the practice of artists from outside the local area. The works provide an insight into the hearts and minds of a diverse group of people from various age groups and social and cultural backgrounds who all have their own reasons for pursuing the creative process. Many are following a career path while for others it is purely a pastime but in all cases their practice provides a vehicle for self expression that adds to the dialogue of contemporary urban existence.

Some of the works highlight the beauty and wonder to be found in the natural and man made environment while others explore a more introspective and sometimes darker individual emotional and psychological response to modern society and urban life. The important thing is that these works come from people exploring their own personal truths, an act which potentially has a wider resonance for us all. One of the great things about art is that it opens a window into the perspectives of others and in so doing creates the opportunity for a greater understanding of the incredibly diverse culture and individuals that make up our society.

Australia, and Melbourne in particular, is a cultural melting pot of enormous potential as evidenced by the fact that almost half the exhibiting artists are migrants from overseas who have brought their own unique culture and perspectives to our community.

I hope you enjoy this exhibition but most of all I hope it helps you to appreciate what a powerful and potentially harmonising force art and artistic expression is in the evolution of our emerging culture.

Welcome to Urbantide.

Biography Ken Wong is the Director of Watch Arts, a locally based contemporary arts consultancy. He has worked in the fine arts industry since 1997 in both commercial and community arts, curating and managing a host of projects including gallery and outdoor sculpture exhibitions. He is a founding member of Southside Arts, an industry body in the City of Port Phillip consisting of 20 local galleries, and is currently the curator of the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery.

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catalogueofworks MarisaAvano

Doin’ the Loop Hot Chocolate

acrylic on canvas acrylic on canvas

2001 2002

$1000 $950

DonBlick

Williamstown –in the Autumn

oil on canvas board

1994

$295

SuzanneCroft

Hideaway Beach

acrylic on canvas

2005

$400

RonEden

Homosapien speaks to Mr. Sun

photo print

2005

$1200

SarahEwing

Ali

photograph

2003

$580

ErikaGofton

Untitled 2 (Chesterfield) Untitled 4 (Buttons) Untitled 5 (Hydrangeas)

oil on canvas oil on canvas oil on canvas

2004 2004 2004

$1900 $1900 $1900

PeterGresham

Interiority Complex

mixed media on canvas

2005

$1500

AnnetHammacher The Harbour The Square

photograph photograph

2004 2004

$360 $360

MaciejKarolczak

photograph

2005

$1350

HenriettaManning Eunice The Tower Block Series The Red Curtain Francis and her grandchild 4:30pm with Bob and Norm Alf Adrienne Mazer-Swinton Go Fish

acrylic on masonite acrylic on masonite acrylic on masonite acrylic on masonite acrylic on masonite

1995 1994 1995 1995 1995

$2000 $1200 $2500 $2000 $1500

acrylic on canvas

2001

$450

ThomasMorison

acrylic on canvas board

2005

$350

AndrewMusgrave Sands of Port Phillip I

oil on canvas

2005

$3000

IlonaNelson

Don’t wanna know

type C photograph

2004

$350

JuliePetrovich

Passageway

acrylic on canvas

2004

$950

IvanaPinaffo

Market Place in Assisi

oil on canvas board

2005

$400

CarlReis

Transient Urban Landscape # 9 oil on canvas

2005

$1400

WendyRennie

Deep Waters

acrylic and ink on canvas

2005

$750

JennyDavis

Guernsey St.

oil on board

2004

$1800

BibiViro

Great Expectations

inkjet print on fine art paper unframed

2002 2002

$995 $595

Crash Landing I

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community of Port Phillip

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MarisaAvano

Doin' the Loop acrylic on canvas 2001, 91.5cm x 122cm

Marisa Avano was born in Melbourne 1963 and has worked in the City of Port Phillip for many years. The daughter of migrants who came to Australia seeking a new way of life, she grew up influenced by a family of artists and has been exposed to art from an early age. She has studied and exhibited her works on a part time basis since the late 1970s but it is only in recent years that she has begun to pursue professional practice having completed an Arts Business course in 1998. Her work is based on observations gained from her experiences and the environment, transcribing what she sees and feels into her paintings, utilizing expressive brushwork and vivid colour. “When creativity hits, paint doesn’t come out of its tube fast enough”, she says. “When those moments come, I like to allow the viewer to experience a moment in time in its purity - uncluttered with detail”.

artiststatement This piece documents Melbourne commuters via the city rail loop and describes a way of life.

The iron Richmond rail bridge is deliberately enlarged from reality to exaggerate the past and present industriousness of a working city. This cool structure contrasts the warmth of a dusky orange sky nearing the end of another working week – a relief, when most workers gather for a mass exodus to the suburbs for a weekend adventure or free time. The painting captures: the transition between one moment to another – responsibility and freedom, and a common link to the city that unites us.

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community of Hobsons Bay

DonBlick

Williamstown - in the Autumn oil on canvas board 1994 , 41cm x 51cm

Don is a 72 year old retired newspaper manager who has had an interest in art all his life. He has been a member of the Hobsons Bay Art Society for the past 13 years and received the society’s most improved award in 2000 and an encouragement award in 2001. This year he won first prize in the 'Painting of a subject in the City of Hobsons Bay' category of the QENOS Art Show in Altona.

artiststatement This picture was painted on site, depicting suburban Williamstown as it was in 1994. The building has since been completely renovated and redeveloped and is now an exclusive residential apartment block.

community of Hobsons Bay

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SuzanneCroft

Hideaway Beach acrylic on canvas 2005, 100cm x 50cm

Suzanne was born in 1970 and has lived in Altona all her life. In 1990 she began working at Toyota Port Melbourne and was transferred to the new Altona Plant in 1994 but left in 1999 to have the first of her two children. In 2003 she discovered her passion for art and began painting and attending art classes locally. She finds using her creative side gives her an outlet from the demands of family life.

artiststatement I believe that to move forward as an artist you must always be evolving. I evolve by always keeping my eyes open for any inspiration that I might see, whether it be a particular scene, image, emotion, expression. I’m always trying out new products to enable me to find a new way of expressing myself on canvas.

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community of Port Phillip

RonEden

represented by Gallery 461

Homosapien speaks to Mr. Sun photo print 2005, 70cm x 100cm

Ron has lived and worked in Port Melbourne for the past 4 years and was previously a resident of St Kilda for over ten years. He has had a long and distinguished career in the multimedia industry as a photographer, writer and director, but still considers himself an emerging artist as his work is always in state of evolvement and he is constantly exploring new horizons. In his early career, Ron was involved in the Melbourne music scene opening the Thumpin Tum Discotheque in 1965. He has worked as a freelance multimedia communications consultant for the corporate sector and multimedia artist/photo-iconographer including three stints working on projects in New York City. Currently he is working on the DISTANT EARLY WARNINGS multimedia project. These images are photographic interpretations of the impact of global warming and climate change on Planet Earth if the process continues unabated.

artiststatement

The Distant Early Warnings images have been transformed by exposure to some of the same chemical forces that are transforming our global environment. They are thought provoking and stimulate debate regarding their beauty as well as their symbolism of environmental chaos. As such, they represent a microcosm of the impacts of global warming.

Many of the transparencies are in a very delicate condition, so delicate in fact that they would not survive the rigour of duplicating, so each one has been digitally cleaned, scanned and painstakingly enhanced.

community of Port Phillip

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SarahEwing

Ali photograph 2003 Edtion 1/5, 53cm x 42cm

Sarah was born in Melbourne in 1983 and has lived in the City of Port Phillip all her life. She developed her passion for photography in the latter years of high school, going on to study at the University of RMIT [BA Photography]. In 2002 she was a prize winner in the Barwon Heads ‘Festival of the Sea’ photographic exhibition. She is passionate about the creative process and hopes to one day have her own studio space and dark room where she can explore and further develop her creative practice.

artiststatement

The primary focus of my work at this stage is portraiture. Photography allows me to follow my interest in meeting and working with people. This work explores aspects of the female form and utilises particular darkroom techniques. My aim is to capture the quintessential spirit of my subjects.

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community of Hobsons Bay

ErikaGofton

Untitled 4 (Buttons) oil on canvas 2004, 91cm x 61cm

Untitled 2 (Chesterfield) oil on canvas 2004, 91cm x 61cm

Untitled 5 (Hydrangeas) oil on canvas 2004, 91cm x 61cm

Erika graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Tasmanian School of Art in 1995.

Although now working solely as a painter, she majored in Ceramics in her final year of university, providing her experience in the three dimensional as well as work rendered in 2D. Practicing in a limited capacity whilst in Tasmania, it was not until moving to Melbourne in 2000 that she decided to seriously pursue her artistic career. Having exhibited in numerous group shows in Tasmania and in Melbourne, it was in 2002 that she held her first solo exhibition at Smyrnios Gallery in Prahran. Since then her works have been shown in various group exhibitions and she was a member of the Melbourne Independent Artists successfully participating in the Sydney Affordable Art Fair in 2004. She is currently developing a new body of work that she plans to exhibit in 2006

artiststatement I am inspired and stimulated by the smallest things in my surroundings. I find my imagery in the everyday and am attracted to the ordinary, to the often disregarded. I endeavour to examine, to dissect, to become intimate with objects that ordinarily may be overlooked. I am inspired by what makes certain objects visually distinctive and unique, not by what they are or what purpose they serve. Objects display their fragility, sensuality, strength and tension by their very structure by a combination of elements. I aim to explore these elements much the way a botanical artist examines every details of their subject. I feel challenged to transform my chosen subjects worthy of attention, to elevate them from the mundane to the precious.

community of Port Phillip

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PeterGresham

Interiority Complex acrylic/mixed media on canvas 2005, 150cm x 100cm

Peter Gresham was born in Melbourne in 1957 and has worked in the printing and graphics trade for 30 years. He has painted for his own enjoyment for much of his life but has only begun showing his work over the past year at various exhibitions in the City of Port Phillip.

He paints in acrylics and watercolours but also has a keen interest in photography. Recently he has become fascinated with the transient urban “artworks” which result from the fixing and removal of street posters on railway sidings and building site hoardings. He is currently on a mission to document these works photographically and the resulting images are providing the subject matter for his current series of paintings.

artiststatement This piece is from my series “Accidental Heroes” whereby I see in commercial art/photography/graphics some small moments that when amplified and taken out of context become emotional issues of a different kind. The series itself is mostly a photographic exposé but in some cases the images lend themselves to more potent large-scale paintings.

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community of Port Phillip

AnnetHammacher

represented by Phaze 3 Gallery

The Harbour photograph 2004, 51cm x 37cm

The Square photograph 2004, 51cm x 37cm

Annet was born in 1958 in The Hague, Holland and lived in Belgium and Sweden where she obtained a PhD before migrating to Australia in 1990 to pursue a career in medical research.

A resident of St Kilda since 1992, she has only recently taken her long-standing interest in photography down the path of personal expression, exhibitions and formal education, beginning part time studies for an Advanced Diploma of Photography in 2002. She has exhibited widely around Melbourne over the past three years and in 2004 she was awarded a Silver Distinction in the illustrative photography category of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography Awards in Sydney.

artiststatement

Being an immigrant to Australia with roots in various communities, a recurrent theme in my work is the crossing of borders – real and imagined – the sense of belonging and the recognition that ‘other’ can be ‘same’ or ‘different’ depending on our expectations. To emphasise this, I use alternative photographic techniques and plastic Holga Cameras.

Holgas are both ‘same’ and ‘different’. They are medium-format, point-and-shoot cameras made in China that have become popular in ‘the West’. Being made of plastic - with a plastic lens and corresponding individual qualities and quirks - they are both ‘toy’ and ‘tool’ to bring out the often over-looked detail and beauty in the everyday.

community of Port Phillip

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MaciejKarolczak represented by Anne Middleton Gallery

Crash Landing I photograph 2005 edition 1/1, 104cm x 84cm

Polish born, Australian photographer and digital-artist Maciej Karolczak is a newcomer to the visual arts. Having tried his hand at a Commerce-Management degree at University, Maciej decided to open his own business and make time to pursue his love of poetry. More recently he has chosen to translate the narrative of his words into pictures, and has been pursuing an interest in photography and digital art for the past two years. The familiar genre of portrait and landscape, are the starting points of much of Maciej’s work. He has lived in the inner city Melbourne suburb of St Kilda for a decade, and as a youth travelled extensively over four continents. Much of his imagery comes from his experience of the streets in St Kilda, and incorporates the symbology of many varying traditions from his travel. He exhibits regularly at Anne Middleton Gallery and was recently commissioned to provide artworks for the City of Port Phillip for the 2005 Port Phillip Business Excellence Awards.

artiststatement This piece is part of a series exploring the new possibilities offered by blending modern technology with traditional mediums, and the oldest of photographic techniques. Rather than trapped in amber, these insects are preserved in pastels as a digital photogram; a contact printing technique that pre-dates the use of negatives, converted to use modern technology that allows for the massive magnification, not possible with any traditional contact print.

Henrietta Manning

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community of Hobsons Bay

HenriettaManning represented by Catherine Asquith Gallery

Eunice acrylic on masonite 1995 72cm x 44cm

4:30pm with Bob and Norm acrylic on masonite 1995 51.5cm x 86cm

The Red Curtain acrylic on masonite 1994 65cm x 44cm

Francis and her grandchild acrylic on masonite 1995 81cm x 57cm

Alf acrylic on masonite 1995 50cm x 72cm

Born in 1961 in the United Kingdom, Henrietta studied at the University of London and received a BA with Honours in English and Art in 1984. She also studied lithography at the London College of Printing and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Art at the City Art Institute in Sydney in 1990. She has exhibited widely and has received various commissions and prizes but still considers herself an emerging artist as she has only recently become represented by an established gallery. Between 1994 and 1997 she lived in Hobsons Bay and in 1995 was awarded the Hoechst Art Prize. The works exhibited here are part of a series she completed during her time in Williamstown, one of which was purchased by the Hobsons Bay City Council.

artiststatement The Tower Block Series explored themes of isolation and community in the Housing Commission flats in Williamstown. The Williamstown commission blocks are isolated in their construction design aggravating the sense of social isolation that many already felt. Yet what I found on each floor was a strong sense of community and despite the bleak uniformity of the dwellings expression of great individuality. In August 2005 I am holding a solo exhibition at Catherine Asquith Gallery of current works, still exploring isolation in communities through the historic goldmining towns of Hillend in NSW and Walhalla in Victoria.

community of Hobsons Bay

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AdrienneMazer-Swinton represented by Phaze 3 Gallery

Go Fish acrylic on canvas 2001, 79cm x 94cm

Adrienne Mazer-Swinton was born in Detroit, Michigan but came to Melbourne in 1974. In 1977 she graduated from Caulfield Institute of Technology (Monash University) with a Diploma of Art and Design in Fine Art, adding this qualification to her earlier Degree in Art Education/Social Science from Wayne State University in Detroit. She has always created artwork in various mediums, as well as written short stories, novels, poetry and children’s books. While she has exhibited over many years, winning first prize in the St Kevin’s College Art Show in 1982, she still considers herself an emerging artist. Over the years work, writing and family commitments have taken precedence over her art practice and it is only recently that she has been moved to record her imagery onto canvas. She currently resides in Newport with her partner and two children, teaches art at Williamstown High School and has been involved in many cultural and community activities in the area. Much of her inspiration is derived from family, students and lifestyle.

artiststatement

I work in various mediums such as watercolour, acrylic, oil and etching, as well as three dimensionally in fibre and clay, to explore my surroundings and life. Having arrived in Australia the effect of Australian light has had a tremendous visual impact on how I’ve interpreted my surroundings. My style has developed from drawings, observations and photographs, reflecting the moment when the eye first glances at a scene before it is dismantled visually into smaller components. Overall, my work reflects my continuing fascination with the Australian environment and the changing colours due to light.

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community of Hobsons Bay

ThomasMorison

Urban Tide acrylic on canvas board 2005, 41cm x 51cm

Born in 1982, Thomas grew up in North Melbourne and attended University High School where he studied graphic design. In 2001 his family moved to Altona Meadows. Art has become a means of self expression for him following a short stay in Werribee Mercy psyche ward in 2001.

In December 2003 he began painting and his obvious talent has been developing swiftly ever since. In 2004 his work was shown in the ‘Re-inventing Culture’ exhibit at Footscray Arts Centre as part of a TAFE course. His compositions are bold, inventive and courageous, reflecting his observations on life with disarming honesty and demonstrating the insight of a true artist.

artiststatement I’ve been living at my current address since April 2001, riding the buses, seeing the sights, smelling the seaweed. This painting took a long time to complete and was based on an earlier sketch I had done.

community of Port Phillip

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AndrewMusgrave represented by Pivotal Galleries

Sands of Port Phillip I oil on canvas 2005, 120cm x 150cm

Andrew is a former resident of Port Melbourne who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Latrobe University in 1989. His career as a painter has begun to take shape over the past few years with exhibitions at commercial galleries culminating in his first solo exhibition at Pivotal Galleries in Richmond in 2004.

artiststatement My work is about an unrelenting longing to form a meaningful connection to the unconscious – the ever illusive and mysterious world of the ‘Other’. My paintings capture moments in this process, where spirit and matter are brought into a soulful relationship and what was once chaotic energy is transformed into a natural order. Through the act of painting I enter a space of “not knowing”. In this space concepts, thoughts and ideas give way to a deeper truth. The painting acts as a container for energy from the unconscious to undergo a transformation, as an organic form begins to emerge from a place outside my conscious mind.

Each painting represents my commitment to the process of ‘Lifting the Veil’ of my own illusions and discovering a deeper truth.

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community of Hobsons Bay

IlonaNelson

Don’t wanna know Type C photograph 2004, Limited edition 1/3 60cm x 84cm

Ilona has had the creative urge for as long as she can remember, but photography took priority when she was 10 years old in a caravan park at Queenscliff, when she set up her ‘Icehouse’ tape with her walkman and took photos of the composition with her pastel blue 110 camera.

It felt so right to be doing this that Ilona promptly went to her parents and declared that she wanted to do a photography course and ever since has viewed the world as if she’s looking through a lens. In 1998 she graduated with distinction as a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Latrobe University in Bendigo majoring in photography. Over the past few years she has exhibited across Victoria and earlier this year was the recipient of the Williamstown Festival Contemporary Art Prize local artists award.

artiststatement The environment I live in is the constant inspiration for my works. My ideas are always born from the things I see and conversations overheard when I’m walking the dogs along the beach. I like to stop and take in the sights and sounds around me and be inspired by watching people going about their lives. I try to approach subjects that people are concerned about, but don’t always talk about, such as how they really feel about the condition of the environment and the state of politics today.

community of Hobsons Bay

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JuliePetrovich

represented by Phaze 3 Gallery

Passageway acrylic on canvas 2004, 91cm x 152cm

Julie Petrovich was born in 1973 in New Zealand and has been attracted to art and spiritual aspects of our existence for many years. In 2004 she opened Phaze 3 Gallery in Newport, supporting local artists and art awareness in the community. She is currently curating an exhibition at The Substation and also a Hobsons Bay City Council exhibition at Phaze 3 for local artists. In recent years her practice has focussed on combining strong colours and thick layers with abstract cubism. The work is driven by emotion and she uses minimalist symbolism and bright strong colours to express it. While her energetic application of paint remains loose, capturing the harmonious and luminous effects of light and space, her precise constructions and networks of colour produce shifting forms and the illusion of perspective.

artiststatement This painting shows a candle, symbolizing light in the darkness of life, purification, cleansing, and holy illumination of the truth. I have used strong white lines around the candles which represent the soul, which is the closest source to the light.

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community of Hobsons Bay

IvanaPinaffo

Market Place in Assisi oil on canvas board 2005, 61cm x 51cm

Ivana was born in Tripoli, Libya in 1952. In 1970 she migrated to Australia with her family in search of a life of greater opportunity. She subsequently married and had two daughters and it was not until the early 1990s that she rekindled her childhood interest in art. She began taking lessons in painting, drawing and decorative and folk art, eventually becoming a teacher of decorative painting herself.

She has been a member of the Hobsons Bay Art Society for five years and in 2002 won First Prize at one of the local exhibitions. She considers herself an emerging artist because her passion and ever growing knowledge gives her the desire to share her work with others.

artiststatement Style comes from my heart and the hunger to improve keeps growing. My many trips to Italy have inflamed a belated passion for observing and painting European scenes.

community of Port Phillip

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CarlReis

Transient Urban Landscape # 9 oil on canvas 2005, 51cm x 138cm

English born, Melbourne raised Carl Reis has been involved in the creative field for several years through his work in the display/exhibition/design arena. Originally trained as a signwriter, Carl’s talent developed and led him into the design arena within the display/exhibition and retail environment.

It was from this point that Carl recognized another need within him and commenced his journey into the creative field of contemporary modern oil painting. His highly successful debut solo exhibition was held at Metropolis Gallery in St Kilda in 2003. Since then Carl has participated in numerous exhibitions in St Kilda, Albert Park, South Melbourne and Port Melbourne. A resident in the Port Phillip area for over 20 years, Carl’s strong connection with the local community and the bayside landscape is reflected in his ‘transient landscape’ and seascape works.

artiststatement With this new series of urban landscape paintings incorporating familiar urban icons and structures, I am continuing my exploration of the transient urban landscape. The work depicts a journey through the ever changing and unpredictable transient urban environment capturing a moment moving through space and transcending time.

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community of Hobsons Bay

WendyRennie represented by Phaze 3 Gallery

Deep Waters acrylic and ink on canvas 2005, 121cm x 91cm

Born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1975, Wendy trained as a sign-writer before commencing part time studies in the 1990s which culminated in her completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Quay School of the Arts, Wanganui in 2002. In 2003 she moved to Australia to pursue her career and is currently living, working and exhibiting in Hobsons Bay but has also continued to exhibit in New Zealand.

artiststatement As an artist, my work is just as much about the process of creating work, as it is the final result. This process involves working on a lot of paintings at one time, which helps to build a momentum, creating energy that then becomes a rhythm. This is where intuition takes over, hand and mind work together and gestures become automatic. My intent for the finished work is similar to the method I use. By building up a level of energy while painting that translates on a subconscious level my own experiences within the natural environment. In this case, my works are derived from the Williamstown beach area. My intention is not to reproduce the landscape literally, but the essence of a moment spent.

guest artist

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JennyDavis

Guernsey St. oil on board 2004, 90cm x 60cm

Jenny was born in Carlton, Victoria. At the age of 12 she won the Moomba drawing competition. In 1979 she travelled to the Northern Territory and was inspired by the colours and space which has had a large influence on her life and work. In 1980 she moved to country Victoria and became involved in the crafts industry opening her own craft shop in 1987.

During the 1990s her interest in fine art began to assert itself and she was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts. Her studies were curtailed due to illness, but over the past five years she has worked hard at her professional practice and was recently invited to represent Australia at an exhibition for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and also the Florence Biennale in Italy in 2004-6.

artiststatement Through my own observations and mark making, I wish to capture the essence of the past, by investigating and recording the traces left behind on the surface and the hidden space. I spend a lot of time, drawing, painting and photographing cities, alleyways, buildings, drain-holes, garbage dumps, streets, architecture and doorways. By taking the forgotten marks and scratches from surfaces rarely observed, I want to transform them, raising them to a higher plateau of awareness by making them more relevant in my work. I use these marks and scratches as history’s D.N.A.

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BibiViro

Great Expectations inkjet print on fine art paper 2002 limited edition print 1/25, 120cm x 120cm

Bibi has lived in Melbourne all her life and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Monash University in 1985. The early part of her working life was spent teaching and it is only in recent years she has focussed her energies on her own practice. For the past five years she has operated her own business supplying rugs and prints of her stunning images to many clients in the architectural and interior design industries. Her artworks are created entirely in the digital environment and she has worked over many years to develop her own expressive language in this medium. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and her works have been published in many magazines and articles and are held in collections across Australia, China and New Zealand.

artiststatement This image is a homage to the physical transformation women undergo during pregnancy.