Post Mod - an exhibition exploring postmodernism

toyota community spirit gallery presents

post

mod an exploration of postmodernism

Toyota Australia 155 Bertie Street Port Melbourne Victoria Gallery Hours Thu & Fri 1pm to 6pm or by appointment 22 February to 31 May 2006 Inquiries phone Ken Wong 03 9690 0902

postmod an exploration of postmodernism

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 more than 130 artists.

Toyota has worked with Hobsons Bay City Council and the City of Port Phillip on this project.

postmod an exploration of postmodernism featuring works by

Tsvia Aran-Shapir Nicola Archer Leonie Barton Buni Maryanne Coutts Daniel Dorall Ursula Dutkiewicz Miwako Inoue Sandra Kiriacos Thomas Morison Annabel Nowlan Matthew On

Rebecca Power Marian Rennie Geoffrey Ricardo Anne Ronjat Melanie Ryan Judy Shuter Fern Smith Bronwyn Taylor Paul Villani Stefan Twaine-Wood Yenny curator Ken Wong

thanks to katarina persic, hobsons bay city council sharyn dawson, city of port phillip cath templeton, toyota australia invitation, catalogue design & editing watch arts images this page annabel nowlan, geoffrey ricardo & nicola archer images front cover bronwyn taylor, buni, judy shuter, annabel nowlan, leonie barton, fern smith, sandra kiriacos & daniel dorall.

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artists & works Tsvia Aran-Shapiir The Couple

stoneware treated with acrylic pigment & sand Male 74 x 50cm 2005 $3750 Female 70 x 43cm 2005 $3750 page 06

Nicola Archer Love Picture

mixed media 125 x 57cm

2001

$777

page 07

ink & gouache 55 x 71cm

2005

$2000

page 08

mixed media on canvas 106 x 106cm

2005

$1037

page 09

oil on linen 182 x 135cm

2005

$8000

page 10

2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

$750 $550 $350 $350 $350

page 11

stoneware clay, underglaze, frit 29.5cm 2005

$340

page 12

oil on canvas 101.5 x 84cm

2001

NFS

page 13

acrylic on canvas 60 x 60cm

2005

$500

page 14

house paint on canvas 100 x 120cm

2005

$750

page 15

mixed media on canvas 150 x 200cm

2005

$4000

page 16

NFS

page 17

Leonie Barton Stepping Out

Buni Head Horrors

Maryanne Coutts Tunnell

Daniel Dorall Yellow Brick Road mixed Hunting in Green Pastures mixed Captain Cook mixed Curse mixed Santa vs. Santa mixed

media media media media media

20 10 10 10 10

x x x x x

20cm 20cm 10cm 10cm 10cm

Ursula Dutkiewicz Demon 2

Miwako Inoue Green

Sandra Kiriacos Emotional Blackmail

Thomas Morison Cowy at the Beach

Annabel Nowlan Outsider iv

Matthew On Surveillance (Dog Monitor) watercolour on paper (20 panels) 100 x 80cm 2003

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community spirit gallery

postmod artists & works

Rebecca Power

Forest in LĂźbbecke

oil on masonite 60 x 45cm

2005

$250

page18

oil on canvas 127.5 x 127.5cm

2003

$16500

page 19

copper 49cm

2005

POA

page 20

ceramic 41 x 22cm each

2005

$400(pr) page 21

Marian Rennie Pale Moon

Geoffrey Ricardo anno domino

Anne Ronjat Untitled (pair)

Melanie Ryan Frangipani

digital photographic print 78 x 67cm 2006

$440

page 22

oil oil oil oil oil oil

2004 2005 2006 2005 2005 2005

$2000 $2000 $2000 $2000 $1500 $2000

page 23

2005

$700

page 24

acrylic & pastel on primed linen 212 x 212cm 2004

$1500

page 25

acrylic on canvas 61 x 137cm

$5000

page 26

$700

page 27

$1800

page 28

Judy Shuter Aparajita-Undefeated Angeni-Spirit Angel Vinaya-Humble Sudarshini-Beautiful Lady Amanaki-Hope Kambo-Work for Everything

on on on on on on

canvas canvas canvas canvas canvas canvas

73 70 72 75 71 64

x x x x x x

57cm 53cm 56cm 58cm 56cm 53cm

Fern Smith Coy

digital artwork 108 x 88cm

Bronwyn Taylor Big Chicken

Stefan Twaine-Wood Mystical Moment

2005

Paul Villani Melbourne’s Hidden Secrets V11 digitally enhanced photograph 76 x 102cm 2005

YennY Untitled

type-C print 84 x 200cm

2005

community spirit gallery

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omt s o The Couple stoneware treated wtih acrylic pigment & sand, 2005 Man 74cm x 50cm & Woman 70cm x 43cm

tsvia aran-shapir

Tsvia was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, but received her Masters Degree in Counseling and Psychology at Boston University. She completed her practicum at NATO hospital, Department of Psychiatry in Frankfurt, Germany and in 1988 moved to Belgium, working as a psychotherapist combining Gestalt therapy, Art therapy and Body awareness. In 1993 she studied ceramics at “Atelier Circle” with Belgian artist Paty Wouters. The following year she enrolled at the Academy of Art in Antwerp (Academie voor Beeldende kunsten Berchem Antwerpen) specialising in sculpture and also completed 2 years at IKA (Hetinstitute voor Kunstambachten, Te Mechelen) specialising in glass before graduating in 2000.

She has exhibited since 1998 in Israel and Belgium including at the Second International Ceramics Biennale in 2002.

In August 2004 Tsvia moved to Australia with her husband and son and is currently finalising work for an exhibition at Uber Gallery, St Kilda.

Artist Statement While creating these forms, I was looking for the “true life” or the “true self”, forming in the image a call back to the basics of human existence, back to our basic selves as man and woman, as a couple. These highly abstract human figures resonate with serenity and physicality and radiate “inner force” something touchingly human.

I am fascinated by the human skeleton; as a reflection of a certain primeval innocence-the human frame revealing purity and authenticity as well as our strong connection with nature and with each other.

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community of port phillip

postmod Love Picture (detail) mixed media, 2001, 125cm x 57cm

nicola archer

Nicola is originally from Sydney and had a keen interest in art as a teenager studying screenprinting at high school. For the past twenty years she has worked in media as a publicist and in television and radio and also managed Australian bands including The Angels, Baby Animals and Diesel. She traveled and worked overseas for a year living in London and Africa. Ten years ago she visited Melbourne for the Spring Racing Carnival and ended up staying. She settled in Middle Park but now resides in St Kilda which she describes as ‘definitely the most interesting, pretty and eclectic suburb to live in Melbourne’.

This is the first public showing of her artwork.

Artist Statement I picked up a paint brush for the first time two years ago and over this period, I have painted my feelings and absolutely love it.

It is an inspirational outlet and I am completely in a zone when I create. I now don’t feel like a sane person if I do not create, mix and paint or draw on a weekly basis. In fact, something is missing inside of me and I am very unhappy if I do not. This ‘Love Picture’ represents the men in my life and my relationships with them. I had just moved into a beautiful house on the bay and that very weekend I had the urge to buy beads, to cut up my own necklaces and I spent hours weaving and threading the crystals to tell the story. I was saying goodbye to all of them, feeling grateful for most of the experiences and preparing myself to welcome in the new. community of port phillip

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omt s o Stepping Out ink and gouache, 2005, 55cm x 71cm

leonie barton

Leonie is based in Sydney and has only been developing her art practice over the past couple of years. In 2004 she studied ‘Making your Mark in Drawing’ at RMIT through Open Universities Australia and achieved a pass with distinction. This year she has commenced studies for an Advanced Diploma of Fine Art with Sydney Gallery School. Her works were selected as finalists and exhibited for various local art prizes in 2005.This is the first Victorian exhibition of her work.

Artist Statement Currently I am working in a mixed media format, which begins with drawing my subject matter in ink and blocking in the backgrounds in a more vivid colourful medium. This medium can be watercolour, pastel, coloured pencil or even oil stick. The images come to me generally in a “flash” for want of a better description and tend to just pop into my head whilst I am attending to the more mundane chores in life. I don’t tend to sketch out my work, just begin, as the image always stays so strongly in my mind. These images can be epic in their process as they can take several weeks to execute because of their incredibly fine detail.They are a journey for me from start to finish and a real commitment - one line in the wrong place and I’m back to the beginning. The backgrounds tend to emerge and be more playful and less intense thus balancing the work and myself in the process, like exhaling after having held my breath whilst getting the original image down. My work requires patience from both myself and the viewer, which is a nice connection. The more they look - the more they will see.

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guest artist / NSW

postmod buni

Head Horrors mixed media on canvas, 2005, 106cm x 106cm

represented by artasis

Buni was born in 1982 on the Mornington Peninsula but left home for the big smoke and bright lights of Melbourne where she became fascinated by all things plastered, painted, stencilled, glued and sprayed on lane way walls all over the CBD. While completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting at Monash University, she continued her interest in street art by becoming ‘Buni’ and sticking small self designed stickers of her new persona all over the un-expecting cracks, crevices, windows and doors wherever she went. She is still strongly influenced by street art but has departed from the outside art form and settled into life at her home studio. She has completed two solo exhibitions and participated in various group shows in Melbourne and Sydney.

Artist Statement I am interested in how memories make us feel, affect our state of mind and provoke emotion. My works capture the atmosphere of a memory and reflect how emotion has connected with a particular phrase or image. The work reveals the polarity of darkness and light creating discourse between these extremes. The presence of this disturbing space symbolises the distressed nature of our vast inner and outer worlds which form our sense of reality. I see memories as a way of reflecting and provoking response. Intrigued by the brain’s ability to recall and fabricate thoughts and memories, I am drawn to phrases that trigger these responses. These elements connect within the composition of the images to remind us of the interconnectedness and fragility of the human thought process. community of hobsons bay

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omt s o Tunnell oil on linen, 2005, 182cm x 135cm

maryanne coutts

Maryanne received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1981, going on to complete a Graduate Diploma at the University of NSW in 1984. In 1996 she commenced a PhD in painting from the University of Ballarat, completing her studies in 1999. She has exhibited widely since the mid 1980’s across Australia in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Hobart with a dozen solo exhibitions and numerous group shows. She has been the recipient of several awards and prizes including two Highly Commended awards for the Portia Geach Memorial (1999, 2000), the Urban Attitude Prize (Linden, 1999) and two Australia Council Project Grants (1982, 1992-3).

Maryanne is currently a resident of Albert Park.

Artist Statement As a painter I am always interested in implying a story. I am very interested in post-modern narrative strategies like self-reflexivity and ambiguity.

However, I feel that this painting is more a story about post-modern experience than being a post-modern work. In a sense I am looking for a way to use what I have learnt from postmodernism and move beyond it; to become less self conscious and yield to both the drama of events and the drama of paint.

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community of port phillip

postmod Yellow Brick Road cardboard, sand, plastic, hydrocryl, acrylic paint, synthetic grass, sandpaper, 2005, 20cm x 20cm

daniel dorall

Daniel was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1979 and grew up in Kuala Lumpur. He completed his first degree in architecture at the University of Malaya in 2002.

The following year he arrived in Australia and embarked on a second degree in architecture at Melbourne University, completing this in 2005. He has been included in several group exhibitions over the last few years and has curated two highly regarded exhibitions in Malaysia. In July 2005 he was the recipient of the University of Melbourne Student Union Arts Grant. He held his first solo exhibition in October of last year at the George Paton Gallery, Melbourne and was subsequently invited to participate in a group show at Red Gallery, Fitzroy. He is currently preparing for his next solo show in May at Red Gallery and has recently been curated into the Slide program at Gertrude Street Gallery, Fitzroy. The miniature tableaux exhibited here address social issues with wit and candour and demand that the audience re-evaluates their preconceptions about individuality and our relationships with each other.

Artist Statement I am keenly interested in the possibilities that exist between the functionality of architecture and the non-functionality of fine art. Using my skills and training as an architect within a fine art context I seek to challenge perceptions of space and our relationship to it and society.

guest artist / victoria

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omt s o Demon 2 stoneware clay, underglase frit, 2005, 29.5cm

ursula dutkiewicz

Ursula grew up surrounded by the abstract and expressionist paintings of her emigrant father Wladyslaw Dutkiewicz who settled in South Australia and became, along his younger brother Ludwik, one of the leading modernist painters there in the 1950s and 60s. Ursula became a professional ceramic artist in 1994 after completing a Bachelor of Fine Art from VCA in 1993. She has exhibited in over 40 shows and is a resident artist and kiln co-ordinator at Gasworks Arts Park Ceramic Studio.In 1996 she completed an architectural ceramics course specializing in wall murals and has since completed several commissioned projects for clients including Kensington Swimming Pool, South East Water, City of Port Phillip and Albert Park College. Her professional practice has included tutoring and workshops for all sectors of the community including projects with Footscray Community Arts Centre and Skinners Adventure Playground. She also created an Altar Installation for ‘Celebrate Women' in conjunction with the Women’s Circus and Amnesty International in the forecourt of the Victorian Arts Centre.

Artist Statement I started learning to be an artist as a young child by watching my father. My work is similar in content using elements of line and colour but unlike my father I use clay as a medium. I create my work with a limited range of colours and a technique that gives me an embossed textured surface. My clay works eventuate from a combination of knowledge, experience and being open to the moment.

My most recent work is from a series that are about releasing my inner demons.

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community of hobsons bay

omt s o Emotional Blackmail acrylic on canvas, 2005, 60cm x 60cm

sandra kiriacos

Sandra is a South Melbourne based artist whose works explore humanity from a personal and feminine perspective primarily through figurative forms. She held her first solo exhibition in South Melbourne in 2000 and her work was published as part of a 2001 emerging artists calendar. More recently her practice has begun to take on more complex layers of meaning facilitated and inspired by experiments with collage and a growing interest in design and digital media.

This work is part of a pair that deals with some of the darker aspects of power versus influence that can arise in personal and intimate relationships. It retains the traditional painterly approach and technique she aspires to but also borrows heavily from her recent, more postmodern experimentations. The bold use of vibrant colour is a trademark of her practice.

Artist Statement Applying paint to canvas is my way of conveying thoughts and emotions that I have no words for.

Sometimes I am perplexed by what is going on in my subconscious, but I have learned not to doubt, question or over analyze it. “The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.� Frida Kahlo

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community of port phillip

postmod Cowy at the Beach house paint on canvas, 2005, 100cm x 120cm

thomas morison

Born in 1982, Thomas grew up in North Melbourne and attended University High School where he studied graphic design. Art has become a means of self expression for him reflecting his observations on life and exploring the possibilities of his creativity. His painting practice is not yet three years old but his current works display an inventiveness full of bold, inquisitive and incisive cunning that demonstrates his unique perspective and wit. At the same time his pictures reveal a courageous and deeply felt humanity.

Artist Statement Postmodernism might claim that whatever I write here, is a narrative which I’ve rolled myself into. That in fact, all we have are stories we tell ourselves, stories that aid our imagining of relationships. After all, what is truth but a series of relationships? Belief is thus subject to usefulness. Postmodernism to me, is the era beyond (post) the modern 16th/17th century scientific enlightenment in Europe. It can be seen as a counter idea to there being a single globally authoritative perspective.

Postmodernism states that what a group or individual believes, may as well be true, when they believe it, if they believe it. Pomo can be seen as an attack on Truth, or as the empowerment of the viewer to define their own truth on anything (regardless of the author/authority).

community of hobsons bay

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omt s o Outsider iv mixed media on canvas, 2005, 150cm x 200cm

annabel nowlan

Annabel has held annual solo exhibitions in Sydney and more recently in Melbourne over the past fourteen years. Over that time she has exhibited in commercial galleries, regional galleries, artist run spaces and public venues.

In 1997 she was awarded an Art Gallery of NSW ‘Cite Paris Studio’ which enabled her to work and exhibit in Paris. In 2001 she was awarded a Museums Galleries Foundation grant for a group exhibition touring regional NSW. She completed her Masters of Fine Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2002 and was awarded the National Gallery of Victoria Women’s encouragement award and a highly commended in the Keith & Elizabeth Murdoch Travelling Art Scholarship.

In 2003 she was a recipient of an Australia Council and Melbourne City Council grant for her ‘Soldier Settlers’ projects. Her work is held in many private and public collections throughout Australia and also in the UK and USA.

Artist Statement These readymade objects, weathered by time and constant use are the vehicles of an intimate and personal narrative. Whilst these materials mimic and celebrate the rich vocabulary and nuances of the untamed environment they also locate human endeavour and man’s misguided attempts to dominate and subdue the land.

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community of port phillip

postmod Surveillance (Dog Monitor) watercolour on paper (20 panels), 2003, 100cm x 80cm

matthew on

Matthew is a contemporary artist based in Sydney. He completed his Masters of Art at the University of New South Wales in 2002. His drawings and paintings are based on watching people in the city and are occupied with the themes of identity, surveillance, pre-emptive actions and fear.

Artist Statement The Surveillance series of works have focused on my observations of the city, heavily influenced by the aesthetics and intent of the surveillance camera. By adopting the skewed, distant perspective and a monochrome palette, I set out to depict the denizens of the city as seen through a camera lens. As well as choosing the aesthetics of the surveillance camera, the intention was to focus on the idea of pre-emptive security, viewing others as a threat prior to knowing who they really are. As I worked with my painting and drawings, it was interesting to see how easily the figure lost its identity and became typecast by its clothing and actions; innocent motions appeared menacing when taken out of context; the individual was lost and replaced by a ‘type’ of person that fell into a pre-arranged category; built environment, imagination and artificial images merged with life to create hybrid beings living in a hybrid world (being equal parts fantasy/reality). These artworks are inspired by images and objects found within the Metropolis (i.e. images derived from computer games, advertising, surveillance cameras, graffiti, film and television images, comic books, photography, magazines, newspapers etc.) guest artist / nsw

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omt s o Forest in Lübbecke oil on masonite, 2005, 60cm x 45cm

rebecca power

Born in Melbourne in 1979, Rebecca completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Victorian College of Arts in 2000.

Since graduating she has traveled extensively visiting South America including Peru, Bolivia and Argentina in 2001. A European tour followed in 2003-4 taking in Germany, France, Italy, England, Scotland, Holland, Croatia and Austria. She has also managed to find time to produce two solo exhibitions at Universal Café Gallery in Hawthorn and has participated in several group shows in Melbourne and regional Victoria. In 1999 she was a finalist for her rug design at the International Trade Imports Award, Melbourne and in 1997 received a special mention at the Australian Silk Cut Award. Her work has been published on the front cover of ‘Tricks of the Trade - The Homebuilder and Renovators Guide’ on three occasions. Her travel experiences have expanded her horizons and provided much inspiration for her art practice.

Artist Statement ‘Forest in Lübbecke’ is about the strange familiarity I felt when seeing the German landscape for the first time. It was as though all the fairy tales that I heard as a child finally had a real place. The dark woods, the big pine trees, the shadows in the forest, all provided the perfect backdrop for tales such as ‘Hansel and Gretel’ or ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.

There is also a haunting and poignant quality to ‘Forest in Lübbecke’. It could be said that it is more about a psychological space rather than a real place.

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community of port phillip

postmod Pale Moon oil on canvas, 2003, 127.5cm x 127.5cm

marian rennie

Born in 1954 to a large family in rural Victoria, Marian has painted from the age of seven. Her sketchbook has been her constant companion. Leaving school and family at eighteen she has kept a vast record of her interpretations of every aspect of our lives. She has recently returned to the surrounds of her childhood, relocating her studio and gallery from Williamstown to Acheron in Central Victoria in 2005. Marian’s emotional country is as vast as the continent. Her controlled vibrancy of colour and the absorbed textures of the worlds she paints give her paintings a unique sense of awe and power. She has exhibited widely since the late 1980’s throughout Australia and also internationally and has completed numerous private and public commissions.

Her works are held in collections in Paris, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, New Zealand, Germany, Dubai, London and throughout Australia.

Artist Statement There are times when a painting seems to appear from nowhere, totally unrelated to the body of work in hand...and my life has then followed that path. ‘Pale Moon’ was painted in my studio at Williamstown, long before I had considered returning to live in the country, long before I was once again dealing with the issues of life "outside our urban comfort zone" on a daily basis. I was unable to explain this painting until my return to the country last year...so often I have felt like the woman on this canvas...a touch of "the Drover's Wife" in a post modernist world. I feel particularly close to this painting. community of hobsons bay

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geoffrey ricardo

anno domino copper, 2005, 49cm

represented by australian galleries

Geoff is a Melbourne based artist whose practice includes painting, printmaking and sculpture. He has regular solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Australia and internationally. He lectures at the Victorian College of the Arts and has presented many printmaking workshops in Victoria. His work is in public and private collections in Australia and overseas and he is represented by Australian Galleries in Melbourne and Sydney.

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community of hobsons bay

postmod Untitled ceramic, 2005, 41cm x 22cm each

anne ronjat

Anne was born in Paris, France and has pursued a passion for the creative arts all her life. In 1990 she completed a Diploma of Ceramics and began an intensive apprenticeship with renowned French ceramicists Vanier, Montaudoin and Duru which she completed in 1994. Shortly after she migrated to Australia and worked as a thrower/decorator until she established her own range of fine functional ceramics in 1997. She has held studio space at Gasworks Arts Park in Albert Park for several years and began creating sculptural ceramic works in 2000. In 2002 she was invited to participate in the Becton Sculpture Biennial and created a life-size trio of figurative works which helped to create a platform for her sculptural practice. She has held two highly successful solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria. This work is a new direction for her exploring clay as a surface for inscribing and painting her images in coloured glaze.

Artist Statement My sculptural work evolves around the theme of femininity. The woman is seen as a place of meeting between earthly elements and ethereal forces.

As a serene being, she surrenders to the natural process of life rather than forcing or manipulating it. Using the creative process as a meditation, I attempt to create pieces that have an aura of tranquility and that give the viewer an experience of feeling centered and peaceful.

community of port phillip

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omt s o Frangipani digital photographic print, 2006, 78cm x 67cm

melanie ryan

A passion for colour photography has consumed Melanie since her VCE studies when she was fortunate enough to attend a school where super chrome printing was available to students. This adoration continued to grow when she was accepted into RMIT’s Illustrative Photography course at the age of 18. During her three years of study she developed technical skills and a desire to follow the stars into fashion/editorial photography. Towards her final year at RMIT, she became a preferred photographer with emerging fashion design students, models and makeup artists, constantly shooting creative visions and ideas. After graduating with distinctions from RMIT, she relocated to Sydney to promote her talents and pursue her goals. While in Sydney, she came to realize that commercial photography did not suit her style or nature. She returned to Melbourne and redirected her passion towards creating images with a freedom that allows her to explore the colour and design within nature’s creations. She is now pursuing a new career in exhibiting and publishing the images she creates.

Artist Statement Fresh and ready for a new era, this image captures the texture and beauty of nature suspended within a moment of transparent light. By freezing my subjects, I have created additional textures and pockets of light and air to explore a different view of Mother Nature’s creations. A mystifying sense of depth and perspective is present, as layers of petal and leaf lie caught adrift in a flow of time ... suggestive, romantic and enquiring.

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guest artist / victoria

postmod judy shuter

left to right / clockwise

Aparajita - Undefeated 73cm x 57cm, 2004 Vinaya - Humble 72cm x 56cm, 2006 Sudarshini - Beautiful Lady 75cm x 58cm, 2005 Angeni - Spirit Angel 70cm x53cm, 2005 Kambo - Work for Everything 64cm x 53cm, 2005 Amanaki - Hope 71cm x 56cm, 2005 all works oil on canvas

Judy came to her art practice late in life, starting classes in 2000 at the age of fifty. Her practice became a form of therapy for her through a life threatening illness and now has become an all consuming passion. The works exhibited here are based on photographs from magazines including National Geographic. This method of painting portraits would at one time have been frowned upon as ‘inauthentic’. Postmodernist theorists like Fredric Jameson have proposed however, that these works fit into a category referred to as simulacra (copies of copies) that have potential beyond or separate to the originals. In any case, few would deny the tangible humanity inherent in Judy’s pictures. These images pose serious questions about the state of global and gender equality.

Artist Statement I have worked all my life and decided a few years ago that it was now ‘my time’ to do what I really wanted to do. I started art classes as a beginner not really knowing if I was cut out for it. Shortly after I began classes I was diagnosed with cancer and had to give up work to undergo chemotherapy. In some ways this worked to my advantage as it gave me even more time to study and immerse myself in painting. At this point art became a lifeline for me. My days were spent in sheer bliss, totally losing myself in the world of oil paints and turps. I now can’t imagine life without art. I am so happy when I have a brush in my hand that time stands still for me.

I love to paint old people or people with their life written on their face and in their eyes. guest artist / queensland

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omt s o Coy digital artwork, 2005, 108cm x 88cm

fern smith

Fern’s artwork uses current dialogue, arguments, and questions from academic papers and reports, official statistical information and media reports to create visual re-interpretations using post-modern and feminist thought.

Since 1985 she has produced fourteen solo exhibitions and participated in eleven group exhibitions across Australia in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria. Much of her work is concerned with exploring the status of women in the ‘modern’ world. In 2000 she completed an Advanced Diploma of Interactive Media at the Canberra Institute of Technology. In 2002 she designed and developed ‘Xmaz Blitz’ an exhibition featuring twenty-six artists and was also a member of the management committee of Axiom Gallery. Between 2003 and 2004 Fern researched, designed and developed a body of interactive artwork and a booklet to assist in creating community awareness of the social and physical impact of hepatitis C. This project was in collaboration and partnership with a host of community, government and corporate organizations including the Hepatitis C Council of Victoria, La Trobe University, the City of Melbourne and the Department of Human Services.

Artist Statement “Coy" is using postmodernist feminist thought to visually interpret the conflicts with our personal and actual interpretations of the word ‘coy’.

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community of port phillip

postmod Big Chicken acrylic and pastel on linen, 2004, 212cm x 212cm

bronwyn taylor

Bronwyn was born in Young, NSW moving to Canberra at age seven where she began private studies in art with renowned printmaker Chrissy Grishin (GW Bot) in 1994. Bronwyn moved to Sydney and then Wollongong, where she commenced a Bachelor of Creative Arts/Arts at the University of Wollongong in 1999. She transferred to The University of Melbourne and completed her B.A., majoring in Art History in 2002. Throughout her life she has traveled across Australia and overseas, most recently working in the Tiwi Islands with local visual artists.

She has exhibited in three solo exhibitions and several group shows since 1999, including The Dominique Segan Drawing Prize at the Castlemaine State Festival in 2005. Currently a resident of Melbourne, Bronwyn is being mentored in printmaking by Diana Orinda Burns in Sandon and is also completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Drawing Department at the University of RMIT. Artist Statement Chickens have been an ongoing subject in my work since 2001. Initially I was interested in portraying the characters of toy chickens. More recently it has extended to the consideration of the intensive farming of chickens and the practice of de-beaking.

community of port phillip

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omt s o

stefan twaine-wood

Mystical Moment acrylic on canvas, 2005, 61cm x 137cm

Stefan was born in Bendigo in regional Victoria in 1956. His family moved to Adelaide in 1964 where he eventually studied art at the South Australian School of Art between 1975 and 1978. The following year he joined Roundspace Studio Collective for a period of five years before moving on to Central Studio.

During the 1980’s & early 90’s he worked as scenic artist in the theatre and television industry. In 2002 he moved to Melbourne and joined Studio 106 in St Kilda in June of last year. His most recent solo exhibition was in 2001 in Adelaide and he has taught painting, drawing and pastels as well as completing commissioned works over the years. His works are held in collections including Wabash Engineering, Chicago, USA, New Parliament House, Canberra, City of Onkaparinga, SA, West Lakes Mall Collection, SA and various others throughout Australia.

Artist Statement As an artist I find it hard to put my work into a category. The best way for me to describe my work is to say - I paint illusionistic images that reflect my situation in my environment. I aim to capture a duality and a spirit of place - and beyond. My obsession to use multiple images has taken me down an interesting path of discovery thus the ‘Mystical Moment’. Whether or not I have had a postmodern moment, I could not really say at this stage.

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community of port phillip

postmod Melbourne’s Hidden Secrets VII digitally enhanced photograph, 2005, 76cm x 102cm

paul villani

Paul was born on the 26th of September 1970, the day Carlton defeated Collingwood in one of the most famous Grand Finals of all time. It was taken as an omen that he would pursue ‘great things’ in his life and his considerable musical talent was nurtured through singing and guitar lessons from a young age. In fact he displayed a broad range of artistic abilities that included acting and a lifelong interest in photography. In his late teens he became involved with the independent music scene and for over ten years he played in bands and released two independent recordings, touring across Australia.

Throughout all of these experiences he has continued to document his life through photography and it is in the last few years with the advent of digital media that photography has become the focus of his creative energies.

Artist Statement Photography has been a part of my life all the way. I’ve always treated my camera like an American Express Card ... “Don’t leave home without it”! As far as postmodernism is concerned, I have my own sense of what it means and what it depicts and I am happy to have known it and to leave it behind. I hope that one day the art that myself and other artists locally and universally are creating is worthy of a new title…or perhaps no title at all!

guest artist / victoria

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YennY

Untitled type-C print, 2005, 84cm x 200cm

YennY was born in Vienna but came to Australia in 2000 to build on her education and experience in Europe. She has exhibited widely and has been a finalist in several award exhibitions across Australia. In 2002 she was the winner of the Sanpellegrino Melbourne Café Society Photography Competition and in 2004 was invited to show in The Fine Art Photography Exhibition by Agora Gallery at Soho and Chelsea, New York. Her works have been selected for public art projects at the Australian Centre for Moving Images, Federation Square, Williamstown Art Festival and Tram-Shelter Installations in the Melbourne CBD. YennY is a professional artist, curator, creative program developer and lecturer who has worked with various institutions, organisations and private parties. She has recently taken up a position as a lecturer at the International College of Professional Photography and Multimedia and is currently curating an international photographic exhibition for the Melbourne Fashion Festival 2007 as well as several shows of her own.

Artist Statement In a world that is getting faster and faster by the day, where people are hardly aware of their surroundings and emotions any more, I believe art provides a truly beautiful medium to bring back human awareness of self and place. This enables people to experience the foreign and the strange as well as to observe details of the world that surrounds them but may be overlooked in the hectic rush of their busy lives. ‘Untitled’ forms an abstract interpretation, a collective observation and intensive search for the complex character of a city, its people and its country. It engages with the deep complexity that is embedded within every centre of history and culture and visually confronts the loneliness and the nostalgic beauty present in any large metropolis.

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community of port phillip