Town Hall Gallery

We are looking for Public Art in Camberwell!

2012-01-05T11:25:00.000+11:00

Impression of the site for the newly proposed commission.

We are currently seeking expressions of interest from artists and groups for a commissioned public art work to be installed in Camberwell.

Information and artist brief can be sourced here. The deadline for expression of interest is Tuesday 17 January at 4pm.

You don't have long to get your EOI in, so get to it! This will be a significant work in Camberwell and will highlight the newly renovated Camberwell Library and Offices.

Pre-Fab: a word from the curator

2011-12-16T15:13:00.000+11:00

Work by Rosi Griffin.

So why Pre-Fab?

We all live around prefabricated and manufactured items. It is part of our everyday lives. Often we can move past these objects and materials without too much thought for them but then there are artists whose gaze are caught by the beauty within these shiny materials. They are so consistent in their form and alluring.

Pre-Fab and the works within it sit within a strong history of artists using prefabricated and manufactured materials. A classic example is of Marcel Duchamp who in 1917 presented what he called a 'ready-made' work, that of a mass produced urinal, signed R. Mutt. We have also seen super-star artists Damian Hirst and Jeff Koons create works that utilize manufacturing methods and materials with a team of workers to push their concepts to the rest of the world.
The term Pre-Fab is a shortened version of the word pre-fabricated. It's also a play on the word 'fab' and fabulous, which I think this exhibition is.

The definition of prefabricated is:

1. To manufacture in advance, especially in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled.

2. To make up, construct, or develop in an artificial, unoriginal, or stereotypic manner.

These 2 definitions capture, yet make fun of the ideas behind this exhibition. There are works here that have been manufactured well in advance and make use of standard shapes and sizes, such as the installation work of Veronica Caven Aldous. Even the title of this work 3 x 3 and 2 x 2 speaks in a language that we would hear at Bunnings.

However the contrast of this is the floor installation by Cristina Palacios. Her collected discarded bottle tops, lighters and other plastic caps have been carefully placed on the gallery floor during the 8 hour set up period. This work is something that evolves in a very organic manner and changes from exhibition to exhibition, whenever it is installed.

The second definition is one that I believe all of the Pre-Fab artists play with and that is the contradiction of the artificial, the unoriginal and that of the stereo-type. Margot Westhorpes' work is one that cheekily talks about ideas of stereo-type and unoriginality by the materials that she has selected. We see the striped plastic carrier bag transformed into a women's jacket. Margot aims to challenge our notions of fashion and stereotyped identity by reconstructing clothing items from cheap $2 shop materials.

However Pre-Fab isn't just about artists using manufactured items. It's also about creating works that mimic them. Both artists Jasmin Coleman and Carly Fischer trick us with their carefully handcrafted and laborious works.

Carly Fischer creates specimens of trash out of delicately cut and folded paper. Her works mimic the thrown away items found in many street gutters of fast food wrappers and cigarette butts. It is only on careful inspection that the viewer realizes that they aren't trash but very life-like artificial models created by the artists own hand.

Coleman similarly takes everyday concrete off the floor and imitates it onto a canvas. When removed from it's usual location, the 'concrete' shows a real beauty and stillness that we may not contemplate when walking though our concrete jungle.

The idea of the artificial comes up within Nikita Burt's work. Through the use of deconstructed artificial flowers, combined with plywood, Nikita maps out our relationship with the natural world and the manufactured one and how we can co-exist in both. The removed faux petals become a mark making device and another material in what is probably the most traditional looking and wall work within this exhibition. It's only on closer inspection that you can see the interplay between hard metal tacks and delicate textiles. Really a metaphor for our existence within a city environment.

Rosi Griffin explores ideas of architecture through her constructions. Inspired by the idea of a home and implied security within that structure, she has sourced her materials from building sites and hard rubbish collections. The materials within these structures show a fragility within the idea of the home but also look at the amount of waste is created via building new houses.

As you can see, there are so many themes and materials that cross all of these works and that have inspired our artists. They really have built a particular language that sits between art and the prefabricated world. It is a contemporary language and one that I hope resonates with our viewers.

interview with Cristina Palacios

2011-12-15T16:32:00.000+11:00

Cristina's work in Pre-Fab

A close up of the lids that form the installation by Cristina.

We asked Cristina Palacios some of the 'hard questions' regarding her large installation as part of Pre-Fab. It took her close to 8 hours to install the hundreds of plastic lids and containers to create this work.

Cristina's discussions about her work are always fascinating, so enjoy this short interview!
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF! WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and migrated to Australia in 1987. In my teens I lived in New York for six years and had also travelled extensively throughout Europe, Latin America and Asia.

My interest in materials, colour and patterns comes from my previous profession as a fashion designer. My research attempts to combine a wide range of different materials, processes, and influences. This reflects the diverse cultural and personal experiences throughout my life. It has been important to try and incorporate these prior histories within my art practice.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK? WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU WORK IN?
This project investigates my personal, cultural and spiritual beliefs. The circle is explored as spiritual motif, as well as notions of energy, cyclical repetition, and transformation.

My approach is interdisciplinary; however I am inspired by the hidden potential of unconventional materials, and the spontaneity of drawing practices, particularly within an installation context.

The circle throughout history has come to symbolize unity, infinity and wholeness. I believe that all life starts as a dot in the universe, a single cell or atom that transforms into matter, energy and sometimes humanity.
The circle, the spiral form, organic shapes and nature’s fractal geometry are part of my ongoing investigation.
The circle and the spiral form, represents the Universe, evolution and the spiritual growth throughout our lives. The spiral reaches out beyond the circle, and continually transforms.

Intuitive processes are employed throughout my research, particularly in relation to drawing.

My dreams are an important source material and I propose that mystical subject matter can be accessed through drawing these experiences.

‘TESTOYMIRANDO’ (IAMWATCHINGYOU) is an investigation using the body as a metaphor to convey Eastern philosophies of the ‘Mind’s Eye’. The continuous use of the circle in my work alludes to creation, life and body organs like the eye. The motif of the eye refers to photographic processes such as camera aperture, the eye as a virtual studio, the gaze, subjectivity and the void.

The Latin American sensibility of my work comes from my Argentinean heritage, and my interest in sacred forms that ritualize spirituality and mythology.

This work refers to the ‘mind’s eye’ or the ‘third eye’, which is a metaphysical and esoteric concept in Eastern and Western spiritual traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism. In New Age spirituality, the third eye may also symbolize a state of enlightenment or the evocation of subconscious images that have deeply personal spiritual or psychological significance. The third eye is also associated with visions, clairvoyance, precognition, and out of body experiences. These concepts interest me, and repetition within my work is used to create an optical field, or an experience of immersion.

TELL US WHY/HOW YOUR WORKS FITS IN TO THE PRE-FAB IDEA?
The ready-made and found materials are important in my practice. I have collected discarded objects on a daily basis for many years, and incorporated these materials into artworks. I am interested in creating new potential for these waste materials, and this reflects my concerns about the superficiality of consumer culture, and our insensitivity towards nature.

Intuition, spontaneity and chance occur through the use of unconventional materials that allude to packaging and the environment, using plastic materials to play with the idea of immateriality, temporality and impermanence

‘TEESTOYMIRANDO’ is a floor-based installation made from plastic lids that I have collected for the last five years. I have ambiguous feelings about plastic as a material. On the one hand I feel extremely concerned about the proliferation of plastic in our environment and on the other I love the activity of recycling, and also the purity of the colours

IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANOTHER ARTIST, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? WHO INSPIRES YOU?
Louise Bourgeois and Yayoi Kusama. Unfortunately Louise Bourgeois passed away last year.

I visited Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition titled “Mirrored Years’ at the MCA in Sydney. Yayoi has had an enormous influence in my practice, so the opportunity was there and I took it with open arms. My response to her exhibition was ‘WOW, AWESOME KUSAMA’; to see her work live was an unforgettable experience. Her versatility and her commitment to art were inspiring. Being 80 years young she still works every day in her studio in Tokyo. My dream is to meet this incredible artist one day soon.

WHAT'S YOUR WORK PRACTICE LIKE? DO YOU WORK IN A STUDIO/HOME? WHAT GETS YOU IN THE MOOD TO CREATE?
I’m always working, I was very lucky to have a studio in the city for a period of 7 years while I was studying. That did not stop me to also work at home. I believe my virtual- studio or brain- studio it’s always at work especially when I’m sleeping. I get into the mood by the smallest things, Nature offer’s me constant inspiration.

IS THERE A SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR CREATIVITY? DO YOU HAVE MUSIC OR SILENCE?
My taste in music is very eclectic; I listen to classical music, Opera, Jazz, Pink Floyd, Gotan Project, Tango, Hotel Costes…etc…etc…. . Sometimes only silence will do….depends on my mood. There is no perfect ‘FORMULA’

WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL TAKE AWAY WITH THEM FROM SEEING YOUR WORK?
Like John Lennon I ‘Imagine’ a world with no frontiers, a world with more compassion and accountability...

I am intrigued by how humans defile the natural environment which they so revere. This enquiry into human defilement of nature inspires me to use unconventional materials; the discarded and those considered as waste, and the social meaning these materials intrinsically carry. I explore the irony that humans need to save the natural environment whilst destroy it though excessive consumerism.

My works reveals a Latin American sensibility, with strong links to both traditional art and the Neo-concrete movements in Brazil. I am also influenced by traditional Japanese art and my art combines an eclectic range of influences.

This openness is an important aspect of my practice, which aims to communicate notions of energy, transformation and potential across cultures

My goal is to build a cultural bridge without the boundaries of place, race or colour. I wish to unite and enrich myself and others. That is my commitment.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE IN 10 YEARS TIME? WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?
I just want to be me, at peace, content, happy and being one of the most expensive Female artists of the century.

You may ask why? I’m not a commercial artist, just because dreaming it’s free, and I can dream as big as I possibly can. It doesn’t’ cost me anything… so I dream very big….

I have a dream…. And my dream is to be able to support with my ‘expensive art’ as many self-sufficient farms I can have around the world. These farms will provide love, shelter, education and support to about ‘20 Kids’ that live in the street.

Every time Christie’s or any other auction house sells any of my work a substantial percentage of the money auctioned will go to support these ‘Farms.

That it’s my dream……

Interview with Veronica Caven Aldous

2011-12-12T12:42:00.000+11:00

If you are addicted to colour, then you will adore Veronica's works. We thought we would add this little video work so you can see how the colours change and draw the viewer into a hypnotic state.

Enjoy this little interview with Veronica...

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?
Born East Melbourne. I have travelled around Australia, to many countries and lived also in Sydney, Perth, The Netherlands and India.

How would you describe your work?
Always changing, interested in an engaging experience and playing in an interface with painting.

What materials do you work in?
Many, from oil paint to anything at all.

Tell us why/how your work fits in to the Pre-Fab idea?!
Materials used and the interface with manufacturers.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?
In life………..how long have you got?

In art ………..never thought about it. Where I am now is pretty good. Working on a PhD at Monash, after MVA at VCA, exhibiting from time to time, with a supportive flow and communities of other artists and people interested in art to engage and interact with.

What's your work practice like?
Mostly in my head, sometimes around the house and in gallery spaces.

Do you work in a studio/home?
Studio is at home but I visit a few factories and discuss ideas with manufacturers.

What gets you in the mood to create?
Sometimes an idea from last work and sometimes random things or timing.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?
Silence and much time goes by.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
Possibly some memory of engagement….whatever the material used, the halting of thoughts to consider something else caused by the materiality of the work.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!
I once heard an answer to the question what is a successful artist answered by John Scurry, at MARS Gallery, Port Melbourne, he said……..one that is still going. My goals are somewhere in that space.

We Chat to Carly Fischer...

2011-12-06T16:33:00.000+11:00

One of the works by Carly Fisher on show in Pre-Fab

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?
I’m originally from Melbourne and completed my BFA at RMIT in 2000. After a few years working in the Melbourne art scene, I decided to go and live in Tokyo for 1 ½ years, to be surrounded by the pristine fabrication and presentation that was emerging in my work. After returning to Melbourne for a year, I left again for Berlin, where I have largely been until now. So I would say I’m actually from a few places and so is my work!

How would you describe your work? What materials do you work in?
My practice explores the increasing fabrication of our contemporary reality, where its very substance is being homogenised, gentrified, globalised, reproduced, mass-produced and sold back to us as commodity and cliché. I’m interested in the effect this has on our relationship between place and placeless ness, as the local and personal specificities of our environment are becoming more and more generic.

Through my work, I comment on these tendencies through mimicry, creating homogenous paper replicas of the mundane detritus that litters our everyday. These models are installed in different, often large-scale arrangements that replicate the street scenes they are based on. Aside from the installations, the models are made into smaller sculptures that resemble sets and collectables.

Tell us why/how your work fits in to the Pre-Fab idea?!
Instead of referencing industrial fabrication and mass-production through obvious forms, I’m interested in interrupting our expectation of objects through ambiguity. My sculptures could pass for factory-made replicas, but they are not. Although mimicking such manufacturing through labourious repetition and generic replication, the paper models are entirely hand-made and essentially fragile and intimate. Their source, industrial refuse dumped on the street, references the vulnerable side of mass-production; hard rubbish piles of out-dated products, abandoned construction site debris, warehouse squat spaces in transition and scrunched up packaging blowing around in the gutters. Spending time remaking the throwaway initially seems redundant, but intends to question the very limitations of fabrication itself.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?
Living in different countries and sticking it out for a decent enough time to move past being a tourist and understand the culture. I’m particularly interested in this balance, between a localised knowledge of place, and the more globalised and pre-conceived tourist perspective. Furthermore, I think living in non-English speaking countries has been a huge achievement; feeling helpless, like an outsider and being in the position of an (voluntary) immigrant. It has been important for understanding people as much as heightening my awareness of my surroundings spatially.

What's your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create?
My process involves a lot of studio-based time in production. To balance this, I take a lot of walks around the streets in between. I actually gather most of my ideas while walking the streets, as my subject is often the refuse that collects there. Some of this trash is photographed or taken back to the studio as source material for my paper models. Although the form and process of my work is quite consistent, it has had to adapt to living in different cities and the availability of working spaces as a result. These limitations have often produced new work; in Berlin I had a tiny basement space for a couple of months that resulted in working in miniature.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?
Music is a huge part of my working process. The lyrics that I listen to in the studio or while walking the streets influence the form and also the title I give to my sculptures and installations. Sometimes a work is made in response to a lyric, or a lyric is searched for that fits a finished work. Similar to reproducing the trash through fabricated models, the titles of my work appropriate the personal sentiments of lyrics.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
I hope that my sculptures and installations act as triggers for people to re-notice the increasing fabrication of their everyday reality. As the objects I replicate are both local and global, it’s interesting to explore their relevance when re-contextualised to different places. The sculptures in Pre-Fab were made in Berlin and reference Berlin trash; although many of the brands are global, their specificities are local (McDonald’s packets look slightly different in Australia!). I’m interested in spending time looking at and fabricating the mundane stuff we step on everyday, so that people might step differently when they walk out into the street. In Berlin, after seeing my installations, people have commented on how they “see my work everywhere on the street.” It’s funny.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!
I would love to be able to work between places. As my practice is largely concerned with the relationship between the local and global, working directly with and about different international spaces is important to its development and relevance. I’m interested in creating site-specific installations that ‘travel,’ re-contextualised to other cities and back to Australia. It would be great to be based in Australia, but I’m happy to follow any good opportunities to live and work with different communities, cultures and spaces.

You can find out more about Carly's amazing works via her website http://www.carlyfischer.com/ definitely check it out, her larger scale installations are beautiful!

Interview with Margot Westhorpe

2011-12-01T09:28:00.000+11:00

View of the amazing jackets and hats made by Margot Westhorpe.

We chat with Margot Westhorpe about her works for Pre-Fab. This is the first time Margot has exhibited at Town Hall Gallery and her jacket made from a $2 striped plastic bag featured on the Pre-Fab invitation cover too!

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?
I have travelled extensively with my husband and three daughters, living for extended periods in England and Sweden. After leaving full time teaching I have pursued my interest in Chinese studies and completed a PhD in Chinese identity. I consider myself a full time experimental visual artist. In my current work I draw on my life experiences as well as gender and cultural studies in order to explore the ways women live their lives in a contemporary global environment.

How would you describe your work? What materials do you work in?/
Tell us why/how your work fits in to the Pre-Fab idea?!
While I love to mix oil on canvas, I find using ceramics, paper, plastic, and textiles; to express my ideas, is an exciting way to express my ideas. Appropriating these readymade products allows flexibility in constructing art and sculpture pieces as well as increasing depth of analysis. Plastic is also the chosen material for mass produced items which have come to represent our society and the times in which we live. The theme PRE-FAB defines the ways in which artists have adopted the mass produced items from the factories and emporiums of our cities to construct and create sculptural works which were once considered illegitimate in the world of art.

In my work I employ the mass-produced objects sold in the iconic “$2 shop” which operates in almost every shopping centre and mall. Targeting bargain hunters of every age group, these shops are renowned for their gaudy presentation and often bizarre products. Their stock includes items made of “shiny, plastic and metal materials”. Buyers are amazed by their vivid colours and kitsch design, particularly in a society which favours the bland. In appropriating these gaudy objects, which include every imaginable household, decorative and personal item, I have created a series of wall works and small scale sculptures in order to explore gender, ethnicity and Chineseness, in our consumer society. This focus is refined in several works where my concentration is on the ways in which China’s social, political and economic policies have impacted on Chinese women, in both China and Australia.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?Completing my PhD has been both challenging and rewarding. When I left university in the 1970s, I never imagined that I would return to study Mandarin or to complete a doctorate in education and gender. I recognise now that there are no restrictions in life, and understand that what is imaginable is possible.

What's your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create?
I work at home in a small studio. The inspiration “to create” comes is often spontaneous and often after considerable deliberation.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?
Mostly I work in silence, allowing the work to move freely and towards its own specific conclusion.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
I hope that when people look at my work they will understand that there are multiple ways of understanding. When they see the utilitarian and mundane objects which I employ – possibly in a combination which they have never considered before – they will acknowledge new possibilities which they have previously not considered.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!
In 10 years time I would like to have refined my artistic practice and of course, be a much better artist!

Don't forget that Pre-Fab is on display until Saturday 17 December!

Interview with Nikita Burt

2011-11-27T19:53:00.001+11:00

Detail of one of Nikita's works on show at Pre-Fab.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?

I’m originally from the sun-struck part of the state, Mildura, and I think I’m coming up 5 years in Melbourne this year…I’ve just completed my Grad. Dip in Creative Arts Therapies at Miecat, Fitzroy.

How would you describe your work? What materials do you work in?
My assemblages on paper, linen and wood often employ tools for actions that we make everyday, tools that we construct and deconstruct our world with. Staying with these actions provides opportunities for new forms and new ways of being to emerge.

Tell us why/how your work fits in to the Pre-Fab idea?!
I’m intrigued by our capacity to love the natural world, and our insane attempts to imitate it. In the case of artificial flower production, there is a tension for me between the absurdity of them and their brilliance. Producing these works has been a process of consolidating this conflict, confronting the space between the conditioning of our industrial ways and our relationship with the natural world.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?
Completing a 12 month residency at Box Hill Community Arts Centre as I feel learning to work with the community is pretty important for artists.

What's your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create?
Nature, a pot of tea and a journal close by is usually a good start to the day. Currently I’m in transition between two studios, I’m getting ready to move from the Box Hill Community Arts Centre Loft studio to House of Bricks in Collingwood.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?
A bit of both at times, mostly it’s instrumental pieces, lately it’s Dirty Three.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
Perhaps a new relationship with synthetic flowers?

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!
A full time arts practice, more collaboration and definitely some kind of role in my community that helps others move through difficulties or life transitions using art.

Chatting to Pre-Fab artist Jasmin Coleman...

2011-11-23T16:58:00.002+11:00

Installation view of Jasmin's work at Pre-Fab.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?
I am an emerging artist currently based on the Sunshine Coast in QLD.

How would you describe your work?
My hybrid practice shifts between painting, sculpture and most recently large scale site responsive installations. The artworks I am exhibiting in PRE-FAB, Concrete Painting (2005) and Framework (2009) both emphasise materiality but in very different ways as there was a six year gap between their making. Both works do however mark my continued interest in employing plainspoken industrial materials and refashioning them so that material and structural integrity is highlighted. This aspect of my practice has continued to be a key focus however, more recent works (most notably Stabiliser's 2011) are much more ambitious in scale, site responsive and also geared to encourage active audience participation and reflection.

What materials do you work in?
To date, I have primarily worked with concrete, metal scaffolding tubes and couplers, perspex, hardwood timber and acrylic paint on canvas. I am presently working with fabricators to realise a very elegant freestanding installation, which will consist of multiple highly polished aluminum objects.

Tell us why/how your work fits in to the Pre-Fab idea?
I generally work with industrial building materials, which include those, that are prefabricated (i.e. scaffold tubing and couplers) I am attracted to their innate strength and function as tools used to transform. Construction or notions of the built are also central to my practice. I try to avoid modifying any materials so that structural integrity isn’t compromised. My artworks are therefore informed by both the object /materials limitations and potential.

One of the elements from Jasmin's Framework Series

What achievement are you most proud of to date?
In the earlier part of this year I toured my Stabiliser's installation nationally and I was pleased to be able to realise what was a very ambitious and logistically challenging project. Most importantly though the project success was due in most part to numerous individuals and businesses who graciously offered their time and financial support. During this time I also realised the value of effective project management, communication, collaborating with artists and forming partnerships with trade businesses.

What's your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create?
Generally a concept for a new artwork will be prompted by the discovery of a new object or material. I tend to bank ideas and if they stay with me long enough they I start a process of rigorously aligning concept and form. By this stage obsession has well and truly set in and everything around me gets messy. I don’t have a studio at present so most rooms inside the house are affected.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?
I do find that walking for a very long time whilst listening to music is very useful activity for sifting through ideas. But I also spend a lot of time in silence deliberating over ideas.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
How we experience and respond to art (or anything for that matter) is an individual experience so I wouldn’t like to forecast audience responses. Although, it would be nice if concrete’s appeal were to be reevaluated.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!
Ten years is too far away for me gauge but I would hope that I would have travelled extensively and that I would have developed passions outside of my creative practice.

You can see more of Jasmin's work via her website http://www.jasmincoleman.com/

Hebridean Raven is at Town Hall Gallery

2011-11-02T10:51:00.000+11:00

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to host Hebridean Raven, a solo exhibition by Norma Ann McGowan.

McGowan is of Scottish heritage and was inspired to use the symbol of the raven as they hold an intrinsic position within the Celtic culture. They are sociable creatures whose clever and inventive behaviour can amuse and annoy the people amongst whom they live. She stated that her childhood memories from the islands of Scotland include the thieving ways of the local ravens. In Scottish mythology they also play the role of protectors of the Western Isles, so they are regarded with affection as well as exasperation.

The paintings in the exhibition consider the sleek physicality of the raven; their wings spread wide as they rush towards the object of their interest, their mouths open as they communicate with glee. The floor installation suggests their social nature and the movement of the feathers in the slight air currents of the room implies the possibility of flight and freedom.

The exhibition is open to the public from Wednesday 26 October until Saturday 19 November. Norma will also be discussing her work on Saturday 5 November from 2pm.

Interview with emerging curator Feyza Yazar...

2011-10-12T11:32:00.000+11:00

Town Hall Gallery Curator, Mardi Nowak with mentee, Feyza Yazar.

1. Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?
I'm a Melbourne gal and I try to live up to the cliches of wearing black and drinking coffee! I'm currently a student at Deakin University in the throes of completing a Masters in Cultural Heritage degree and figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. After completing my undergraduate degree I left Australia on a one-way ticket and landed in Tokyo, where I spent the next ten years perfecting my ume-shu (plum wine) recipe and the fine art of dressing like a Harajuku girl. The former being successful and the latter, not so!

2. What inspired you to curate Gluttony and the Gourmand?
The concept of Gluttony and the Gourmand was ignited by my observations upon returning to Australia and realising Australians were consumed (and still are) by food and dining out. The pervasion of food related TV programms, blogs, restaurant reviews, celebrity chefs and conversations relating to food and dining struck me as bordering on the obsessive. The situation was made all the more pertinent when close to six million Australians watched the 2010 MasterChef finale, and the national election debate had to be moved to a different time slot for fear of low ratings! Adam Liaw and Callam Hann (the two amatuer chefs during the 2010 finale) had more appeal than Julia Gillard and Tony Abbot. Food for thought!

3. What has been the best experience as part of the THG Emerging Curator Program? What has been the most challenging?
The best experience of the THG Emerging Curator Program has been the opportunity to execute an exhibition from concept through to installation, and all that takes place in between. Curating an exhibition may sound rather simple but it is a multi-faceted process, which requires organizational skills, great time management and problem-solving wizardry! It's been a wonderful opportunity for which I am very grateful, as curatorial internships are extremely rare and highly coveted. Having the chance to work with artists has also been a brilliant experience. I am always in awe of creative people and their work, their vision and imagination delights and surprizes me. The challenging aspects relate to my having to juggle life, in particular student-life, and trying to dedicate time to both the exhibition and school work, it would easier if weren't the nerd that I am. Overall it has been a brilliant opportunity made all-the-more fun by my mentor Mardi Nowak, who has been a tremendous support.

4. What achievement are you most proud of to date?
Getting through this degree is a very proud achievement. Study is a very solitary pursuit, with hours of reading, writing and more reading, the end result is an alphanumeric grade not money, so keeping motivated is hard at times. In saying that, I do love it and on a good day when the birds are chirping and the sun is shinning I do entertain thoughts of completing a PhD. Utter madness, I know!

5. What do you think people will take away with them from seeing the exhibition?
I hope people leave the exhibition thinking about the multitude of ways food and contemporary food culture is constructed and represented, from both images in the media through to the final products we see on supermarket shelves and consume in restuarants. The food industry is a gargantuan industry with the heavyweights of advertising and marketing leading the pack and we as consumers/foodies are not passive agents within this equation but active participants by the decisions we make on where and what we choose to consume. I hope people find the exhibition thought provoking and critique their own relationship to contemporary food culture in Australia. It's also a great chance to see works by both established and emerging artists and support the arts community in Australia.

6. Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!
Gainfully employed in the arts, (is that an oxymoron?) would be a triumphant start! I still haven't purged the travel bug from my system so a curatorial stint at Istanbul Modern which lies on the shores of the Bosporus would be a dream come true.

Gluttony and the Gourmand exhibition essay

2011-10-05T14:51:00.000+11:00

Article in the Progress Leader 4 October, 2011

Gluttony & the Gourmand features five works by contemporary Australian artists who are perplexed, consumed and nauseated by contemporary food culture. Working in different mediums, the artists examine the complex terrain which foodies navigate and our culturally loaded notions of status, celebrity and health.

Corinna Berndt’s series depicting ‘pretend gourmet dishes’, evokes the stylized images consumers are bombarded with in advertisements, books and tv programs. The visual representation of food in highly artificial terms, by the juggernauts of marketing and advertising, alongside the star power of celebrity-chefs play on the lifestyle aspirations of consumers. Within this paradigm, food and dining denotes one’s status within a social class and is more than the act of satiating hunger.

“I am interested the dramatic shift of representation of food through media. Whilst images of food in recipe books from previous decades could be considered more naturalistic, they now seem much less appetizing, and even garish, compared to the extremely manipulated and stylized images of food which inundate contemporary society nowadays. Food is no longer portrayed to resemble itself. Instead, much like the fashion industry, the media produces images of a highly constructed, plastic-like dream, playing on the multiple desires of the consumer.” (Corinna Berndt, 2011)

Annie Hsiao-Wen Wang’s ongoing series ‘Marketplace’ also explores the theme of the visual representation of food and contextualizes it within the traditional wet markets of Taiwan. Wang’s stark photographs highlight our disassociation with the origins of our food and are a commentary on the ‘highly sterilized and polished ‘food pornography’’ which pervades supermarkets and the dying tradition of food markets.

‘As a child growing up in Taipei many of my fond memories are of situations of meet and greet in these markets. However, Taiwan is now rapidly being taken over by western consumerist ideals; large, sterile shopping centers are gradually replacing these markets of old values and traditions.” (Annie Hsiao-Wen Wang, 2001)

As our obsession with food, dining and the cult of the celebrity-chef grows, so too does Australia’s battle of the bulge, heart disease and other lifestyle related illnesses. In this way, food becomes a contested zone, a never ending cycle of temptation and guilt. Kate Williams and Emma Hicks’ installation ‘Junk Thought’, comments on the increasingly conflicted relationship of food and health in contemporary Australian society and seeks to illicit alternatives to the current position.

“At the same time as Australians’ weight skyrockets we are bombarded with media images of ultra-thin models and celebrities; diet and exercise become the flip side of the one coin. Master Chef runs back-to-back with The Biggest Loser, tapping the same “Junk Thought”. Losing and gaining become one and the same, interchangeable, just more stuff to fill the void.” (Kate Williams & Emma Hicks, 2011)

Ruffbat Creative’s (duo team of Rhiannon Mc Lay and Josh Rufford) recent works allude to the epicurean tastes and the myriad of food movements and practices which have weaved their way into everyday discourse. These expensive products and complex food movements and practices are another minefield for foodies as vocabulary, lifestyles and budgets need to accommodate the next phase in culinary evolution.

“The pieces are illustrative explorations of some of the weird and wacky terms and explanations we’ve heard of and discovered ‘in our food journey’ (Masterchef pun intended)…Things like localvore, pescetarianism, ovo vegetarianism…..are all choices people make in their dietary preferences and needs.”(Ruffbat Creative, 2011)

In the ever expanding market of food-related entertainment and the appeal of the exotic the table feast by Katie Jacobs and Brittany Veitch alludes to the environmental impact of our consumption. The use of Australian native animals also hints at the commoditization of Australia’s unique fauna as consumable objects. The intricately detailed construction of Brittany Veitch’s hand-felted Bilby Suet Pudding sculpture alongside Katie Jacobs’s delicate and meticulously crafted ceramic works reference the labour-intensive and time-honoured art of cooking a feast.

Gluttony & the Gourmand exhibition intends to critique the complex and dynamic force which food and dining has within contemporary Australian culture and aims to leave the audience reflecting on his/her own relationship to food.

Essay by Feyza Yazar, 2011.

Food Glorious Food!

2011-09-30T11:56:00.000+10:00

Artist Kate Williams mopping her brow through her 40 minute session of Junk Thought.

Gluttony and the Gourmand was officially launched last night at Town Hall Gallery to a fantastic crowd. The weather was miserable outside but it didn't keep our patrons away, who were very excited to see the exhibition and in particular the performance component, Junk Thought.

Artist Kate Williams started the performance, with a timed 40 minute session on the spin bike. With live streaming being shown on their website, viewers tweeted at them urging them to "eat a cheeseburger" or "Kate, those cupcakes look good, eat one!".

Artist Emma Hicks, replying to viewers tweets telling her what to eat.

The audience at Town Hall Gallery were mesmerised by the cycling. The girls appeared to had created a stage at the back of the gallery and their set was a mass of fast food, fizzy drinks and sweets. At first the audience appeared to be in shock but as the counting beeps of the time trial sounds got faster, louder and more intense, the audience drew in closer and started to feed the girls additional treats. They didn't have enough hands to hold all the food on offer and respond to tweets at the same time. As the 40 minute session drew to an end, the girls looked nauseus and sticky from all the cake they had eaten.

After their time on the bikes, I asked Kate how she felt. She responded, "it was much harder than I thought it was going to be". With the constant stare of the audience and their sadistic laughter and offering of food, it was something that the artists couldn't prepare for.

Below are some short You Tube clips from Kate William's session on the bike. Both Kate and Emma will be answering questions about the performance on Saturday 1 October from 2pm to 3pm as part of the In Conversation public program.

Get On Your Bike!

2011-09-29T10:10:00.000+10:00

Click on image to make bigger for ease of reading!

The official launch of Gluttony and the Gourmand is tonight from 6pm to 8pm. One of the works for the exhibition is an installation and performance/interactive piece by duo, Emma Hicks and Kate Williams. Their work titled Junk Thought, investigates what role the media plays in shaping our eating habits and how us as consumers, navigate our way through reality television programs and advertising.

Junk Thought will be 'played out' tonight as Kate and Emma get on their spin bike in the gallery. They will be filmed and the outcomes of their cycling and scoffing of a variety of junk foods will be streamed on their website http://www.ek1.com.au/ . Patrons can cheer the artists along by tweeting at them during their performance by tweeting @EK1_emmakate and using the hashtag #junkthought

This is one not to miss!

Preparing for Gluttony and the Gourmand!

2011-09-16T11:56:00.000+10:00

Gluttony and the Gourmand, the latest exhibition at the Town Hall Gallery, is an examination of contemporary food culture and our obsession with food, dining and the cult of the celebrity chef. Curated by Feyza Yazar, as part of the Town Hall Gallery Emerging Curator Program, the exhibition brings together a range of works by contemporary artists to create an eclectic and ‘appetizing’ display.

Whilst watching the Master Chef 2010 finale with 5.74 million other Australians, and inadvertently causing the national election debate to be moved to a different timeslot due to fears of low ratings, Feyza was struck by the way audiences are captivated by the hype, marketing and celebrity which dominates the complex terrain which consumers navigate. This idea shaped the concept for the exhibition in which our interaction with food and our role as ‘foodies’ is explored.

Feyza has curated the exhibition as part of the Town Hall Gallery Emerging Curator Project and has worked on a 10-month mentorship with Town Hall Gallery curator Mardi Nowak.

This exhibition will feature artists Anne Hsiao-Wen Wang, Corinna Berndt, Emma Hicks, Kate Williams, Katie Jacobs, Brittany Veitch and Ruffbat Creative who will survey the contested zone that is contemporary food culture.

Visitors are invited to join Feyza and exhibiting artists ‘In Conversation’ as they discuss Australia’s obsession with food culture, on Saturday 1 October from 2pm.

Gluttony and the Gourmand is open to the public from 28 September until 22 October.

We chat with Cristina Palacios

2011-09-07T10:32:00.000+10:00

We chatted with our current exhibiting artist, Cristina Palacios about her exhibition Pachamama and what inspires her. If you would like to know more, then come along to our In Conversation program this Saturday 10 September at 2pm. Cristina will be answering questions and telling us all about how this show came about.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF! WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America. I migrated to Australia in 1987.
My interest in materials, colour and patterns comes from my previous profession as a fashion designer.

I have also been exposed for many years to the drama, colour and light of the theatre. My eldest sister was an opera singer and I was exposed for the first time as a six year old to the opera ‘Madame Butterfly’. The experience was a powerful one and it left me with a deep fascination for the exoticism of Eastern cultures.

My works reveal a Latin American sensibility, with strong links to both traditional art and the Neo-concrete movements in Brazil. I am also influenced by traditional Japanese art and my art combines an eclectic range of influences.

This openess is an important aspect of my practice, which aims to communicate notions of energy, transformation and potential across cultures.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK? WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU WORK IN?

The source of my inspiration comes from PACHAMAMA. She is a sacred cosmic living being and a feminine god that is fertile and nurturing. In South American mythology PACHA represents infinity, the feminine spirit of force, the ‘Cosmos’, the divine and the sacred. MAMA means mother, therefore PACHAMAMA is Mother Earth. The infinite aspect is often represented by the use of the circle with no beginning and no end. This endless cycle has captured my interest and attention.

The circle and the spiral form, represents the Universe, evolution and the spiritual growth throughout our lives. The spiral reaches out beyond the circle, and continually transforms.

Pachamama’s Poncho is a work that interprets an imagined story about the birth of the rainbow. I wanted to make up a fictional story about her ability to create. I used craft to convey a sense of femininity, I used colour and a repetitive action to access the subconscious abstract realms.

The poncho is widely worn in South America, and so I based the sculpture on this garment. This version is enormous (850cm x 145cm), and is therefore designed for a figure that is beyond human scale or form. Pachamama’s Poncho was made with acetate ribbon, which is used in the fashion industry to make sequins. I wanted to create a large artwork that evoked the energy and vibrancy of this mythical figure. The acetate had a ‘wow’ factor that suggested new forms and processes. The reflective quality of the material is important because it creates a bright surface, and also reflects the viewer looking at the work.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO WORK IN THE MEDIUM THAT YOU DO?

My approach is interdisciplinary; however I am inspired by the hidden potential of unconventional materials, and the spontaneity of drawing practices, particularly within an installation context.

My research attempts to combine a wide range of different materials, processes and influences. This reflects the diverse cultural and personal experiences throughout my life. It has been important to try and incorporate these prior histories within my art practice.

The ready-made and found materials are important in my practice. I have collected discarded objects on a daily basis for many years and incorporated these materials into artworks. I am interested in creating new potential for these waste materials and this reflects my concerns about the superficiality of consumer culture, and our insensitivity towards nature.

Intuition, spontaneity and chance occur through the use of unconventional materials that allude to packaging and the environment, using plastic materials to play with the idea of immateriality, temporality and impermanence.

WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF TO DATE?

Wining an Award in Tokyo Japan; and being a finalist of ‘The Silk Cut Award’ in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

As a consequence of being a Finalist of the Silk Cut Award 2008, I was invited for the Summer Printmaking Residency at RMIT; which entitled me with the use of the facilities of the printmaking department for the year and an edition of my prints to be kept for the RMIT Collection.

IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANOTHER ARTIST, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? WHO INSPIRES YOU?

I would have liked to have the opportunity to collaborate with Louise Bourgeois but unfortunately she passed away last year.

Yayoi Kusama is the other artist that inspires me and my dream would be to meet this amazing artist, one day soon. I visited Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition titled “Mirrored Years’ at the MCA in Sydney. Yayoi has had an enormous influence in my practice, to see her work live was an unforgettable experience. Her versatility and her commitment to art were inspiring. Even though she is in her mid 80’s, she still works every day in her studio in Tokyo.

WHAT'S YOUR WORK PRACTICE LIKE? DO YOU WORK IN A STUDIO/HOME? WHAT GETS YOU IN THE MOOD TO CREATE?

I was lucky enough to have a studio in the city for a period of seven years while studying. That never stopped me working at home as well. My studio is at home now but my most prolific studio is the one in my head which I call my ‘virtual studio’, it never stops, especially when I’m sleeping.

I get inspired by nature and life in general, especially under tumultuous times.

IS THERE A SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR CREATIVITY? DO YOU HAVE MUSIC OR SILENCE?

My taste in music is very eclectic; I listen to classical, Opera, Pink Floyd, Gotan Project, Tango…etc…etc…. . Sometimes only silence will do….depends on my mood.

WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL TAKE AWAY WITH THEM FROM SEEING YOUR WORKS

My aim is to share my interpretation of the spirit of the land, to engage and transport the viewer to universal landscapes. The content of these works can elicit a sense of journey which parallels my own travels.

I hope that these works evoke a sense in the viewer of the varied experiences, in relation to an appreciation of difference and similarity in culture and personal identity; a journey that started for me some 9 years ago, as seen through the eyes and sensibilities of a Latin American artist.

My goal is to build a cultural bridge without the boundaries of place, race or colour. I wish to unite exchange and enrich myself and others that is my commitment.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE IN 10 YEARS TIME? WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?

I’m not a commercial artist but what I would love in 10 years time is; to be one of the most ‘expensive female artist’.

Why you may ask? My dream is to be able to fund with my art a few self-sufficient farms in different countries in the world to house homeless children. To be able to care, teach, nurture and give them some sense of belonging.

That’s my dream…I like to dream big…it costs me nothing….

Pachamama begins next week!

2011-08-26T09:33:00.001+10:00

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to host Pachamama, an exhibition of works by Cristina Palacios.
Pachamama is an interdisciplinary exploration of Argentinean myths of creation, cosmic energy, growth and proliferation.

This exhibition investigates the artists personal, cultural and spiritual beliefs, in particular the spiritualized Mother Earth figure, called Pachamama in Argentinean culture.

Using unconventional materials and installation, Cristina Palacios explores the idea of this South American mythology and Pachamama to share her interpretations of the culture and to transport the viewer through some universal landscapes.

The exhibition opens on Wednesday 31 August and runs until 24 September. Cristina will be talking about her work at the In Conversation program on Saturday 10 September at 2pm.

Artists! Do you wanna be part of PRE-FAB?!

2011-08-19T11:28:00.000+10:00

Do you want to be part of our upcoming exhibition Pre-Fab? And no, we are not talking about pre-fabricated houses!

Please see below for information from our artist brief for this exhibition!

PRE-FAB

Exhibition Dates: 23 November to 17 December 2011
Deadline for expressions of interest: Friday 17 September, 2011

The Town Hall Gallery invites artists to submit Expressions of Interest for a curated group exhibition under the theme Pre-Fab.

Exhibition Concept:
Pre-fab highlights creative processes that re-purpose manufactured and mass-produced objects into works of contemporary art. Artists have for a long time been seduced by the shiny, plastic and metal materials that are often associated with industrial factories and are now claiming these materials as their own. Works involving these ordinary and everyday materials build a language that sits between the art world and that of the manufacturing one.

Artists are now finding that they may not purchase their materials from the traditional arts supply but rather are collaborating with welders and plastic manufacturers to realize their ideas.

We are looking for works that use pre-existing manufactured items in new and innovative ways and works that utilize manufacturing and design for their construction.

Expression of Interest Details:
Approximately ten visual artists will be selected for the exhibition. Artists submitting an Expression of Interest may be emerging or established. Works will be selected that:

• Clearly interpret the theme.

• Are inclusive of any medium.

• Are innovative, engaging and deemed to be of artistic merit.

• Works that are resolved and finished.

Expression of Interest must include the following:

• Artist’s full CV with name and contact details,

• artist statement reflecting the theme (approx. 500-800 words)

• 5 jpeg images of the work/s to be considered or if artist opts to create new works, 5 images from the artist’s folio with 1-2 images of previously existing works.

Works can be made available for sale during the exhibition as well, however the gallery does take a 20% commission on sales.
Expressions of interest must be emailed the curator at mardi.nowak@boroondara.vic.gov.ay or via post to:

Town Hall Gallery, Private Bag 1, Camberwell, 3124.

Getting Felty this week at Town Hall Gallery!

2011-08-03T09:38:00.000+10:00

Pam Czarny, Poppies (detail), wet felted wool and silk.

Town Hall Gallery is very pleased to host FELTernative, featuring works by the Victorian Feltmakers Inc.

FELTernative aims to change people's perceptions of contemporary felt, as well as raise public awareness of it as an artistic medium.

Felt making in Australia has undergone an enormous surge in popularity over the past fifteen years. There is an increasing number of practising feltmakers committed to exploring and celebrating the never-ending potential of traditional handmade felt. As a modern art and craft medium, felt can be functional, wearable as well as used to produce fine art.

Viewers will see a diverse range of felt products from two-dimensional artworks, jewelry, clothing and sculptural works. With approximately 35 artists involved in the exhibition and just under 70 works on display, FELTernative will definitely highlight what felt can do!

The exhibition will be be officially launched by Martien van Zuilen, founder of the Victorian Feltmakers and practicing textile arts practitioner, specializing in hand made felt.

If you would like to find out more about the wonders of felt, join us for our In Conversation program where some of the exhibitors will discuss the felt making process. Saturday 13 August 2pm to 3pm. Free to attend!
For more information visit http://www.vicfelt.org/

FELTernative is open to the public from Wednesday 3 August until Saturday 27 August, 2011. We are open Wednesday to Saturday 12pm to 5pm. We are open this Sunday 7 August from 10am to 3pm in conjunction with the Hawthorn Craft Market.

What's hanging on the walls for ON PAPER?

2011-07-18T13:05:00.001+10:00

On Paper exhibition, two of our newest acquisitions, work by John Brack and Noel Counihan.

For those who want to know what's on our walls from the Town Hall Gallery Collection as part of the On Paper exhibition, you can get your hit below! We have given you a list of the works currently on display. If you are wanting to discover more you can either come along to our In Conversation program this Saturday 23 July from 2pm or visit our online Town Hall Gallery Collection database!

Don't forget that On Paper ends on Saturday 30 July... you don't have long to come and check out these beautiful works!

BRACK, John (b.1922 d.1999)
Drawing for The Sun Lamps, 1966
Pen and Ink on Paper
Acquired 2010: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 905.

COUNIHAN, Noel (b. 1913 d.1986)
Hunger, 1959
Linocut Print
Acquired 2009: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 889.

MAUDSLEY, Helen (b. 1927)
The Landscape of Never to Know. Cassandra, 2002Isograph and ink on paper
Acquired 2004: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 835.

MAUDSLEY, Helen (b. 1927)
The Glory; the Trophy. Our Desire; our Drive, 2004
Isograph and ink on paper
Acquired 2009: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 885.

MAUDSLEY, Helen (b. 1927)
To See and Wonder at. To Be There and to Wonder,2004
Isograph and ink on paper
Acquired 2009: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 886.

THAKE, Eric (b. 1904 d. 1982)
Sacred and Profane Love, 1954
Linocut print on paper
Acquired 2006: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 853.

COUNIHAN, Noel (b. 1913 d. 1986)
Demonstrator, 1978
Linocut print on paper (artist proof)
Acquired 2009: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 890.

THAKE, Eric (b. 1904 d. 1982)
Goodnight Lachaise, 1970
Linocut print on paper (edition 25/40)
Acquired 2006: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 852.

THAKE, Eric (b. 1904 d. 1982)
She's Warm Alright, 1966
Linocut print on paper
Acquired 2009: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 891.

THAKE, Eric (b. 1904 d. 1982)
Self-Portrait Among the Ant Hills, 1950
Linocut print on paper
Donor Dr. Ray Marginson 2009.
Registration No. 868.

DENTON, Terry (b. 1950)
Olympic Torch Relay - Mother and Boy, 2000
Pen and ink on paper
Acquired 2001: Watercolour design for Olympic Torch Relay mosaics.
Registration No. 743.1.

DENTON, Terry (b. 1950 )
Olympic Torch Relay - Dog, 2000
Pen and ink on paper
Acquired 2001. Watercolour design for Olympic Torch Relay mosaics.
Registration No. 744.1

DENTON, Terry (b. 1950 )
Olympic Torch Relay - Man, 2000
Pen and ink on paper
Acquired 2001.
Watercolour design for Olympic Torch Relay mosaics.
Registration No. 745.1

JACK, Kenneth (b. 1924 d. 2006)
The Murrary Near Mannum, South Australia, 1967
Watercolour on paper
Acquired through the Camberwell Rotary Art Show 1967.
Registration No. 127.

JACK, Kenneth (b. 1924 d. 2006)
Portland Train Station, 1956
Watercolour on Paper
Donor former Councillor, Hampton Beale 2008.
Registration No. 872.

JACK, Kenneth (b. 1924 d. 2006)
Como South Yarra, 1960
Watercolour on Paper
Acquired 2007: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 871.

WILLIAMS, Fred (b.1927 d.1982)
Mount Killie Crankie (Flinders Island), 1980
Gouache on Paper
Charles Glover Trust Acquisition 1981 for former City of Hawthorn.
Registration No. 27.

WILLIAMS, Fred (b.1927 d.1982)
Head of a Child, 1947
Gouache on Paper
Acquired 2008: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 870.

EDWARDS, Jim (b. 1953)
The Dream, 1984
Pastel on paper
Acquired Camberwell Rotary Art Show 1984.
Registration No. 133.

WILSON, Dora Lynell (b.1883 d.1946)
Portrait of a Young Woman in a Red Dress, c. 1930
Pastel on paper
Acquired 2007: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 856.

WILSON, Dora Lynell (b.1883 d.1946)
Young Soldier, c. 1930
Pastel on paper
Acquired 2008: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 866.

WILSON, Dora Lynell (b.1883 d.1946)
Child Study, c. 1930
Pastel on paper
Acquired 2007: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 865.

BULL, Norma (b.1906 d.1980)
Boats
Watercolour on paper
Town Hall Gallery Collection
Registration No. 177.

BULL, Norma (b.1906 d.1980)
Fossicking
Watercolour on paper
Town Hall Gallery Collection
Registration No. 44

CLINCH, Robert (b. 1957)
Crown of Thorns, 2004
Lithograph print (edition 4/40)
Acquired 2005: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 844.

CLINCH, Robert (b. 1957)
Romeo and Juliet, 2007
Lithographic print on paper (edition 4/40)
Acquired 2008: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 861.

CLINCH, Robert (b. 1957)
Study for Romeo and Juliet, 2007
Pencil and chalk on paper
Acquired 2007: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 860.

CLINCH, Robert (b. 1957)
Limited Additions, 2007
Lithographic print (edition 10/40)
Acquired 2008: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 862.

THAKE, Eric (b. 1904 d. 1982)
John Batman's House, Parramatta N.S.W, 1926
Engraving Print (edition 36/50)
Acquired 2009: Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.
Registration No. 892.

On Paper... starts today!

2011-07-06T11:33:00.000+10:00

MAUDSLEY, Helen (b. 1927)

To See and Wonder at. To Be There and to Wonder,2004

Isograph and ink on paper

Acquired 2009:

Town Hall Gallery Collection Acquisition Fund.

Registration No. 886.

On Paper showcases close to thirty works from the Town Hall Gallery Collection all of which are 'on paper'. Working on paper allows artists to work in a variety of media; from printmaking to drawing to watercolour and pastels, all of which are represented in this exhibition.

There are many significant artists represented in this exhibition including John Brack, Noel Counihan, Robert Clinch, Helen Maudsley, Eric Thake and Fred Williams, all have had a strong connection to the area.

On Paper highlights some of the Town Hall Gallery's more recent acquisitions including a sketch by John Brack (Drawing for the Sun Lamps, 1966) which was purchased last year. Also, the Collection has recently acquired another two works by Eric Thake to add depth to this body of work, including an early etching by the artist created in 1926 (John Batman's House, Parramatta N.S.W, 1926)

Why are artists attracted to working on paper? There is a flexibility about paper that makes it enticing. It is easier to transport than a large bulky canvas, it is economical and can be used with multiple mediums.

With this flexibility comes fragility. Works on paper need to be cared for in special ways. Light is a ferocious enemy of paper, meaning that many of the works on paper held in the Town Hall Gallery Collection can only be shown in controlled environments and for short periods of time. This fragility of the works makes this exhibition even more special for our viewers!

Works selected for the exhibition cover various periods of history, methods of art making and themes. With works that are preliminary sketches to final printmaking works, the uses of the paper medium are extensive.

Viewers can discover more about the Town Hall Gallery Collection via our online database at: www.maxus.net.au/boroondara/civiccoll.htm

You can also find out more behind these works at In Conversation with gallery curator, Mardi Nowak on Saturday 23 July at 2pm as the curator talks about the various themes and methods used in the exhibition.

Town Hall Gallery closed to the public next week...

2011-06-23T10:44:00.000+10:00

Town Hall Gallery will be closed from Monday 27 June and will re-open on Wednesday 6 July with our new exhibition On Paper.

Why are we closed? Well, we like to close every six months to do a thorough repaint of the gallery and make sure everything is looking beautiful for our patrons. This takes time so we apologize for being closed but it will certainly be worth the wait to check out our beautiful exhibition On Paper with works from the Town Hall Gallery Collection.

See you from Wednesday 6 July!

We Chat to Rupert Gray...

2011-06-21T10:18:00.000+10:00

We asked Rupert Gray, one of the artists exhibiting in Journey Through Landscape, Sea & Sky. If you missed out on the In Conversation program on Saturday, then check out this interview!

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?
I grew up in Melbourne. As a boy I loved nature and the outdoors so after leaving school I headed off to work as a jackeroo/overseer in various parts of South East Australia.

Even though I had excelled in art as a school boy I never really thought about art until as a 30 year old I travelled to Russia, Scandinavia and Europe and was blown away by all the wonderful art, particularly French Impressionism.

On my return I began painting again and so began the slow learning curve to the present. Before our children arrived I benefited from being a member of Hawthorn Artists Society but later family and business commitments precluded practising my art. Now at the age of 67, I am painting full time to realize a dream.

How would you describe your work? What materials do you work in?
At present I work mostly in oils occasionally incorporating acrylics,enamels and also collage but I am very open to all media and intend to keep experimenting.

As for my work process paintings can be planned or unplanned. If I have an image which takes my eye often once I start to paint I am swept along and frequently the mood of the painting becomes quite transformed and stylised.

I am comfortable with this and quite happy to allow ideas and images stored in my mind to shape the painting. The best part is to take risks, to experiment and let the painting determine its own direction. Occasionally this leads to a new unexpected direction which can be very rewarding.

What attracted you to work in the medium that you do?
I like oils because they are slow drying and allow the paint to be “pushed around”, colours to be blended on the canvas and textured effects to be achieved and they seem to have a certain integrity but I do like to keep an open mind to incorporating other media.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?
My greatest achievement to date is the progress in developing my style and how I seek to interpret subjects plus a better understanding of the various media. Last year’s winning of the Mansfield Hospital and Rotary Acquisitive Award judged by Jason Smith, Director of Heide Gallery was a noteworthy achievement and very encouraging. Also to be granted this shared exhibition by the Town Hall Gallery—a first for me – is very pleasing.

If you could collaborate with another artist who would it be and why? Who inspires you?
There are so many artists whose work I admire but in recent times the works of Picasso have been a stand out for me. I am inspired by his enormous creativity, diverse styles and striking use of colour. Closer to home, I always appreciate Sydney Nolan’s work, his empathy with the Australian landscape and narrative style. Both these artists inspire me greatly.

What’s your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create?
I paint at home (in our garage!) which suits me in that I can make a mess and still be connected to the family. Often household disturbances- i.e chores! force a break from painting and provide the opportunity to review how the painting is shaping.

I am easily stimulated and it doesn’t take much to get me motivated and inspired. Often a painting set aside can provide the trigger to develop it in a new direction.

Is there a sound track to your creativity. Do you have music or silence?
Not really. Usually during the day I listen to a mix of light and classical music interspersed with current affairs commentary to counter working alone.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work.
Its hard to say because I am creating according to my own vision or “wiring” but I would hope the viewer feels a sense of pleasure, excitement and beauty from my paintings.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What’s your dream?
I would not dare to say where I want to be in10 years time or express a “dream”. I just intend to keep painting with an open mind, exploring all possibilities through experimentation and being receptive to new inspiration. It is sufficiently exciting and challenging to feel that I still have scope for further developments!

Journey Through Landscape, Sea & Sky is open until Saturday 25 June, so you only have a week to check it out!

In Conversation with Liz and Rupert this Saturday!!!

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Article about our current exhibition, Journey Through Landscape, Sea & Sky in this week's Progress Leader. Click on the article to enlarge for easy reading.

Don't forget to come on in to the gallery this Saturday 18 June from 2pm to hear from Liz Johnson (pictured above in this week's Progress Leader article) and Rupert Gray as they talk about their works.

Our In Conversation programs are a great opportunity to hear directly from the artists and gallery curator Mardi Nowak. So come and get out of the cold and warm up with some fascinating arty talk!

Interview with Liz Johnson about Landscape and Pastels!

2011-06-06T13:27:00.000+10:00

Stormy Day, pastel on paper by Liz Johnson.

Installation view of Journey Through Landscape, Sea and Sky.

We asked one part of the Journey Through Landscape, Sea and Sky exhibition, Liz Johnson some questions about her work and how this series came together for the exhibition.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF! WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I have lived in Melbourne all my life but have spent time living overseas in Japan, USA, and Canada. Although I grew up in the city, I spent many weekends and holidays in country Victoria. I am a wife, mother of two, teacher of Japanese and an artist. As a child I spent many summers at Brighton Beach, eating sandy sandwiches and looking for mussels. I have always loved being outside in nature, drawing and being creative.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK? WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU WORK IN?
I hesitate putting labels on my work, but it is probably both impressionistic and expressionistic. I hope to capture the sense or mood of something, rather that the reality, although I hope the places are somewhat recognisable. Largely I have been doing landscapes, but I also do still-life drawings. This series of pictures have been done in pastels, but I have done others in watercolour, pen and ink. Although I enjoy capturing the beauty and intensity of nature, I am often drawn to scenes that may not be so appealing, like rubbish snagged in the creek.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO WORK IN THE MEDIUM THAT YOU DO?
I love the portability of the pastels, immediacy of colour, and the opportunity to get my hands dirty, just like in kindergarten. You can work quite quickly; this is helpful when working outdoors, especially when it is windy and cold.

WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF TO DATE?
Since 2004, I have been creating works for group shows, the completion of each work is an accomplishment; however, I am most proud of creating a body of work for this exhibition.

IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANOTHER ARTIST, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? WHO INSPIRES YOU?
I have friends who are writers and musicians; I would love to work on collaborative projects with them.
I love Fred Williams’ landscapes; he just seems to have captured the essence of the Australian landscape.
I would love to have painted beside Streeton and Roberts. And the atmospheric effects in Turner’s landscapes are inspiring. I appreciate when an exhibition spans a significant period of an artist’s life. I was lucky enough to spend a day in the Picasso museum and was inspired by his early works, which captured the landscapes near his home.

WHAT'S YOUR WORK PRACTICE LIKE? DO YOU WORK IN A STUDIO/HOME? WHAT GETS YOU IN THE MOOD TO CREATE?
Honestly, erratic, my best intentions often get hijacked by the realities of a busy life. I do try to carve out chunks of time when my intention is to be focused and I work on site drawing or painting. I have a studio space at home, (the laundry), where I finish things off or work on ideas. I also have a pencil, fine line pen and small sketchbook with me always, so I can draw while I am waiting. I worked out of the back of my car whilst doing the work for this exhibition. I often need to run or walk outside before I sit still and work. When I do get to work I often work quite quickly and intensely. I also spend a lot of time reading and thinking and writing about my work. I also value attending a weekly art class and meeting with other artists and showing my work.

IS THERE A SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR CREATIVITY? DO YOU HAVE MUSIC OR SILENCE?
When I was working at the beach side locations, I always had the radio on in the car. I like listening to 774 AM. Sometimes, I like to work in silence, and other times I like to work to music, from my eclectic tastes, everything from brass band music to contemporary rock.

WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL TAKE AWAY WITH THEM FROM SEEING YOUR WORK?
I hope the viewer will get some sense of a journey. I have tried to capture a sense of the seasons in Melbourne. I have also wanted to convey a feeling of the elements, but within that a sense of calm within the chaos. I do like to remind people of the beauty that is around them.

HERE DO YOU WANT TO BE IN 10 YEARS TIME? WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?
I hope to be more established as an artist. I hope also to have had the opportunity to explore some other mediums, like woodblock printing and Japanese sumie.

Journey Through Landscape, Sea and Sky features works by Liz Johnson and Rupert Gray. The exhibition runs until Saturday 25 June with both artists talking about their work on Saturday 18 June at 2pm.

We chat with Robyn Emerson...

2011-05-16T09:07:00.000+10:00

Robyn on the opening night of Fragments of a Universe.

Artwork, Wimmera by Robyn Emerson.

We had a fantastic turn out on Saturday 14th May for the In Conversation program with Robyn Emerson. There were loads of people who were fascinated by the encaustic medium and asked Robyn lots of questions about her inspiration and how to get started in encaustic.

For those who missed out on this great public program, we interviewed Robyn for this post!

So, tell us a little bit about yourself Robyn, how did you get into painting?
I'm originally from Melbourne, and I trained initially as an English teacher. I loved University and I wanted to go there forever, (I thought I'd end up an academic) - but then I ran out of money, so I qualified as a teacher and taught for my first year out at Wycheproof in the Victorian Wimmera. I lived out by myself in an old Victorian farmhouse miles out of town and six kilometers away from my nearest neighbours. The farmhouse had a red corrugated iron roof, a quince orchard, a huge woodpile of mallee roots as big as the house, and huge fireplaces in every room. I used to stand outside and just look at the sky a lot and it was just so beautiful, I vividly remember the moon coming up so huge and close out on that flat paddock underneath miles of sky and I started off painting soon after that.

What is your attraction to the encaustic medium?
At first I painted in watercolours because I loved painting outside and I loved the immediacy of the medium. From the very beginning I was always focused on the actual surface of the work because I think that’s where it all happens, where the whatever it is that is art happens, so as soon as I saw encaustic work where you can reveal many different surfaces within the one work I just fell in love with it and I knew straight away that it was what I was meant to be doing.

How would you describe your work?
I use the multi layered surfaces of my paintings to hold a mirror up to view landscapes of spiritual or emotional realities, more than just being interpretations of a physical place. The best way I can describe my paintings is that they are a visual response to the more intangible aspects of experience, memories, reflections and realities, and although they could be called landscapes in some respects, they are more sub conscious explorations of my inner world. Each layer of the paintings in my paintings is like a filament of time preserved onto the canvas with colour and wax to provide a window onto what, as Robert Bresson says, “Makes visible what hasn’t yet been seen.”

What achievements are you most proud of?
For achievements to date that I’m proud of, I’m probably proudest of getting everything ready for this exhibition and for sticking at the process of painting, even when it seemed like it was too hard or I didn’t want to keep going. But that I said, I really feel right at the very beginning of what I want to do in painting and I have so much I want to do in the future, I really don’t look back at all. I’m very excited about all the work in mind’s eye that I still want to do, and all the paintings to come, so perhaps what I'm proudest of is definitely still to come! There is so much more for me to do and accomplish yet.

If you could collaborate with another artist, you would it be?
I couldn’t collaborate with anyone else, painting is a very private thing for me, and I just couldn’t do it. I don’t even want to teach at all, I think the creation of art is such a private, personal thing I couldn’t imagine even talking to someone else about it until the very end, and I don’t.

I actually can’t even have someone else’s art in my house, because I so value the development of my own personal set of visual signals in my paintings and I don’t want to reference anybody else’s work.

Painting for me is such an personally intense experience as well; I can’t imagine anyone else even wanting to be a part of that!

Who are the artists that you admire?I really admire the work of Emily Kngwarreye and if I could own any work of art it would be one of hers. There is something so breathtaking in every single one of her paintings, combined with a complete deftness of touch and sureness of colour that never faltered once.

Rosalie Gascoigne too is another artist I so admire for her ability to adhere to the singularity of her vision throughout her life, particularly in a time when making art with found objects wasn’t a fashionable thing to do.

Ian Fairweather was an amazing artist and I so admire him because painting was everything to him, all his life. If either of us was able to collaborate with others (which we cant) he would be the artist I would most like to paint with, although he would have to cut his toe nails first, I couldn’t stand painting with someone who had long dirty toenails like he had.

What is your work practice like? Do you listen to music or paint in silence?
I have a fantastic studio in Parslow St. studios with other 22 artists. My studio is just the best place, its big, with my jars of waxes, colours, feathers; bark everything on the window sill. And the view is spectacular, across to the Warburton ranges on clear days and the view of the moon rise over the Yarra second to none. I have to work in a studio, my house has a lovely garden and I'm always finding things to do there, I have to weed that spot, I have to feed the chooks. So I close myself off in the studio and I love it in there. I get in, make a big pot of green tea and put my headphones on (I paint listening to loud music sometimes or lectures on art or philosophy at other times). I’ve just got a new ipod to have everything in one little square and I painted many of these paintings while I was listening to the soundtrack to Eat Pray Love till I was sick of it. I also love Jazz, particularly Paul Williamson’s Hammond Combo, and the title The Voice Within was taken from one of his songs. (If you want to hear him he’s on at the coming Stonnington Jazz festival.)

What do you want other people to take away from seeing your work?
When people look at my work I hope they will somehow recognize or see something in them that touches them, that somehow they will connect with and recognize something about themselves in the works. I would also really like to think that they would see something beautiful about the work.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time?
In ten years time I don’t know. My future a couple of years from now is so full of paintings and things I’m already planning right now, but ten years seems so far away! I think maybe in my dreams Id like a country house to paint in all the time, - maybe an old farmhouse in the Wimmera or Mallee just like I used to live in in Wycheproof, with an orchard and miles of sky, a studio with a French door onto the verandah so I can just step outside at any time and see the stars blazing, and a huge fireplace to keep me cheerful in winter. And in the best of all possible worlds this house would come complete with a chef to cook all my meals and a gardener to tend the veggie plot and the orchard so that all I have to do is paint!

Fragments of a Universe is open to the public until Saturday 28 May. To see more of Robyn's work you can visit her website at http://www.robynemerson.com.au/

Creativity Unlocked: You voted for them!

2011-05-04T09:35:00.000+10:00

Thank you to everyone who came in and saw the amazing mosaic exhibition Creativity Unlocked. The exhibition finished up on Sunday 1 May but not before curator Mardi Nowak had the opportunity to award several people's choice awards voted by you!

There was two ways to vote, either in person at the gallery or online via this blog. As there was some substantial differences between what people were voting for in the gallery and online, the Mosaic Association of Australia and New Zealand decided to also give out awards for the most popular wall hanging work and sculptural work as voted online.

In case you weren't able to make the awards ceremony on Sunday, here are our the most popular mosaics!

Gallery Awards - Most Popular Wall Hanging Works:

First Place: Helios by Rachel Bremner (work number 3)

Second Place: Key to My Heart by Hanh Truong (work number 21)

Third Place: Arm Candy by Julee Latimer (work number 31)

Most Popular Sculptural Works:

First Place: Wrong Key by Lucy Cleary (work number 42)

Second Place: My Big Apple by Sandie Wright (work number 40)

Third Place: Love Her Madly by Mary McMahon (work number 44)

Online Awards:

Most Popular Wall Hanging Work was awarded to Jo Garner for Fragments (work number 35)

Most Popular Sculptural Work was awarded to Fiona Tettman for Waiting (work number 41)

Congratulations to all the winners and again to everyone who voted!

Fragments of a Universe begins next week!

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Article about Robyn's upcoming exhibition in the Melbourne Weekly.

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to host Fragments of a Universe, an amazing solo exhibition by artist Robyn Emerson. Some of you may have seen Robyn's fascinating encaustic medium works as part of our 2010 exhibition What do they call a group of artists? To jog your memory, visit the link here to see more!

Working with layer upon layer of wax and colour in her paintings, Robyn's work reveals various dimensions and surfaces in the one work. Many of the paintings are worked carefully over several months as the drying time can be quite lengthy.

Fragments of a Universe will be open to the public from Wednesday 4 May until Saturday 28 May. Robyn will also be discussing her works as part of our In Conversation series on Saturday 14 May at 2pm. This is one public program not to miss! You can see more of Robyn's work via her website at http://www.robynemerson.com.au/

Interview with Fiona Tettman about Mosaics!

2011-04-27T09:11:00.000+10:00

Viewers enjoying the works at Creativity Unlocked!

Curator Mardi Nowak chatted to Fiona Tettman who is the exhibition co-ordinator of the current exhibition Creativity Unlocked. This beautiful exhibition will really change your mind about what mosaics are and can be. The exhibition ends this Sunday 1 May at 3pm with the People's Choice Award being anounced that afternoon!

1. Where did the idea for this exhibition come from?

The idea came from the need to push beyond what we have always done. MAANZ Victorian branch has for many years held open theme exhibitions but this year we wanted to shake things up, so we came up with the challenge of including an object not related to mosaics in the work.

2. Why the lock and key?
Given that we were asking artists of all skill levels, spread far and wide to be a part of this exhibition we had to choose a readily available material suitable for mosaic that had a wide variety of meanings to respond to and work with. The committee came up with several suggestions and with your help (thank you) decided upon the lock and key.

A lock and key symbolises many things – valuables, ownership (by the locking up of property, boxes and sometimes people) exclusive love (key to my heart), power, wisdom (keeper/bearer of the keys), freedom (keys to the city), imprisonment, punishment (locked up, throw away the keys), being conquered (handing over the keys), the way things fit together (DNA, cells, enzymes), the phases of one’s life (21st, car, house), the keeping of secrets (a locked diary), etc.

The words lock and key can also suggest the way artists work - locked away in their studios, keeping their materials under lock and key (smalti and millefiori due to their value) and their creative ideas locked away in their subconscious.

3. Tell us about MAANZ! Who are they?
MAANZ stands for Mosaic Association of Australia and New Zealand. We have members all over Australia and New Zealand. MAANZ encourages mosaic practitioners of all skill levels to learn, share and participate in the joy of mosaics. We run workshops, social and community events and exhibitions, such as this one. Every other year we hold a symposium with local and international speakers and workshops. This year in August we will meet in the Barossa Valley in SA for 3 days of mosaic fun. More information can be found on www.maanz.org

4. What is exciting and different about this show?
The amazing variety of work on display. It’s really interesting to see how each artist has responded to the challenge of including a lock and key in their mosaic. There is everything from deep and meaningful to quirky and fun through to purely decorative.

5. People seem to love mosaic, what is the attraction?
I think people love the simplicity of it. Most people have had a go at making their own mosaic at sometime and understand the technique. At its very basic level mosaics is just sticking stuff down but it is the way that you stick the stuff and the stuff itself that takes it to another level. All it requires is imagination.

The colour and tactile side of mosaics also adds to the attraction. As does the fact that you can use almost any material and in particular recycled or found materials which often have sentimental value.

6. There is a wide variety of materials used in the works; can you explain some of them to non mosaic folk?
In mosaics there are almost as many materials, as there are artists to use them. There is a huge variety and every mosaic artist has their favourites. I'll try to explain some of the specialist materials that we mosaicists love to use.

Starting with smalti - it is one of the oldest mosaic materials in use. It is an opaque glass ‘tile' that was originally developed for use in mosaics and created during the Byzantine Empire. Smalti is made by mixing molten glass with metal oxides for color; the result is a cloudy mixture that is poured into flat slabs that are cooled and broken into individual pieces. The molten mixture can also be topped with gold leaf, followed by a thin glass film to protect against tarnishing. When placed it gives an uneven surface which reflects the light. It is a magical material to use.

The beautiful millefiori which is a cylindrical glass rod that has been incorporated with various layers to create beautiful flower like patterns; when cut into small strips the flower pattern is revealed. The name millefiori literally means “thousand flowers”.

Fused Glass is made by melting art glass in a kiln, using a variety of techniques including slumping and casting.

Vitreous Glass is square pressed glass mosaic tiles with a bevelled edge which can be used as is or cut into shapes.

And my personal favourite stained glass. Sheets of coloured glass used in lead lighting.

There are other terms we use in mosaics that don’t make much sense to non mosaic folk until they are explained. Tesserae for example while not a specific material, is a term used to describe the components of a mosaic, which may include cut and uncut tiles, glass, china, pebbles and various other types of material. And adamento which is the visual flow and direction within a mosaic by the placement of tiles or tesserae.

7. There is a peoples' choice vote, how do people get involved.
To be involved all you have to do is chose your favourite works in the exhibition........possibly easier said than done as the work is all so varied and interesting. We have two sections - wall works and sculptural works. There are 6 awards in total - 3 for each section, so get your votes in. And if you can't get into the gallery to see the exhibition, visit http://www.townhallgallery.blogspot.com/to see all the works and vote online. Winners will be announced at the end of the exhibition and posted on the blogspot.

8. Anything else you would like to share about Creativity Unlocked?
Yes, come along and see the exhibition, it will change your idea on what mosaic is.

Unlocking creativity through mosaic.

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Town Hall Gallery is pleased to host Creativity Unlocked an exhibition by the Mosaic Association of Australia & New Zealand (MAANZ) exhibition, Victorian Branch.
For this exhibition MAANZ has invited mosaic artists of all skill levels to think creatively by challenging them to include objects not usually associated with mosaic into their work. For the purpose of this exhibition the objects are a lock and a key. Each artist will apply their own personal style and experience to the challenge, and as a result the public will see thought provoking and inventive mosaics in both wall mounted and sculptural forms.
There are two public programs being held in conjunction with this exhibition, both are free to attend and allow viewers insight into the fascinating process of mosaic.
In Conversation: Join selected exhibiting artists in conversation as they discuss the intricacies of mosaic. Saturday 9 April 2pm to 3pm.

Open Studio Saturday: join artists from MAANZ in their temporary studio adjacent to the gallery. This is a great opportunity to view them as they work on current projects and ask questions about mosaic. Saturday 16 April 12pm to 5pm.

Creativity Unlocked is open to the public from Wednesday 30 March to Sunday 1 May.

There is a People's Choice award as part of this exhibition, actually there are 6 awards! You can vote for your favourite wall piece or sculptural piece via our poll! Go to this link to view the works and select your favourite!

T-shirt Spotlight on Malamoop!

2011-03-17T14:07:00.000+11:00

Danielle Medalle is the lovely person behind label Malamoop.

All of her t-shirts are designed, stencils cut, screen printed and cured (that's heat setting the prints!) by her own hands! Phew, it sounds exhausting doesn't it!

When we asked Danielle about how she got started, this is what she had to say:

"My designs are mainly character based. I have a very cartoony style. I started printing t-shirts and plush toys for friends as gifts then a friend of mine opened a store and asked me if I wanted to stock my t-shirts. I base a lot of my characters loosely on friends and things that amuse me."

Malamoop t-shirts are all printed on recycled tees. Buying them from op shops gives each t-shirt its own individuality and no two tees are the same. The recycled nature of the tees means that they are super soft and worn in, you also won't get any weird colours running in your washing too!

You can also find Malamoop t-shirts at The Radical Grocery Store in Brunswick. Oh, they are a super bargain at $28 too!

Movie tees with Midnight Maruders by Best Fiend

2011-03-16T09:14:00.000+11:00

Tee shirts speak in many tongues. Walk down any street anywhere in the world and you’ll be able to read the public by the art and slogans worn with pride. A mum with a pram wearing a Cannibal Corpse tee shows
that she still rages on the inside. A young Hip-Hop kid wearing an Original Fake tee shows that he or she is passionate about art, music and design and also wants to belong to a tribe.

It was this line of thought that inspired Best Fiend to create printed tees and keeps us inspired. Inside millions of wardrobes and laundry baskets around the world lie curated collections of cultural dialogue.

The Midnight Marauders collection fits snugly into the definition of ‘Curated Culture’. Adopting it’s name from arguably the finest album from A Tribe Called Quest, MM is predominantly about movies. Not just any movies but the films that define us as artists. Although part of a larger series, the three shirts presented for the exhibition are ‘Ted’, ‘Carol’ and ‘Andrei’.

‘Andrei’ is a tee inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky and his masterpiece ‘Solaris’. Tarkovsky serves as an inspiration due to his uncompromising vision which seems to be an ever shrinking phenomenon in contemporary culture.

‘Carol’ is inspired by the British director Carol Reed and the tee displays an image from his film ‘The Third Man’. The image of the character Holly Martens standing with his arms pressed either side of a storm drain seemed so enigmatic and perfect as an antidote to hollow fashion prints and overly referential design. It’s simple and will be recognized and understood by members of your tribe without screaming ‘I’m from a movie’.

‘Ted’ is named after Ted Kotcheff, the guy who directed Weekend At Bernies.It may seem like an odd choice to celebrate the low brow with the high brow but Weekend At Bernies has a special place in our
hearts. In someone else’s hands it could have been morose and morbid but as it stands is smart and creative.

The asthetic finish of these three tee prints could be labeled as ‘Psychadellic Noir’. Taking our cues from Norwegian metal bands and Post Rock stylings, the prints are stark and distressed, andding an extra layer of intrigue to throw seasoned pop culture savants off guard as well as cultivating a sense of mystery. The print used on ‘Ted’ was originally from an Italian release poster of Weekend at Bernies and unless someone informed you that the print and the film were indeed related, you’d be none the wiser.

In this time of highly evolved visual language it has become more and more challenging to create unique signatures of your own that will also be recognized by your cultural kin. Midnight Marauders is an experiment in constant flux designed to achieve just that.

Spotlight on Bad Meet Evil...

2011-03-16T09:03:00.000+11:00

Joseph Fonti is the man behind this new label Bad Meets Evil. He started printing a batch of t-shirts about a year ago and was surprised at how well received they were.

When asked about the design process for his t-shirts he stated that he works best at night, with some rocking tunes on and that he is never really sure how the design will end up. It's very much a creative journey.

So why the name Bad Meets Evil? Joseph responds:

"The way I see it, modern fashion is all about highlighting the supposedly beautiful facets of life, but it brushes over anything that is considered ugly or shunned. In my work, I feel like I’ve been drawn to the darker side of things. I think Bad, Meet Evil... tries to satirise the industry with caricatures of how I see life, and attempts to invite a new perspective on the glamorous world of fashion. The designs are influenced heavily by the underground graffiti scene and hip- hop mentality; there is an undefinable sincerity and beauty that accompanies the works of those who choose to use art as an escape from the harsh reality of our everyday lives. Bad, Meet Evil... tries to encapsulate both of these feelings."

Bad Meets Evil is also creating the merchandise for Aussie hip hop artist 360!

You can see more at http://www.badmeetevil.com/

I Wear My Heart On My Tee officially opened!

2011-03-09T09:23:00.000+11:00

So many tees to choose from! I wonder if people recognized that our table was in the shape of a T?

A huge thank you to all that came out last Thursday to help us officially launch I Wear My Heart On My Tee. This is the third exhibition in the series and it was lovely to see many new faces at Town Hall Gallery.

Danielle from Malamoop and pals getting some photos with the t-shirts!

As per usual we saw lots of people buying t-shirts for their personal collections and artists and designers mingling with each other.

This years exhibition features: Almost Human * Silly Pear * Bike Path * Maru design * Amy Canals * Persistently Plastic * Bronze Temple * Indie * Bad meets Evil * 7 Breaths * Best Fiend * Tomorrow Never Knows * Georgia Thorpe * EDAR * Jessica Dib-Newberry *Grumpy Tommi * Ruffbat * T-shirt Garage *Ray L Design * Freyart * Malamoop *Ginger Ellie * Kristy Brown * Yvette Phipps

T-shirt fan Jayne and Curator Mardi Nowak proudly displaying their t-shirt selections for the night.

We will be posting more on our designers and labels throughout the exhibition, so keep an eye out. However, if you would like to know more, you can come along to our In Conversation program with some of the makers on Saturday 19 March from 2pm. This is a great opportunity to meet the folk behind the t-shirts!

Our lovely team of volunteers helping folk buy their t-shirts.

We are also glad to see that amazing jewelry designer JOOLZ posted about our t-shirt launch too! You can check out her post here (you should check out her lovely designs too!). It's always lovely to hear from others what they think about the exhibition and launches, so let us know what you think!

I Wear My Heart On My Tee runs until Saturday 26 March so you still have some time to check out those tees!

I Wear My Heart On My Tee... about to begin!

2011-03-01T13:32:00.000+11:00

Some of the Ruffbat tees all the way from Queensland.

It's all about to begin again! Our third I WEAR MY HEART ON MY TEE exhibition will be open to the public from Wednesday 2 March until Saturday 26 March. We will be featuring many of our artists and designers during the exhibition period so you can find out some more about the people behind the tees!

We are very excited to have some tees from Ruffbat Creative! Ruffbat are the combined creative forces of Josh Rufford (who you may know from our Beardo exhibition) and Rhiannon McLay. Ruffbat have created a series of gorgeous hand screenprinted tees which feature some of their great illustrations as well as a small series of one-off art tees. These wacky art tees feature small artworks, acrylic badges and soft sculptures. They are so beautiful that you would probably want to pop these tee on your wall!

some of the tees on offer this year!

I heard a rumour that the Ruffbat tees were all lovingly printed in their backyard, possibly even on their lawn making each tee incredibly individual and definitely made with love. You can pick up one of these great tees from us for between $35 and $60, you even get a I Heart Ruffbat sticker too. I'm sure you will 'heart' Ruffbat wearing one of these original tees.

Don't forget that the exhibition will be open this Sunday 6 March from 10am to 3pm too!

Article in the Neos Kosmos...

2011-02-17T10:27:00.000+11:00

Sanctum, mixed media on canvas by Efrossini Chaniotis.

There was a great article in the Neos Kosmos about our current exhibition Tales of Love and Reason: The Lioness Constellation. Art To Colour Your Mind, Article by John-Paul Hussey, original article here. See below to read the article. Don't forget that Efrossini will be talking about her works on Saturday 19 February from 2pm to 3pm. This is a great opportunity to hear about her varied inspirations and working methods.

(article)

Efrossini Chaniotis has an exhibition coming up and looking at her work, past and present, it would be fair to say there are influences of Chagall, Mattisse and the Fauvists, because of her strong use of colour.

Then there's the reoccurring lions, the castles and the stridently ethereal female figures, as the subject matter, that would suggest she aslo tips her cap to the 19th Century school of Symbolist Art.

"I would say that, yes, Chagall is certainly what I have been thinking about lately" said Chaniotis, "But I have other influences like South American and the Greek Byzantine."

Again, two more schools of art that show enormous panache when it comes to merging colour with symbolism. But it's Chaniotis' use of colour that seems to do the actual job lighting up one's eyes, as much as they serve as a tool for a greater narrative.

"Definitely my use of colour is very strong and I'm fairly courageous by using colours straight from the tube, that I tend not to blend my colours too much. But I guess it's the emotive use of colour that I like to go for," said Chaniotis.

But then Chaniotis explained although it's flattering these comparisons to other schools of art are being made, "none of my influences are particularly conscious," and that really her impulses are very intuitive, rather than rationally conceptual.

"Although my training is in draftsmanship and the fine arts, when I started to do this kind of work it had a kind of imaginary narrative component," said Chaniotis.

"I started working very intuitively with the way I was drawing and not doing a lot of preparatory drawings. So it tends to be quite raw."

Symbolically speaking, her use of a woman straddling a lion is reminiscent of the Strength card in the Tarot. "Yes, you could say that, but when you are working with archetypes those connections can be endless," said Chaniotis.

But she then went on to say, if there is a connection it's probably more with the Cypriot Saint Mamas who is often represented riding a lion in Greek iconography.

Although each of these symbolic references are wholly different to each other in their intentions: the tarot card being a meditation on conquering one's desire and Mammas as the patron saint of avoiding taxes (or the protection of animals), this imagery for Chaniotis still remains aesthetically instinctive.

All these images first appeared in a series of small paintings she did about seven months ago, explained Chaniotis.

"In the beginning a lion appeared in the background in one of my landscapes and in the next painting the female figure, the subject of the work, is seen riding the lion in the foreground, which for me is a mysterious appearance and it's my job to notice these things in my periphery."

The castle is another dominant image and because Chaniotis comes from Corfu with its many fortresses dotting its landscape, this is possibly why they feature in her work.

But in the end who knows why the subconscious throws up anything and the reasons, if there are any at all, may not be as accessible as we would like them to be.

What is fundamental about Chaniotis' work is they do possess a naive beauty. And that whatever story is being told either 'in, from, by or through' this beauty, one's choice of prepositions, like an aperture in one personal lens, is really up to the eye of the beholder.

The term 'naive' is conveniently coined by rationalists to describe this style. However there is another term that might say the same thing. Yet we are reluctant to use it these days, which is 'spiritual'.

Because when asked, if she has any political or social intentions, Chaniotis came up with other words like 'belief' and 'mystery'. Chaniotis was herself reluctant to use the word 'spiritual' to describe her work when pushed.

Not because she doesn't like or agree with it, but because like many others, Chaniotis is afraid of the ridicule she might receive from the hipsters who roam the gallery scene.

To such an extent this word had to be pulled out of her with a personal reassurance that in an ideal world she, or any artist for that matter, should not be censored by this reigning pathological rationalism, considering it's now 'hip' to cite Einstein's preference for the power of the imagination over mathematics.

Interview with Efrossini Chaniotis...

2011-02-14T09:19:00.001+11:00

selection of details of works by Efrossini Chaniotis.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?
I am of Greek heritage and was born in Adelaide where I studied sculpture at the South Australian School of Art. When I finished my studies I went and lived in Greece for 8 years and completed a degree majoring in painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts. I was lucky to have a very broad art training as both cultures and educational institutions offered different schools of thought.

How would you describe your work? What materials do you work in?
Both my paintings and sculptures are made of mixed media. I tend to sculpt like a painter and in my painting integrate collage in a very fluid manner.

Formally both mediums are treated in a very tactile and dynamic way, for instance my sculptural figures may be categorised as soft sculpture but I may find myself sewing and stuffing a basic form then manipulating it by sticking paper on it or building it up the way a sculptor would if they were working with clay or reducing the form the way a carver might.

What attracted you to work in the medium that you do?
I'm really drawn to the different imaginary spaces that can be created by both mediums. My strengths lay in working across mediums (though there is great satisfaction and reward, from being absorbed in observational art making through drawing and painting). Since returning from overseas in 2000 I started down a path of narrative 'picture making' which suited my tendency for composing poetic imagery.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?
In this exhibition I feel that the relationship between the sculptural works and the paintings are beginning to take shape more strongly. But in particular the sculptures are playing in 2D and 3D space more effectively and the paintings are better reflecting my obsessive (in a good way) use of pattern, while gaining in intensity.

If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be and why? Who inspires you?
I used to have quite amazing collaborative experiences when I was studying.

Chagall's large scale mural work comes to mind...if he had a great sense of humour (not saying he didn't...I've seen many photos of him smiling warmly) and played beautiful music while we worked I'd get up on a scaffold in a dome with him no problem...

Picasso would be awesome and exciting if he were not such a lady's man and ego maniac...

Mirka Mora's autobiography and her mural at Flinders street station which I saw when I first arrived in Melbourne captivated me and felt somehow akin...my friend/artist Sarah Lindner because opposites make great creative connections (with whom I had my first experience of true collaboration) there are other artists, peers and friends here and overseas who I admire, who are not necessarily well known. Collaborators can make the greatest teachers.

What's your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create?

I currently have a space at the Northcote Studio, .amongst artists and designers but I am flexible. I see a good journal on the bus and a black felt tip pen as a small portable studio if necessity demands. At present I use my studio space frequently but I'm working from home when I need to break the gap of travel to keep things flowing or sometimes when feeling I need to move inwards. Working in both mediums allows me to use my studio and home accordingly..." clean and dirty" ideas around creative spaces has always been important to me, even more so when I worked as an art therapist for a short stint.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?
Easy...The Indian inspired Sheila Chandra, Laureena McKennit's Harp...Greek folk music with an Asia Minor influence....and the beating of drums be it Middle Eastern, South American, African or Brazilian Samba! It's a contrast of dynamic rhythm and meditative inward turning sounds. I love thinking about music.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
The work is intended to stimulate wonderment (is that a word?), people's imagination and creative thinking. The autobiographical elements in the work allows me to share my personal creative world, but the art is there primarily to offer others an entry into their own world of personal myth and meaning making

I see the artworks as having their own intelligence, not necessarily a reflection of my own. In my experience people who resonate with my artworks often find personal meaning in the imagery. This makes the work potentially powerful and that's exciting.

If people engage with the work enough to find a piece that they connect with then they will be taking something with them that I am happy to give.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!

Aahh a lovely question Mardi, one that should be answered in totality but I'll keep it focussed. Working fully from my art making and using my creative abilities to the max. I'm making and exhibiting often enough to be sharing my work with a wider audience...always with great energy and enjoyment. I see having a space that can be flexible enough to support my own art making and sharing, teaching, collaborating and contributing to the community spirit. I'm also doing illustrations for books that are apt for both children and adults.

Launch of Tales of Love & Reason: the Lioness Constellation by Efrossini Chaniotis

2011-02-07T13:03:00.000+11:00

Starlight Reunion, mixed media on canvas. One of the works on show!

If you missed the wonderful launch of Tales of Love and Reason: the Lioness Constellation by Efrossini Chaniotis las Thursday then you can check out an edited version of the opening speech by curator Mardi Nowak.

Don't forget that you can join the curator and artist Efi Chaniotis on Saturday 19 February from 2pm to 3pm to hear more about the works.

"Welcome to the official launch of Tales of Love and Reason: the Lioness Constellation by Efi Chaniotis.
For any artist, it is a huge achievement to produce works for a solo exhibition and I'm sure you will join me in congratulating efi on creating such a beautiful and engaging exhibition for her first solo show, here at Town Hall Gallery.

It also can be an incredibly daunting act for an artist to produce a solo exhibition! Each work is produced lovingly and with such passion and emotion, that what is put onto the gallery walls is an extension of the artists being. Here we can see little fragments of Efi around us and as artists we can be a little scared to see and hear what people have to say about the works.

I think Efi can rest assured that everything that she has given us in this exhibition has been incredibly well received - definitely by the red sold stickers around! And really I think that is one of the biggest compliments an artist can have is unknown people buying your work and allowing it to live with them in their homes.

When Efi asked me to officially launch the exhibition I was quite taken back. As curator I'm often opening exhibitions but when an artist specifically asks you to do it, it can become difficult too as they often expect the curator to give some amazing insight into the works and how they sit within the larger visual arts world. And as a curator I also strongly believe that the sign of a great artist is that their works stand alone. They each individually speak to the viewer without having to say too much within a label or a description from a stuff academic curator.

Visitors at the launch of Tales of Love and Reason: The Lioness Constellation, taking a good look at the works!

But as a curator, where do I think these works sit within the artworld? Well I can say that I think that Efi is a bit of a rebel within the art world. Bit of a girl after my own heart! Don't get me wrong, she has trained extensively both here and also in Greece and has a solid background in the history of art and also symbolism, which you can see within these works around us. But why I think she is a bit of a rebel is she is an artist who is incredibly true to her practice.

She follows her intuition to create beauty and to tell us viewers all kinds of tales. Her work is fun and playful, something that often the serious contemporary art world looks down upon but what they often forget is that viewers react to this, we want to be playful and be taken on a journey.

Efi also seems to embrace a globalism of art and design. It's been fascinating to see and hear what influences people see within the works. From medieval, Indonesian, South American and naturally Greek. The works embrace global influences but are still intrinsically Efi.

Efi's works also rebel against the notion of what a painting is. She uses fragments of fabric and paper within her patterned canvases combined with traditional paint - but then the painting jumps right off the canvas with the creation of her 3 dimensional canvases - the soft sculptures around the gallery. I know that when the sculptures came in to be installed, I kept referring to them as 'dolls' mostly because they are human representations but in reality they are 3 dimensional paintings. She has created a soft, stuffed canvas to create the characters that we see within her works. That definitely is the rebel in Efi, taking those characters out of the canvas and giving them their own world within the gallery !

On a personal note, it has been a pleasure to get to know Efi and work with her on this exhibition. It really is one of the best parts of my job is seeing each artists idea and expression come to fruition within the gallery and then to see you the audience admire and love the works so much. So thank you Efi for being part of the Town Hall Gallery program here!

Now, I'm sure many of you will have come up with your own ideas about the Lions and the characters within these works and what they all mean and what they are doing and that is what you the viewer are meant to do. But if you would like to find out more about the inspiration behind the works and what inspires Efi, then you should come along to our IN CONVERSATION program on Saturday 19th February at 2pm, where you can hear me ask Efi all the burning questions about the work!

I'd also like to take this brief moment to thank our sponsors Swords select for the wines you are enjoying tonight and also our amazing team of volunteers who work tirelessly here at the gallery. We very much appreciate your assistance and smiley faces!

So thank you for coming along to celebrate the launch of Tales of Love and Reason: the lioness constellation and we look forward to seeing you again here at Town Hall Gallery."

Grouped round up...

2011-02-03T11:30:00.000+11:00

The Town Hall Gallery 2011 program really kicked off with a bang! We had fantastic numbers for our first exhibition, Grouped and it was also a great opportunity for our artists to exhibit and also meet some of our patrons too.

Saturday 29 January saw our first public program, In Conversation with four of the five Grouped artists (Stephen Thompson was in Sydney for work!) and it was a very insightful hour hearing what inspires each of the artists. There was some very thoughtful questions put to our artists and the curator too! Our series of In Conversation programs are a great opportunity for our artists to talk about their work with the general public. Although it can be daunting and many say "I haven't done this before!", they soon get into the swing of things.

Artist Lee Hirsh gave some great insight into how she approaches her bold abstract works. Below is an excerpt from the catalogue:

"Intuition guides me, an interchange with my inner self and senses, a subliminal dialogue. My creations are not contrived rather they grow with my perceptions and exploration. My work has evolved from the use of found objects to layering the paint and incorporating textures such as marble dust and liquid bitumen. I am fascinated by colour. The possibilities are endless with infinite hues originating from the primary colours. I am enticed by the myriad of shades, markings, tints that I come across in the natural environment and commercial world. Through the interplay of the tactile, tangible and simulated, I am constantly challenging myself and my viewers. I intuitively have developed my own eclectic style and visual language, which enables me to reveal and share."

Thank you to all that came and supported our emerging artists in Grouped. We look forward to seeing you at our next exhibition by artist Efrossini Chaniotis.

Getting bugged with Andrea Kaltwasser

2011-01-27T13:58:00.000+11:00

Some of the framed 'bugs' by Andrea Kaltwasser.

From taking a look at Andrea's body of works for the Grouped exhibition, you may think that she is slightly obsessed with all things creepy crawly! However I think it is her obsession with colour and pattern that has led her to to the path of recreating bug specimens onto paper. Her series of various bugs and carefully inked onto the paper and then elaborately hand embroidered. The embroidery adds to the texture of the bug shells and some of them almost look like brightly coloured tribal tattoos.

One of my favourite elements to Andrea's series of works is the way that they have been framed and presented. The simple frames with the outstretched bugs inside are reminscent of exotic specimens that you would find in a natural history museum.

A close up view of the intricate embroidery.

Andrea talks about her body of work in the catalgoue for Grouped:
"My aim with this body of work is to convert the perception some people have that beetles and other insects are nasty, scary, creepy, crawly things. Rather I see they beauty in their shape and colour.

With the use of vibrant paints and ink and a large of array of speciality threads, I will contrast the often severe shapes of insects whilst highlighting their gorgeous patterns and colours, some realistic others fantastical.

If you take the time and look a little closer you will discover a wonderful world of amazing patterns and remarkable colours and perhaps grow to love some of Mother Nature's jewels as I have."

Grouped ends this Saturday 29 January at 5pm. You can join us on Saturday from 2pm to 3pm for the In Conversation program and hear more about the works directly from the artists!

Stephen Thompson's self portraits...

2011-01-25T15:42:00.000+11:00

A view of Stephen's works at GROUPED.

I am always amazed at people who work on self-portraits. It can be a very difficult thing to constantly look at yourself and also within yourself to create art. Many would say that everything an artist does is a self-portrait as you give so much to the work and inevitably, your own stamp is placed on it.

Emerging artist Stephen Thompson presents a series of five self-portrait works for this exhibition. In the catalogue he talks a little bit about his inspiration and working methods.

Excerpt from catalogue by Stephen Thompson...
I was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and travelled a lot during my childhood. After graduating high school in Dallas, Texas, I moved to study in Melbourne.

This series of works are inspired by a recent transformative phase and differ from previous works. I discarded the psychotic expressionist mark making for a more refined and controlled realist look. I'm often reminded of William Kentridge's quote "to paint in an absolutely realistic manner is impossible but also pointless". I agree in some ways but believe that to truly distort a work in an expressionist way, you must first be able to accurately portray the subject, whatever it may be.

These works all follow roughly the same work methodology; ipod, projector, MDF, white wash background and various ink washes. Some people believe using a projector to assist in art creation is cheating. I asked artist Godwin Bradbeer what he thought of the use of projectors, as guides, he said only two words "whatever works". This methodology works for me.

My practice can be obsessive; I can't go five minutes without thinking about what to create next. The real work, the finished pieces are produced in the wee hours of the morning, while everyone is sleeping. Solitude helps to block out all the distractions.

The important things about these works, although being self portraits, is the notion that everything you look at, you can see yourself reflected in it at least on some level.

Grouped exhibition: Elizabeth Nelson

2011-01-19T09:14:00.000+11:00

We are very pleased to have Elizabeth Nelson exhibit some works within the Grouped exhibition. Elizabeth last showed works at Town Hall Gallery for the Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make exhibition in 2010. Back then her work were grand and very large scaled. For the Grouped exhibition, she has provided us with some smaller and more intimate works that are very beautiful. Some of her collages on wood are reminiscent of mosaic, with the small pieces of paper replacing tiles and the wood underneath playing the part of grout.

They are definitely works not to miss! We asked Elizabeth some questions about her art practice and what inspires her:

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?
I am an emerging artist based in Melbourne. I grew up in Geelong and from an early age I loved painting and colour. My love of art and history led me to pursue both at university and now I have my sights firmly set on an art career.

How would you describe your work? What materials do you work in?
Currently I am experimenting with imaginative representations of landscape, created from remembered observation, chance and imagination. I like to allow a lot of room for a work to take different directions during its making, so each work is a journey into the unknown. For the past few years I have been using paper collage combined with other media.

What attracted you to work in the medium that you do?
Using paper collage came about from preparing cardboard collagraph plates when I studied printmaking. I found the plates beautiful in themselves. This led to using cardboard as a primary medium and this in turn evolved into using paper. As my collection of paper grew so did my collage resource. However, I am now focussing on paint as my primary medium.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?
Being prepared to give up other worthy pursuits so I can focus on my art.

If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be and why? Who inspires you?
X de Medici. Her watercolour works are brilliant and I’d like to see how she goes about them. I am inspired by lots of different artists both past and present. I like reading about how artists of any type have created their careers, such as Dali and the writer Vera Brittain.

What's your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create?
I rent a studio so on my art days I go there in the morning, have a coffee and do a bit of reading, then begin work. The coffee is important in getting me going. Then the work itself gets me in the mood and ideas start to come.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?
Sometimes I work in silence, other times with music. There is no particular soundtrack.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
Hopefully greater appreciation of the visual world and of its beauty, and interest in seeing things in new ways.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!
I want to be working full-time as an artist and to be exploring my art to its fullest.

Beardo - A Tableaux Vivant

2011-01-13T07:29:00.001+11:00

If you missed the official launch of the Beardo exhibition at Town Hall Gallery in late November 2010, then you missed the most amazing performance by Barking Spider Visual Theatre! Luckily some parts of this performance that occurred throughout the opening night, has been captured and you can view it above via Youtube.

For more information about the performance and the lovely folk at Barking Spider Visual Theatre, check out their website here!

I Wear My Heart On My Tee: DEADLINE EXTENDED!

2011-01-12T14:10:00.000+11:00

Click on article to enlargen.

Town Hall Gallery has extended the deadline for submissions to be part of I Wear My Heart On My Tee 2011.

The deadline is now Monday 17th January by 5pm. Entries can be hand delivered to 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, 3122 or emailed to mardi.nowak@boroondara.vic.gov.au

Click here for the application form.

A big thank you to Cayce Hill at Beat Magazine for interviewing Town Hall Gallery curator, Mardi Nowak (article above) about the upcoming exhibition. I Wear My Heart On My Tee 2011 will be open to the public from 2 March to the 26 March.

Grouped: featuring Elizaveta Maltseva

2011-01-10T13:28:00.000+11:00

Article from Melbourne Weekly, 10 January 2011. Click on article to enlargen.

Town Hall Gallery's latest exhibiton Grouped begins this week on the 12th January until the 29th January. It features Lee Hirsh, Andrea Kaltwasser, Elizaveta Maltseva (pictured), Elizabeth Nelson and Stephen Thompson.

We asked Elizaveta some questions about herself, her work and her ambitions.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from?

I was born in Moscow, Russia and moved around a lot with my family as a child. After eventually settling in Melbourne, I did a lot of my own travelling. During my travels I also studied a semester of my undergraduate degree in England. "The time I lived in Totnes" is a body of images inspired by my time England.

How would you describe your work? What materials do you work in?

I typically create works on paper, though a self developed mono-printmaking method.

What attracted you to work in the medium that you do?

For a long time I have enjoyed working in layers both narrativly and aesthetically. I have developed my printmaking process after working a lot with traditional printmaking processes and darkroom photography.

What achievement are you most proud of to date?

At this stage, in my very early career, I'm most proud of my solo exhibition at the Owl and Pussycat Gallery, Richmond in 2010. It was my first solo exhibition after university. After the support of Jason at the gallery, I have gone on to apply for many more shows.

If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be and why? Who inspires you?

The works of Sigmar Polke and Raymond Pettibon have been very influential to my practice. I feel that I could learn a tremendous amount through collaboration with these artists.

What's your work practice like? Do you work in a studio/home? What gets you in the mood to create? I have a studio in the Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston St Melbourne. I always try to keep busy. In between shows, I visit a lot of galleries and do a lot of reading. I try to spend all of my available time in the studio. This generally means before and after my fulltime job and weekends.

Is there a soundtrack to your creativity? Do you have music or silence?

I always have music playing in my studio (unless I'm writing proposals). The little rotation of cd's I had playing while creating this work was Liz Stringer, Leonard Cohen, Serge Gainsbourg, M83, a couple of mix cds made by friends and a glorious '90's Russian popmix.
What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?

I hope people will walk away with a piece of my work (or at least come back to see it again) as I think with each viewing they will discover something new. I aim to create several simultaneous narratives in each work, to encourage the thought of endless possibilities.

Where do you want to be in 10 years time? What's your dream?!

In 10 years time I hope to be able to dedicate all of my time to my practice and to support other emerging artists.

Talking beards with Laura Smith...

2010-12-30T14:22:00.000+11:00

Another one of our 'duos' and collaborative works that was on show during Beardo was the installation work of Laura Smith and Zoe Steers. These two fantastic girls worked throughout the exhibition on their installation wall with intriguing little beards that grew throughout the exhibition by Zoe and the winding, beard like writings by Laura. We asked Laura Smith some questions about her interest in beards.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?
I’m a second generation hippy. I grew up on an abandoned fauna park in country NSW, where my parents' line of defence against utes and Bundaberg Rum tattoos was to plant over 5000 local native trees and grow organic worms to sell to gardeners. All their friends have hippy-swagman shrubbery, and so does my dad.

These days I work backstage in the entertainment industry, and once bought a glue-on beard for a performer so that he wouldn’t have to grow one.

I am the resident Café Poet at BookTalk Cafe, and my writing has been published in a range of magazines and journals. I have edited two poetry anthologies and two short play collections, and am nearing completion of my own book of poems.

Most recently I am working on publishing an anthology of writing, art, and works about beards, titled The Compendium of Early 21st Century Australian Beard Art.

An evolving archive of my past writings is available on my blog at: www.laurasmithisbeingapoet.com

What attracted you to make work about beards?
My interest in beards was recently re-fired by collaboration with Zoe Renee Steers on a beard zine, but originates from growing up with a beardy dad. He shaved his beard once, but never again after seeing my terrified 8-year-old reaction to his naked chin.

Beardy things I’ve made recently include Guess Whose Beard, a beard-punked version of Guess Who; Wild and Free, a knitted beard; and The Lumberjack Picnic, a costumed event held in celebration of World Beard Day.

Are you surprised by the reaction for 'beard related' art and how popular the beard is?
Not at all. I’d already noticed a trend for poetry about chin tail, so wasn’t at all surprised that the same trend was appearing in the visual art world.

What attracted you to take part in Beardo - the exhibition?
I was terribly excited to discover that there are other beard artists in the world, and by the excuse to make more beardy things.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
A small insight into the struggle for dominance between man and face fuzz.

Beards with Dan Edwards

2010-12-20T11:17:00.000+11:00

Tell as About Yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?
My name is Dan and I live in Canberra. I am an emerging artist working in textiles and fibre arts.

What attracted you to make work about beards?
I am interested in the bearded craftsmen of the 1970’s era. Images of a bushy bearded man in flannel and denim. A potter at the wheel, or a carpenter turning wood.

Are you surprised by the reaction for ‘beard related’ art and how popular the beard is?
I see life’s journey as seasonal so it was only a matter of time until sporting facial hair became a trend, perhaps as a counter cultural movement to the manscaping metro sexual era.

What attracted you to take part in Beardo – the exhibition?
Currently my work investigates cultural identity I find local artists with beards and link them back to the forefathers of the crafts movement in Australia. I find the beard to be a good icon for identifying the ‘creative man.’

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
I hope my work can encourage people to create. I am a big believer in local community and creating environments where creativity can flourish.

Getting beardy with Christie Torrington...

2010-12-17T11:14:00.000+11:00

detail of one of Christie's works.

We spoke with the lovely Christie Torrington about her love of beards. We were incredibly lucky to have Christie fly on down from Sydney to attend the opening night and also the In Conversation program for Beardo. Her small works and beautiful and very engaging. To see more, check out her website http://www.christietorrington.com/

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?
I am a Sydney based artist/illustrator living & working in the inner west suburb of Petersham. My work explores, and has always explored notions of the body and the self. I am fascinated by the fluidity & immediacy of pen & ink, it is my new obsession. http://www.christietorrington.com/

What attracted you to make work about beards?
I like hairy men with something to hide! I am interested in the notion of the beard as a disguise, a barrier, a hiding place. I am also interested in the 'stigma' of the beard, the old idea that a beard represents a 'shifty' man, a man who should not be trusted. The beard has become a symbol of something other than just lazy grooming - it alludes to personalities that are integral to Australian culture such as the bush ranger, the biker, the metal-head.

Are you surprised by the reaction for 'beard related' art and how popular the beard is?
Not at all - beards have always elicited a wide range of opinions, emotions and sideways glances. Fashion works in cycles - it is only a matter of time before people are riding penny farthing bicycles & sporting crinolines all over again. The beard revival is only just beginning.

What attracted you to take part in Beardo - the exhibition?
Old beards battling it out with new beards in one fantasic space grabbed me from the moment I heard about the show! I like the clash of the old and the new. It is through our past that we may understand the present & change the future, and beards are no exception!

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
I hope people will be inspired to grow their own beard - I sadly cant grow one myself, but if I could - I would be all up in that.

Getting Beardy with Katie and Britt!

2010-12-15T09:25:00.000+11:00

Brittany Veitch and Katie Jacobs at the launch of Beardo!

We've been asking our Beardo artists some questions about their love of the beard. Today we spoke to Katie Jacobs and Brittany Veitch who have worked collaboratively for this exhibition.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?
Katie: I'm from Melbourne, I make narrative-based ceramic work about icons, Australiana and humour.

Britt: I'm also from Melbourne and I'm a Toy Maker, soft sculpture artist, non-practicing Industrial Designer.

So what attracted you to make work about beards?
Katie: We got excited about our ideas in discussion of the theme. We like innuendo. We like Movember. Beards scare me. I have a beard.

Britt: My housemate repeatedly refuses to grow a moustache for my amusement, so I have to make my own.

Are you surprised by the reaction for 'beard related' art and how popular the beard is?
Katie: No. Hipsters love the past. And back in the day, some dudes wore beards.

Britt: Yes, beards are creepy especially beaded/plaited beards.

What attracted you to take part in Beardo - the exhibition?
Katie: I like the idea of seeing images of old dudes contrasted with modern work.

Britt: Having fun with beards.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
Katie: A smile. Photographs of themselves with different beardstyles.
Britt: Laughter, tears and maybe inspiration to grow their own.

If you want to know more about what Katie and Brittany do you can check out Katie's blog here and Brittany's blog here! They are great reads so check it out!

Beards with Dave Mead

2010-12-08T14:02:00.000+11:00

Dave Mead is our only international artist that is exhibiting as part of Beardo. When we saw his amazing photographs we knew that we had to have them as part of the exhibition and they have been a very popular part of the show. You can see more of Dave's work at http://www.davemead.com/ , also if you love the photos but can't afford the work, you can buy a calendar for 2011 featuring many of these beauties!

We asked Dave some questions...

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?
My name is Dave Mead and I hail from Austin, TX, the live music capital of the world, which also happens to be the allergy capital of the world. When not eating Mexican food, I photograph people. I'm primarily a commercial photographer but occasionally shoot editorially. When possible, I like to incorporate humor into my work. I'm also a longstanding stage photographer for two of the largest music festivals in the U.S.: Austin City Limits Festival and Chicago's Lollapalooza.

What attracted you to make work about beards?
Competitive facial hair growing is serious business. But, to me, there's also something inherently funny about an elaborate beard or mustache. I have a natural desire to want to give each of these guys a high-five. And so a portrait series was a no-brainer.

Are you surprised by the reaction for 'beard related' art and how popular the beard is?
Wait. Is it popular? Dang. I thought this was a niche!

What attracted you to take part in Beardo - the exhibition?
I liked the idea of having my work exhibited alongside other talented artists...and being a part of a big ole hairy collective...in a land far, far away. Having my work on display in my hometown is pretty cool. Having my work seen on the other side of the world is a pretty powerful thing.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
Really, I'm just hoping to provide the public with some interesting imagery. If I can stir emotion and/or create laughter, then i've done my job.

Well Dave, we sure have had some giggles and gasps of awe from patrons who have visited. A big thank you for being part of Beardo!

Leo Greenfield talks about his Beards of Paradise

2010-12-05T10:39:00.000+11:00

Leo Greenfield talks about his series, Beards of Paradise.

If whiskers are a man’s diamonds, then a beard is a lad’s best friend. But in contemporary art practice what does a furry friend have to offer? And what does a time tested signifier of masculinity give to the creation of new drawings?

In building this body of work I became fascinated with the layers of meaning and the literal texture such manes have to offer. From the mythology of Neptune, to Noah and Knights, all the way through to alternative Bear culture. Beards grow on chins of all kinds; they are not just for those who exercise patriarchal control.

In order to expose the limitation of type casting masculinity, I set out to collect a ‘wunderkinder’-like collection of imaginary facial hair. As if taking on a biological study, I took to collecting beards, documenting them like botanical illustrations. Organising the collection as if one were classifying insects in museum vitrines.

Through this process I’m attempting to highlight how society pushes us into gendered pigeonholes.
Within this fanciful classification hair has replaced other revered objects. By doing this traditional masculinity is juxtaposed with objects that hold more feminine qualities; gem stones, lace and feathers. These are suggestive of the complexities of an individual’s gender and highlight the absurdity of fashionable dress.
The art of dressing and grooming is also examined in this body of work. Organisation and sophistication can only go so far: a clean white shirt still covers a beast. These drawings use the contrast between clothing and anthropomorphic creatures to remind us of this very human conflict. Elegance and the unruly are all embraced within the texture of the beard.

This collection of drawings seeks to re-imagine and transform our bodies. They hold a sense of wonder that may well encourage us to re-imagine masculinity and grow new gender qualities more fit for contemporary life.

For more information on Leo Greenfield please visit his ongoing blog project at http://www.thebridestrippedbarebyherbachelor.blogspot.com/

Bestfiend tells us about pants beard!

2010-11-30T15:28:00.000+11:00

Jung and the Restless by BESTFIEND

Installation view of BESTFIEND works at Beardo.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?
BESTFIEND is the name of our creative team of two: Shannon O’Shea & Benj Dawe.
We are inspired by creative tensions and are dedicated to outlandish ideas, moderated by a playful, tongue in cheek honesty. We teamed up with an outrageously talented team of photographers for this project; Coruscade and Michelle Grace Hunder photography, who have pushed our concept into a new stratosphere.

What attracted you to make work about beards?
What is not attractive about beards! They're defining yet temporary, mysterious yet comforting, authentic yet daring, so opposing and playful we couldn't resist. Our art is often about opposing ideas and finding harmony in creating something new.

Are you surprised by the reaction for 'beard related' art and how popular the beard is?
We love the Beardo movement, it's exciting to see authenticity and a push for something more genuine. Dudes are keeping it real with their faces, we sent the idea a little further south for women, keeping it real with their pants beards.

What attracted you to take part in Beardo - the exhibition?
We used the artistic theme ‘Beardo’ as a symbol of disposability. The beard can be utterly defining and yet easily removed. So with our artwork we questioned what is disposable in culture, as an idea or cultural reference is defining of an era and social group, until it is forgotten or re-hashed into something new.

The viewer can reflect and interpret cultural icons (and their beards) in a fresh and entertaining way. We have mixed radical thinkers with popular culture in a playful yet exploitive manner. ‘Jung and the Restless’, ‘Pink Freud’, ‘Marx and Spencer’ are statements on objects that are projected near a model, she is wearing underwear we've painted to look like the philosophers face, the beard is attached from faux fur, voila, pants beards and cultural mash-ups. Taking the reference out of its time into a current context. The photographs are limited edition prints.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
Humour, fun and thought and hopefully they'll tell all their friends.

Getting beardy (and moustached!) with Rebecca Van Der Werff...

2010-11-29T10:13:00.000+11:00

Madonna with a Mo... by Rebecca Van Der Werff

Elvis with a Mo... by Rebecca Van Der Werff

We posed some questions to one of our Beardo artists Rebecca Van Der Werff about her works in the current exhibition. We loved the fact that Rebecca came to the launch in her gorgeous 'Moustache' tee-shirt so she certainly looked the part!

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?
I would consider myself as an emerging Melbourne artist and moustache enthusiast. Predominately an oil painter, I have developed a style mainly consisting of monochromatic photorealism, exploring themes of pop culture, nostalgia and absurdity.

What attracted you to make work about beards?
Beards can express so many things. The work I've submitted are about culture, literature, religion, affection, celebrity and identity. Quite a lot to deal with, yet the versatility of facial hair can say all of this with just a few whiskers.

I have an unusual obsession with male facial hair, especially moustaches, that stems back to my childhood when I would stand under my dad and stare up at him in the mirror whilst he pulled unusual faces during his shaving ritual. What a bizzare concept... hair growing out of his face! Since then beards, moustaches and sideburns have taken over my radar therefore altering every day outings and casual magazine flipping moments to a safari of “oohs,” “squees,” and “hey look at that one.”
I love beards. I love art. It only seemed natural to put the two together

Are you surprised by the reaction for 'beard related' art and how popular the beard is?
No not really, I think that beards have different connotations to every individual. They are as ever present and diverse as the female figure or a city sky line... they are there, why not admire them.

What attracted you to take part in Beardo - the exhibition?
I actually heard about the exhibition when I was in the midst of job hunting. I was looking for a way to create a 'new me'. Like the celebrity's I've painted, a splash of facial hair is all you need to become a new person. Being apart of Beardo was simply an obvious and appropriate decision at the time. I only wish I had more work to submit. I was almost tempted to slap a beard on every artwork I've ever painted.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?
I make my work for one main reason; pure self amusement. I hope that people will look at my work and be equally amused, even for just a second. And if they aren't, I'm sure it will "grow" on them over time.

Come and check out Rebecca's works as part of Beardo until 18 December!

Beards from Queensland with Josh Rufford!

2010-11-25T14:06:00.000+11:00

Installation by Josh Rufford.

We are loving having this menagerie of objects and artworks by the very talented Josh Rufford. As the curator here at Town Hall Gallery, I have to give Josh an award for the most detailed installation map, it was so easy to replicate this fantastic display as per his instructions.

I love all of these works and objects and can't help but see something new everytime I go by! His works are also very affordable if you would like a little bit of Josh Rufford in your house too! Check out his website here!

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what type of work do you do?

Hello. I'm Josh. I live in Brisbane. I like to make things from all sorts of materials and mediums. I like to draw and paint and create little sculpture-y things from found objects and recycled materials. At the moment I'm really enjoying making bookends from reclaimed timber and discarded PVC offcuts and scraps.

What attracted you to make work about beards?

I'm not really sure. I just kinda like drawing from things around me and I guess having a beard and knowing alot of people with beards. Also I seem to incorporate myself or alter-egos of myself into a lot of my work. It is fun to draw hair, especially messy hair.

Are you surprised by the reaction for 'beard related' art and how popular the beard is?

Not really, I mean looking back through history and seeing the number of portraits and imagery of beards is real interesting. I grew up surrounded by beards (my dad, uncles and family friends) so I've always thought they were pretty cool.

What attracted you to take part in Beardo - the exhibition?

It sounded like a really fun and interesting show.

What do you think people will take away with them from seeing your work?

Hopefully a bit of a smile or giggle. I just really enjoy creating different things and looking and thinking about things from all angles.

Don't forget that Beardo is on until 18th December, so pop in and take a look!

Catalogue essay for Beardo by Mardi Nowak

2010-11-24T15:23:00.000+11:00

Woven tapestry by Daniel Edwards, part of the Beardo exhibition.

The beard. Men can grow them, some women can too. However there is something powerful, seductive and mysterious about the beard. It is a sign of manhood, where a man can grow a flowing and full beard proudly but those whose beards are sparse and patchy are often looked down upon. The beard is one way that men can express their individuality and personality. It is an extension of who they are and in many ways can define their look.

The beard has proudly been on the face of men for thousands of years. It has many connotations from the cultural and religious meanings of the Sikhs or orthodox Jews, to more popular culture associations such as musicians ZZ top or Ned Kelly. I still firmly believe that Australian cricketers played better when they sported facial hair. They were tougher and more aggressive than their 'metrosexual' counterparts who are more concerned with highlighting their hair and manicures than playing cricket!

The beard conjures many images. From a sinister man who is hiding something, to the hobo who hasn't any means to shave. There's the aristocrat who in his dandy clothes, preens his beard to become a fashion accessory, which is seen in some of Dave Mead's Magnificent Specimen photographs. There are the iconic beards such as that of Abraham Lincoln, who didn't have a beard all of his life but it is the image of the bearded Lincoln that we best remember.

In gay culture, the Bear is LGBT slang for those in bear communities and subcultures. The bears tend to be hairy and don facial hair and present a hyper masculine image to the rest of society. In this case, the beard is a strong symbol of their culture and how they wish to be perceived.

Within the Beardo exhibition, we see female artists explore the idea of the 'pants beard' and the 'lady beard', both slang for female pubic hair. While men wear their beards with pride, society pushes women to become hair free. In recent years there have been trends to dye and shape pubic hair almost as topiary. This trend first started on European catwalks, with fashion product companies soon following as another way of selling absurd products to their female consumers. Artists BESTFIEND and duo Katie Jacobs and Brittany Veitch, playfully tackle these ideas within their works in an attempt for women to embrace their natural bodies, whilst poking fun at popular culture.

While most women will never know the experience of growing a beard, artist Zoe Steers and writer Laura Smith explore the notion of time and beard growing in their installation Nest. The embroidery hoops hold various hair like materials that form beards. These beards will grow throughout the exhibition, like they would in real life, whilst being filmed and photographed throughout the time period.

This style of time lapse, documentary style photography of beard growing isn't a new thing. Website Whiskerino (www.whiskerino.org) encourages men to shave clean on the 1st of November and let their beards grow until the 28th February. Participants share their stories and photographs of their beards weekly to see how others progress is going. The Whiskerino website states: "Let us return to our roots! Let us return to true masculinity! Let us cry out with one voice: I WILL HAVE A BEARD!! I WILL BE A MAN!! I WILL NOT CONFORM TO YOUR RULES!"

This idea of the beard becoming a symbol of non-conformity can be seen in Josh Rufford's works. His character is a free-spirited, surfie dude who drinks beer and seems to do whatever he likes. Naturally his wild beard, expresses this freedom.

As curator of Beardo, this exhibition always intended to showcases beards from the Town Hall Gallery Collection as well as works from a young breed of contemporary artists who use the beard as a symbol to express masculinity, sexuality, consumerism and folklore. Inspired by the many portrait works held in the Town Hall Gallery Collection that feature some impressive facial hair, I started to notice the resurgence of beards and questioned why people had returned to the beard in both art and fashion.

Is it a new fashion? Is it a backlash to the metrosexual male? Are they just expressing non-conformity? Whatever the reasons are for the return of the beard, Beardo offers you a taste of some of the extremes, passions and stories behind the beard.

Essay by Mardi Nowak, November 2010.

Beat Magazine talks about Beardo!

2010-11-18T11:09:00.000+11:00

Photograph of Steve Raspa by Dave Mead.

Thanks to Lin Tan for this great article about our upcoming exhibition Beardo which featured in this weeks Beat Magazine!

Beardo's For The Weirdo's
Welcome to the curious and ever-fascinating world of beards and the people who grow them. Some, like Hans Langseth who died in 1927, decided to grow his beard to a world-record length of 17 and a half feet. Others, like Steven Raspa, decided to trademark his magnificent chin mane – a dreadlock-esque, over-shoulder beard beautified with a single flower at its tip.

Beardo - so rightly named - is Town Hall Gallery’s latest exhibition on all things related to the beard. The showcase blends work from the gallery’s permanent art collection as well as work from contemporary artists and includes painting, textiles, photography and installations.

“I noticed that we have a lot of historical paintings and photographs of these men sporting really fantastic beards and great facial hair,” says Mardi Nowak, curator of Beardo. “They’re the kind of things that rarely get shown other than in historical contexts, and I sort of thought it would be really great as a way of getting them out there.”

Maybe it’s the fact that her husband sports a beard – maybe not – but over the last two years, Nowak began noticing the ubiquitous presence of facial hair not just on the streets, but in the work of many contemporary artists. “Personally I think there’s a bit of a backlash in terms of the whole metrosexual man,” says Nowak of the recent resurgence of beardage acceptance. “But I also think women have kind of gotten a bit over it as well and enjoying having their men look like men.”

Whilst there’s undoubtedly a certain playfulness to the exhibition, Beardo is also an engaging look into the symbolism behind the beard. With a juxtaposition of historical and contemporary works, we see facial hair in the light of folklore and tradition, as well as a conceptual exploration of beards as a symbol of sexuality and manliness. Furthermore, the act of growing a beard and styling it also suggests a sense of vanity, masked under the macho veil of masculinity.

American photographer, Dave Mead will be exhibiting six photographs he took while documenting the 2009 World Championship Beard and Moustache Competition. ““I wanted Dave’s photos because these were real people who are really passionate about the way that they look, and the kind of way they express themselves is through their beards,” says Nowak. “It’s a part of who you want the world to think you are and see you, and represent yourself.”

Aside from Mead, other local artists have created interesting, outside-the-box new works themed on beards. Fashion designing duo, Shannon O’Shea and Beni Dawe of Best Fiend bring a playful, popular culture twist to the theme in the form of ‘pants beard’, which, to put it tersely, are knickers with beards on them.
More specifically, “They have actually produced a series of underwear that highlights iconic social-thinking people who had facial hair onto the underwear,” says Nowak. Included in their installation are the bearded images of the likes of Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx titled Pink Freud and Marx and Spencer, respectively.

The beard, often a symbol of wisdom and intellect, is interpreted in an entertaining and refreshing way. “They’ve actually collaborated with some great photographers and created these fashion shoots, but they are a kind of play where these girls have these really weird underwear with men’s faces with beards on them.” Best Fiend’s installation will include photographs as well as the actual pants beards.

Interestingly, female artists have also expressed an interest in contributing to the exhibition, bringing to Beardo what they’ve coined as ‘the lady beard’, “which are comments about the pubic and nether region ‘lady beards’, and how in different societies, women are on that kind of crazy Brazillian waxing. So, comments on the opposite of how men are growing these beards and how women are ‘hairing’ themselves.”
Bridging the feminine and masculine divide of facial hair is tapestry artist, Dan Edwards whose work has often centred on beards. “They’re beautiful tapestries that have this real ‘70s edge to them that involves really beautiful pattern making,” explains Noward. “It’s that kind of cross between really masculine and feminine in terms of the material.”

With a wealth of different interpretations of beards, Beardo is sure to spark some interesting conversations between the works presented. “One of the other groups of artists talks about the beard being very disposable. She says that it is utterly defining but in a minute or two, it can be shaved off and reveals the person underneath as well,” says Nowak. “They are very defining for people, and we definitely have a generation of younger men that are embracing the beard.”
Beardo features the work of Dave Mead, Dan Edwards, BESTFIEND, Josh Rufford, Rebecca Van Der Werff, Christie Torrington, Lura Smith & Zoe Steers and Katie Jacobs and Brittany Veitch. The exhibition opens on Wednesday November 24 until Saturday December 18. You can also take part in two special public programs – In Conversation with the curator and Beardo artists on Saturday November 27 at 2pm and a beard-making workshop on Sunday December 5 from 10.30am-3pm. They’re both free.
By LIN TAN

Article on Shopfront...

2010-10-26T08:18:00.002+11:00

Our latest exhibition Shopfront by Lisa Shulman opens this week. The exhibition looks at 24 local Hawthorn traders who have been in business for more than 15 years and their wonderful stories.

The article above gives some insight into the exhibition and is in this week's Melbourne Weekly. Come and check out these stunning photographs and tales from the traders. Shopfront is on until the 20th of November.

Getting Beardy...

2010-10-21T09:50:00.005+11:00

We are very excited to end our 2010 exhibition program with Beardo! This exhibition has been a bit of a pet project for me and I am looking forward to seeing all the amazing works up and also the viewers responses.

Our list of contemporary artists has been completed and we can't wait for the works to arrive at the gallery! So who is getting 'beardy' with us?

Dave Mead (USA)
Dan Edwards (ACT)
BESTFIEND (Melbourne)
Josh Rufford (QLD)Rebecca Van Der Werff (Melbourne)
Leo Greenfield (Melbourne)
Christie Torrington (NSW)
Duo: Laura Smith & Zoe Steers (Melbourne)
Duo: Katie Jacobs & Brittany Veitch (Melbourne)

Keep an eye out for some special posts about the artists during the exhibition. Also if you are taking part in Movember, why don't you come in and show us your facial hair during the exhibition?!

Beardo will be at Town Hall Gallery from Wednesday 24 November until Saturday 18 December.

Shopfront, an exhibition by Lisa Shulman

2010-10-18T09:47:00.002+11:00

(image: A & L Artistic Framers, 2010, photograph and copyright by Lisa Shulman.)

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to host Shopfront, an exhibition of photographs by Lisa Shulman.

Local artist Lisa Shulman has photographed small traders in the Hawthorn area, in celebration of business that have contributed to the local community for over 15 years, offering personalised, often specialised goods and services.

Photographing local communities, Shulman’s desire is to record not just disappearing technologies, but to respectfully acknowledge and preserve the culture of one-to-one customer service and the important role such businesses provide within the fabric of society.

She is acutely aware of the disappearance of this personalised approach to retail and its replacement by large impersonal operations, chain stores and apartment buildings.

Shulman introduces herself to prospective businesses and with their permission, deftly records their operations, daily activities and environment through documentary photography.

Shulman explains “I embarked on a journey of discovering what makes Hawthorn so special. For example, is it the architecture of the business or is it the approach of those behind the counter that makes us feel welcome?"

My journey took me to places that were once thriving stores and are now empty shells with the business name still on the exterior. In fact I found many shops for lease and wondered about the impact of clearways, online shopping and chain stores. I have wanted to capture the gracious character of local businesses in Hawthorn before our shared streetscape is totally transformed.” she said.

Shopfront is at Town Hall Gallery from 27 October until 20 November. Come along and discover more about some of your favourite Hawthorn traders.

Q & A with Caroline about Between the Covers exhibition...

2010-10-07T15:21:00.004+11:00

Town Hall Gallery Curator asks project co-ordinator Caroline Carruthers some questions regarding her project and current exhibition, Between the Covers.

MN Curator: "Where did the idea for this project come from?"

Caroline: "In 2008 I worked with a group of frail, older seniors with physical and mental health issues on my project 'Seeing Ourselves'. This experience was life-enriching for me and, I think, everyone involved: participants, carers, staff at the Evergreen Centre, volunteers, and exhibition visitors. I was so moved by the participants, their stories and life experience, that the idea of telling their stories in a more literal way seemed a natural step. "

MN: "What inspired you to do a project around the 'art of the book'?"

CC: "For an artist who is also a writer I think that the 'art of the book' is a natural convergence of my creative interests.

As a writer I feel an affinity for the tactile experience of books, which means that while I have little interest in the incorporeal unreality of e-books and web publishing, I have a perhaps inevitable interest in creating the physical entity of 'the book' as well as its content.

As an artist I am excited by the explosion of forms and formats that are evolving out of the idea of 'the book'. The link between a conventional printed book (words on pages between covers) and an artist's book (non-traditional but containing elements of a book) has become subtle, but that is part of my enjoyment of the form. I particularly love the sculptural forms of many artists' books and the unexpected changes made in conventional books that have been 'altered' in some way. I'd like to capture some of that surprise and intrigue that I feel in this exhibition.
And I wanted to work with the inspiring people of the Evergreen Centre again."

MN: "Were there challenges with this project?"
CC: "Inevitably. Life never runs smoothly that's part of its charm!"

MN: "What were they?"
CC: "Obtaining and managing funding from a number of different sources is time-consuming and it can be difficult to satisfy the requirements and needs of different sources. The project itself may last a few months but most funding applications need to be made long in advance meaning that a typical project takes about 2 years of work to get underway.

My previous experience of working with seniors required four sessions over a two week period. This project required seven workshops over seven weeks which meant that continuity of attendance was a problem for some participants, but some were so committed to the project that they worked on their books in their own time.

The relative complexity of the project meant that the physical abilities of some participants were challenged. This meant that a high ratio of helpers to participants was needed. However participants enjoyed the challenge, for example one legally blind participant who created an especially tactile book to suit her circumstances.

As noted above having enough support personnel was crucial. The wonderful team of professional staff, work experience students and volunteers from the Evergreen Centre, together with the volunteers from the Boroondara Writers' Group, were essential support to the participants in achieving their vision.

I was probably a bit ambitious with the length of the project, as noted above some participants did not feel they could attend often enough to complete their books. However some people worked in their own time or completed two books, so perhaps it's more about the differences between people than a failure of the project design?"

MN: "Was there something that has amazed or surprised you from working on this project?"
CC: "Just the old cliché - that everyone has a story. It has been a powerful reminder of the individuality, the uniqueness, of each one of us. These seniors have shared their experiences, hopes and expectations with the project facilitators, and now with everyone who gets the opportunity to see their creations. We only used two simple formats but the books are very individual, especially in their content: pictorial essays on a life of travel, forty years teaching in Tanzania or a life in aeronautics; a serious autobiographical work or a tactile experience of nature created by a blind participant.

I was also surprised by how some participants 'usurped' the process, coming to the project with clear ideas of how it would work for them. Book formats were adapted and ways to 'edition' the books were devised for some participants."

MN: "For the exhibition you are showcasing works from the project alongside more professional artists works."
CC: "Yes. I always had the intention to include 'artists' books' in the exhibition, mainly because I am so amazed at what artists have done with the idea of books. In some cases 'artists' books' resemble a conventional book but often the relationship between an artist's book and a conventional book is very tenuous indeed but they should have some element of paper, words, images, covers, to connect them to the concept of a book.

I don't think I plan this way, but on reflection I like to develop projects that have an educational element. In this case, not only to show the participants, volunteers and staff how to do something new, but also to share my interest in unconventional 'artists' books' with participants and visitors. "

MN: "Do you think that participants in the project have found this inspiring?"
CC: "I think they are interested to see what these 'artists' books' will be. The simple, non-traditional book formats we have used have stretched the participants' imaginations and opened them up to new ideas about what a book can be. I think the participants who are exhibiting their books are rightly proud of their achievement, and I think their work can stand beside the professional works as equally powerful expressions of emotion, instinct and intellect."

MN: "Who are the 'professional artists'?"
CC: "The professional artists are Robert Clinch: a contemporary realist painter based in Ashburton. He has received many awards and he is represented in the Town Hall Gallery Collection, as well as other private, corporate and public collections in Australia and overseas.
Gail Stiffe, who is based in Glen Iris, has made paper since 1984 and books since 1990. She has received many awards and is represented in public and private collections in Australia and overseas.
Bronwyn Rees is a printmaker and painter based in Kew. She is represented in the National Gallery of Australia collection and is exhibited in Australia and internationally."

MN: "Why were they selected?"
CC: "These artists were selected because they are locally based and have experience with artists' books, creating 'art expressed in book form'. Each represents a different approach to artists' books. Robert is more of a traditionalist in his approach, working with a master printmaker to create 'books' of prints created from his paintings and drawings. Bronwyn is a printmaker herself and works with paper and ink to create images on paper which form her 'books'. Gail makes paper and creates 'books' (often sculptural) from it."

MN: "What do you hope that viewers come away from this exhibition with?"
CC: "I hope that first of all they will be moved by the books made by the project participants. I hope they will be inspired to make their own books. I hope the exhibition can promote understanding and appreciation of our elders' lives and contribution. I hope viewers will be surprised and entertained, and that they will learn something about the obscure art of books."

MN: "What do you hope that the participants in the project come away with?"
CC: "Initially, a fun activity which has challenged their capabilities and expectations a little and given them enjoyment and a sense of achievement. An activity which has given them a new appreciation of one another through the process, and through each person's 'story'.

For the participants exhibiting, I think they will experience a pride in their achievement to see their work in the gallery context alongside the work of professional artists, and at the end of the exhibition they have their books to share with friends and family.
And I hope that for some of them this is a beginning to the creation of more books for whatever purpose suits them. One participant has been inspired to get professional editing assistance in completing his autobiography. "

Do you know about Creative Spaces?

2010-10-05T12:20:00.003+11:00

(Town Hall Gallery, Easey Street exhibition)

Creative Spaces is a website that is designed to operate as a portal between artists wanting to access affordable space to develop, exhibit or perform their work and property owners who have suitable space for rent.

While project is primarily an initiative between the City of Melbourne and Arts Victoria, the site has a page specifically for the Boroondara area and we are encouraging local landlords to advertise appropriate properties through this site.

This is an exciting opportunity for your business by optimising rental space as well as contributing to our cultural life. Please visit the Creative Spaces Website for more information and click on the "list your space" tab if you would like to promote your facility.

Or visit the Boroondara page directly to see how your space will be listed. This is a fantastic resource so please let others know about it's potential!

Between the Covers in the media

2010-10-04T10:19:00.003+11:00

This great article was published last week in the Melbourne Weekly and features the project coordinator, Caroline Carruthers, with some of the books on display.

Don't forget that there are some great workshops and public programs happening this week in conjunction with the Between the Covers exhibition. Visit the public programs section on this blog (to the right hand side!) for more information.

Between the Covers exhibition starts this week!

2010-09-26T13:17:00.002+10:00

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to host the exhibition Between the Covers. This exhibition is the result of a project between The Evergreen Centre in Balwyn, the Boroondara Writers' Group, professional artists and Boroondara residents.

Working across these diverse groups, life stories have been captured and turned into books which challenge the viewer's perception of the book. Some books hang on walls, concertina or roll up but all represent each maker.

"There is a very specialized skill to making art books. However this exhibition has allowed everyday people the opportunity to take part in this skill and exhibit their works alongside professional artists who work in the medium", says Mardi Nowak Gallery Curator.

There is also a variety of talks and workshops held in conjunction with the exhibition between 6 October and 10 October. During these workshops, visitors will have the opportunity to try their hand at making their own book. More information can be found via the public program section on this blog!

This exhibition is presented as part of the 2010 Victorian Seniors Festival and has received funding from Arts Victoria.

We hope that you enjoy emersing yourself in these great books of art!

In Conversation with Dillon and Mandy

2010-09-16T12:31:00.003+10:00

Last Saturday saw quite the event of the ever lovely Dillon Naylor and Mandy Ord giving a bit of a guided tour through the current exhibition Dark Contrasts. Visitors were also given a bit of a guided tour of both their careers and how they started out within the comic book industry.

The awesome Bobby has given his run down on the afternoon's events here on his blog too with some great photos of the artists in action chatting away. (thanks again Bobby!)

The afternoon was a great insight into how both artists were drawn into what they do and some of the very imaginative ways that they have promoted their works. Dillon gave us a tale of stalking celebrities and chasing them into elevators to give them comic book pages he had created based on them. Mandy also spoke about her first encounters with comic book pages from the newspaper as a child and feeling engulfed by the size of them.

Dark Contrasts is open until Saturday 25th September!

Dark Contrasts review by Chloe Wilson

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(click on article to make bigger to read!)

If you haven't quite picked up your copy of Beat Magazine today, then you should! It features this great review of our current exhibition Dark Contrasts with works by Dillon Naylor and Mandy Ord.

Reviewer Chloe Wilson had the opportunity to view the exhibition and interview comic book star Dillon Naylor about his twenty-something years in comics.

You can hear more from Dillon and Mandy this Saturday 11 September from 2pm as they talk about their works at Town Hall Gallery. Dark Contrasts is on display until Saturday 25 September, if you're not a football kind of person, you can escape to Town Hall Gallery that day!

Call for Beardo artwork proposals!

2010-09-07T10:45:00.002+10:00

Do you make artwork about beards? Then we want you! Take part in Beardo! an exhibition that celebrates the beard! For more information please contact Curator Mardi on mardi.nowak@boroondara.vic.gov.au

The deadline is end of September 2010!!!

Fashion comes in cycles. This is also the case with the fashion of men''s facial hair. The beard and moustaches is one way that men can express their individuality and personality. This exhibition explores beards at many stages of time from works from the collection as well as a young breed of contemporary artists who use the beard as a symbol of masculinity.

Inspired by the many portrait works held in the Town Hall Gallery Collection that feature fantastic facial hair, I started to notice the resurgence of young men sporting beards. Was this a new fashion? Or was it a backlash to the metro sexual man. The beard historically has had many meanings, from the cultural and religious meanings of the Sikhs or orthodox Jews, to more popular culture connotations such as musicians ZZ top or Ned Kelly.

The Beardo exhibition aims to showcase both historical works from the collection but also current arts and craft practitioners who are using the beard (or facial hair) to express a wide variety of ideas. Artists will be selected who work in a variety of media, including textiles and crafts and whose work predominately features and embraces the beard.

Contact Mardi Nowak Curator for brief on mardi.nowak@boroondara.vic.gov.au

Official launch of Dark Contrasts

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Hello blog readers, this is my first time taking some footage of our opening night speech so please forgive my shaky hand, I'm still learning!

The official speech for the Dark Contrasts exhibition was made by Bernard Caleo who has known both of the artists for quite a long time. I'm sure you will agree that his 0pening remarks give viewers a glimpse into the history of comic books in Melbourne.

Click on the play button to view the opening speech via youtube.

So what are comic book lovers saying?

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It is always lovely to hear about our exhibitions through the eyes of other visitors. The most excellent Bobby posted an entry about our current exhibition Dark Contrasts, showcasing works by Dillon Naylor and Mandy Ord. You can check it out here! If you are into all things comics, Bobby's blog is a great read!

Don't forget that Dillon and Mandy will be talking about their works on Saturday 11 September from 2pm to 3pm. It is free to attend and a great opporutnity to hear from 'comic book royalty'!

Dark Contrasts at Town Hall Gallery

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Town Hall Gallery is very pleased to host Dark Contrasts, an exhibition of works by Dillon Naylor and Mandy Ord. Both Naylor and Ord have been a creative force in the Melbourne comic book scene since the early 1990s. This exhibition includes amazing new works by both artists as well as some original treasures dug out of their archives!

Melbourne based Mandy Ord showcases a combination of here highly recognizable autobiographical black and white comics as well as illustrations commissioned for newspapers and magazines. The work is heavily referenced from her own life experience and most of the stories are based in Melbourne.

Her works have included Rooftops published by Finlay Lloyd, which is her first graphic novel or book length comic (highlighted in the exhibition cabinet) and her Bearded Men series. Mandy was guest blogger at ZAP!POW!BLOG! In conjunction with an exhibition on the history of cartooning in Australia at the State Library of Victoria. Her work is widely published in a variety of magazines, newspapers and comic book collaborations. Mandy's style and imagery is easily recognizable and you can see her work monthly in the Trouble magazine.

When talking about the Melbourne comic book scene, Dillon Naylor is a name that constantly comes up. Having a career that spans more than 20 years, this exhibition highlights both recent and older works. Visitors may be aware of his work in comic books Da ‘n’ Dill, Tales of the Ovoid and Burr and Spud for company The Showbag Factory, Victoria. 200,000+ copies were premiums inside showbags at almost all Royal shows, fetes and fairs around the country, over eight years.

Dillon is a regular contributor to K-Zone and Total Girl magazines, Australia and New Zealand’s biggest selling publication for kids. Wrote and illustrated colour comic sections containing up to 30 pages and other content such as puzzles, spot illustrations and developed a 3D process for the magazine. Dillon is also well known for his works in the 1990s of comics Pop Culture and 2 minute noodles and works for band The Fireballs, original works from both comics are featured in this exhibition.

The exhibition will run from 1 September until 25 September. Both artists will be discussing their works and career on Saturday 11 September from 2pm to 3pm.

Marija Patterson re-interprets plastic bags....

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This is a little bit of a last minute/ post exhibition post about Marija Patterson's beautiful works that were in Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make. Her delicate apples are crocheted using thread made from plastic bags. In fact, nearly all of the materials that she uses are carefully recycled from other materials.

Marija talks about her work:

My sculpture is an ongoing investigation into ideas and responses to the relationship between the environment and the human spirit and culture: about the fragility of nature and the human footprint and our need to respect and venerate what we have. In making my work I use recognisable symbols that exist in cultures throughout the world. I use these images to express my ideas and emotions about the delicate balance between man and the environment.

In my work I like to use materials that have a history (pre-used); from deconstructed and discarded objects. Creating an object to express an idea using “second hand” material fits in with the notions that “life is cyclical”, “same atoms - different configurations”, “use of resource and manipulation” By giving materials life in another genre the material is transformed – embodied memories threaded, layered and shaped. And at the same time the materials have their own stories, they are remade and reinvented.

The materials I use, and processes I employ in my practice are a shift of materials and techniques generally used in the domestic and craft arena to the fine art arena. The materials are every day materials found in the home, the domestic environment. The practice of crocheting is associated with home decoration and clothing. Paper mâché in modern times is considered a craft material, for making school projects, decorations and carnival masks. In my current work I deconstruct objects from the domestic environment, (that have had another life), to use the materials (bringing their own stories with them) to make another object. The threads and strips of materials are stitched and layered together to create a new fabric of ideas.

Plastic shopping bags have been with us for only several decades and already they are impacting significantly on the environment; the ramifications will long outlive the time the bag was enjoyed as a convenience. This useful, “disposable” article is not so disposable. By using the limited materials and techniques, ie plastic bags, shredded into yarn and crocheted to represent an apple; paper, torn and moulded to form a vessel, sardine can cut and shaped into a leaf, I am able to make objects that are both aesthetically pleasing and provocative. - Remaking a shopping bag, re-using a manipulated sardine can, and reinventing the paper messenger.

Natalie Kosnar makes a mixed tape...

2010-08-19T15:17:00.000+10:00

Natalie Kosnar presents her series of mixed tape watercolour works as part of the Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make exhibition.

She describes her inspiration and working method below:
"As the world appears to become smaller, my artworks reflect on the thoughts of one individual. A general theme throughout my work revolves around the human condition; who we are and how we relate to others in a complex world. I regularly sway between producing digital and handmade artworks. As technology has developed I use a combination of digital and traditional techniques. "

"A common process for me is to take digital photos which are then manipulated in Photoshop and then painted onto a traditional surface such as canvas or paper. This way of working is a constant re-interpretation of works and ideas. "

The works depicting cassette tapes, highlight the nostalgic 'mixed tape'. By adding various songs, taped onto each cassette, a message is given to another via the songs. The careful placement of songs in an order on a mixed tape is another form of re-interpretation for both the creator of the mixed tape and the recipient.

During the In Conversation program, Natalie spoke about the direction of her new works which looks at teenagers and their obsession with technology; camera phones, ipods etc. These works move away from her retro vibed works that are shown in the current exhibition. I can't wait to see how they look!

Erin Riley re-invents tapestry...

2010-08-13T09:09:00.000+10:00

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to have Erin M Riley exhibit her amazing hand woven tapestries for the first time in Australia. Erin is based in Philadelphia USA and is currently doing a residency in Boston. You can see more of her works at www.erinmriley.com

She talks about the process of her tapestries...

"In most of my work I am finding images of strangers using Google Image search or Facebook, in order to find pictures of young adults in precarious situations. I am using imagery that I find to be shocking and excessive, that they might find to be temporary, fun and fleeting and weaving them into tapestries to solidify the event in yarn. I am remarking on the generation of excess by documenting images that are thought to be yesterday's dirty laundry but which might linger on the internet, or in the mind forever.

In the tapestries, the figures are faceless, a response to the methodology of finding these unknown people to me who then become the stars of the tapestries. "

Make sure you come in and see these tapestries as part of the Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make exhibition which ends on Saturday 28 August at 5pm.

Madeline Preston investigates the Willow Pattern...

2010-08-10T10:21:00.000+10:00

Madeleine Preston lives in NSW and is currently lectures in art and design at the Whitehouse Institute of Design.

Madeleine talks about her work for the exhibition:

"The works for Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make, have at their heart an image that is itself a re-interpretation of Chinese sensibility and ceramic styling - that of the willow pattern plate.

According to the V&A website, 'The legend of the Willow Pattern was invented by the English about 200 years ago to promote pottery sales." Many Australians have grown up with this pattern on dinner plates and mugs believing the story to be an ancient Chinese one. Being born in Australia of English parents and spending my childhood in China I was attracted to elements of the 'ancient' story and to the idea of re-inventing what was already a fabrication.

The demand for the authentic and the need for narrative are great drivers in promotion for any period of history perhaps none more than now. I chose to change the nature of the material representation to another now 'ancient' circular form, that of a record. By taking an image that is misunderstood and misread and re-contextualising the materiality of its representation I hope to re-invent an image that is neither eastern nor western but an imaginary east at the point where commerce and storytelling meet.

I wanted to locate the materials of my re-imagining in the list of wedding anniversary symbols; paper for one year, cotton for two, wood for five, tin for ten and gold for fifty. The willow image is contained within the circular form of an LP/single and only part of the story is shown. There is no function for these products as their functionality has been removed or obscured through their re-invention. In each remade and remodelled patter the image of the 'prison' and the doves is repeated."

These works are absolutely beautiful and the photographs don't capture the intricate detail of the patterns applied onto the vinyl records. They really are works that you need to see in the flesh!

Jasmin Coleman brings her concrete to Melbourne

2010-08-09T11:22:00.001+10:00

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to have Jasmin Coleman exhibit as part of the Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make exhibition. Jasmin is a Queensland based artist, so for her to get her amazing series of hand cast cubes to Melbourne was quite the feat!

Jasmin says about her art practice...

"My hybrid art practice investigates contemporary social issues such as societal value systems, truth, beauty, illusion and change. I am interested in exploring the potential of 'ordinary' materials both through their innate physical function as tools for transformation and as metaphors to discuss broader social concerns.

My 'hands on' approach to art making involves the appropriation, dislocation and glorification of a variety of 'common' materials and processes employed by trade specialists in developing, building and deconstructing the built environment.

Art movements and trends which have had the greatest impact on my practise include key artists associated with the 1960's and 1970's minimal/conceptual art. My work also draws parallels from the philosophical, stylistic and social concerns of Futurism, Neo- plasticism, Suprematism, Constructivism and the De Stijl. The Constructivists belief is that the function of the artist is inherently linked to social responsibility, this has been of particular interest to me. Likewise, the future oriented philosophies that sustained the Suprematists and Neo-plasticist
artists such as 'purity of form, purity of thought' and new art, new life.'

My work which consist of only handmade concrete cubes also discuss material integrity, beauty, function and truth (concrete) versus illusion (the superficial) in art and beyond."

We are very excited to have Jasmin in Melbourne for the launch of the exhibition as well, so hopefully if you attended the opening, you said hi!

Elizabeth Nelson

2010-08-05T11:06:00.000+10:00

Elizabeth Nelson is a Melbourne based emerging artist. She is currently producing her first body of work for exhibition so we are pleased to have her as part of the Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make exhibition. She is inspired by her feelings and observations about the changing landscape of Melbourne.

In this body of work, Elizabeth is re-making artwork from pieces of paper that are no longer serving their original purpose. These papers have been collected from old Melways, postcards, magazines and paint samples. She creates imagery of Melbourne's landscape by mixing collage with pencil, pastel, crayon and paint.

Elizabeth works with a process of re-incorporating all materials into new artworks, even past works that she hasn't found successful will then be later used in the future. "Nothing is wasted", says Elizabeth. These works are a result of interpretation and constant observation to the changing society and environment of Melbourne.

Elizabeth states, "The pace of change in the twenty-first century shows us that nothing is fixed or permanent; everything that exists today may some day be part of something else".

Elizabeth Nelson is part of Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make, which is on show until Saturday 28 August.

So what is this exhibition all about?

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Thanks to Lou Pardi at Beat Magazine for this article on our latest exhibition Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make, which will be at Town Hall Gallery until 28 August. Click on the image above to make bigger.

Adrian Conti explores a new landscape for Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make

2010-08-04T09:54:00.000+10:00

Adrian Conti is a Melbourne based artist who previously worked in printmaking but now has taken his grafitti style to painting and works on unusual surfaces such as metal and unprimed wood. Town Hall Gallery is pleased to have some of his new series of works as part of the Re-invent Re-interpret Re-make exhibition.

These recent works have emerged out of regular drives to Fulham Correctional Centre in East Gippsland. Stagnant inside an interior for the two hour drive, the external landscape shifts and changes.

"My work seeks to describe this landscape but with no fixed point of reference. Painting from my memory, my vista is the constancy of the horizon line through my driving window and the amalgamation of shapes through out the journey. I live predominately immersed in an urban environment with little connection to the rural land. This journey interspersed with ever changing brackets of industry and nature has engendered a response to the juxtaposition of our planned and sometimes regimented environments with what it is to have and enjoy natural space.

My re-interpretation of the physical landscape is via the lens of a 'city boy', the abstract nature of the image both references the 'actual' and internal landscapes. It is here that I'm caught, investigating the dichotomy of the 'real' and imaginary, the inside and outside, urban and rural."

The use of contemporary materials, the abstract and graphic depiction still acknowledges the consept of 'real space' and the traditional use of the 'horizon' within landscapes. Adrian uses industrial materials like spray paint as it enables the simplification of form, clean lines and the abscence of marks. All of this serves to highten the sterility of the experience of the destination.

Emphasis is placed on the interplay of positive and negative space, there is little in the landscape and yet they are full; each part sharing equal importance. Despite the horizon line's inference to depth, the work operates on surface with discordant colours and shapes vying with the raw state of the ground. The works themselves function as a space of reflection for each viewer to interpret and own.

You can find out more about Adrian Conti's work via his Facebook fan page or his blog page.

Challenging and interpreting...

2010-07-28T17:21:00.000+10:00

Next week we will be challenging traditional interpretations at Town Hall Gallery when we install Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make.

They say that everything old is new again and that there are no new ideas, just new interpretations.

This month's Town Hall Gallery exhibition, Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make, explores the idea of re-invention, re-interpreting old ideas into new ones and re-making materials into works of art.

The seven artists taking part have either paid homage to iconic artworks and re-interpreted them in a modern way or taken traditional artisan skills and transformed them into works that will challenge how you see craft.

"There is a strong trend for exhibitions to look at recycling and re-using materials, however, artists have been reworking materials and, more importantly, ideas for a long time," Town Hall Gallery curator Mardi Nowak said.

"This exhibition looks at the idea of re-invention and re-interpretation outside of environmental concepts."

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to have on loan several woven tapestry works by Erin Riley from Philadelphia, USA.

Erin's works are primarily about re-interpretation and she sources photographic imagery from the internet and translates them into an abstract way via weaving. Her tapestries explore the world of partying college students and how the internet can play a role in re-inventing identity.

Another featured artist, Madeleine Preston uses old vinyl records as canvases for her images.
The subject matter is itself a re-interpretation, of the willow pattern plate.

"The legend of the willow pattern was invented by the English about 200 years to promote pottery sales. I was attracted to elements of the ancient story and to the idea of re-inventing what was already a fabrication," Madeleine said.

This exhibition will also feature pieces by Adrian Conti, Jasmin Coleman, Natalie Kosnar, Marija Patterson and Elizabeth Nelson. Their work includes painting, collage, installation and sculpture, which promises to create a fascinating display.

Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make will be open to the public from Wednesday 4 August until Saturday 28 August. We hope to see you at the exhibition soon!

Visitors are invited to join Mardi and the artists to discuss the exhibition at 2pm on Saturday 7 August.

Last week for Weapons of Mass Consumption

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Yep, maybe you should follow the Beat mag's lead and get in before 5pm this Saturday to see Weapons of Mass Consumption before it's all over! Let us know if you want to throw out all your lovely luxury items after seeing it!

Daniel Kaplon at Weapons of Mass Consumption

2010-07-22T08:40:00.000+10:00

Artist Daniel Kaplon has been taking photographs of other people's graffiti messages worldwide for many years. This documentation captures the sense of hope, distinct from the negative perception of graffiti.

This freedom to communicate; whether it's the protest against a political leader or that written agitation against a brand (Nike) which could be perceived as humorous and somewhat refreshing in its profane, flippant dig at capitalization allows many voices to be heard. The hope in the potential of individual voices to be heard through graffiti also shows the common themes universally about consumerism and capitalism. These voices are extremely liberating.

Daniel was one of the artists who spoke at the In Conversation program as part of Weapons of Mass Consumption. His work was some of the most talked about and it was a great opportunity to hear him speak about his works.

One of the most fascinating aspects of his love of 'graffiti' was that of people wanting to make their mark and claim 'I was here' (or I waz here) so to speak! The images he has produced for the exhibition really have given a voice to the unknown person who has produced the text but there is also the viewer's voice being reflected in this images as well, often agreeing with the sentiment.

During the In Conversation program Daniel said that he has almost a catalogue of images of graffiti and that he can group together various statements on a variety of themes due to the large quantity of images but also due to similar statements being made all over the world. His photographs certainly have struck a chord with our viewers and it has been great to hear the conversations about these striking images.

Article: Curator Learns the Ropes...

2010-07-21T07:19:00.002+10:00

Article from Progress Leader 20 July, 2010. Please click on the image if you wish to make larger.

Ash Keating at Weapons of Mass Consumption

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Bit of a close up of the four amazing photos by Ash Keating at Weapons of Mass Consumption.

Ash Keating was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1980. Keating completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) at Monash University, Caulfield in 2003 and completed a BFA Honours year at the VCA in 2006.

Keating has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally since 2004, including recent exhibitions at GCAS, MUMA and RMIT Gallery in Melbourne, CACSA Adelaide, Artspace and BREENSPACE in Sydney, and the Museo de Contemporeano in Santiago Chile.

Keating has been written about extensively in numerous art journals such as Frieze, Broadsheet, Art and Australia, Artlink and Photofile. He was the winner of a 2008 ANZ RIPE award as well as being selected as a finalist in the 2009 SOYA and RBS, Australian emerging artist awards.

Keating’s 2009 project Activate 2750, was created through the MCA’s C3West initiative in partnership with SITA. This project was a hybrid progression of his two 2008 art projects, 2020? created at Arts House Meat Market and Label Land created during an Asialink residency in Seoul, Korea. These projects have merged costumed performances and actions together with large-scale sculptural installations utlising salvaged commercial and industrial waste.

In seeking to bring about positive change or alternative thinking, Keating's projects are presented through poetic forms that seek to radically transform the viewer’s understandings of environmental issues.

Ash Keating is represented by BREENSPACE, Sydney and you can find out more about him by visiting his website www.ashkeating.com. He has completed loads of great projects so go visit the site!

Huang Xu's photographs at Weapons of Mass Consumption

2010-07-14T08:57:00.006+10:00

Town Hall Gallery is pleased to have two very large and beautiful photographs by Huang Xu, on loan from Arc One Gallery in Melbourne, as part of the Weapons of Mass Consumption exhibition.

Huang Xu uses the 3D scanners usually used by archeologists to create his richly haunting images of tattered remains of plastic bags.

"For Huang Xu, the mundane history of the plastic shopping bag evokes a critical commentary on China's acceleration towards a free-market economy and the global shift in the fortunes of capitalism."

Though free plastic bags were virtually unheard of in much of China before the early 1990s, around 3 million plastic bags are now used in China every day. Levels of plastic pollution were so high in the months leading up to the Olympics that China imposed a ban on lightweight bags. For many Chinese, this environmental crisis was perceived as symptomatic of the negative impact of the country's recent race to embrace capitalism.

Huang Xu was born in Beijing in 1968. He set up the Substratum Art Studio in 1989, the Migrant Bird Art Studio in 1991 and the Big Basin Studio in 2003. He has exhibited in Australia and China and works as a professional photographer in Beijing.

Huang Xu's work is on loan from Arc One gallery in Melbourne.

Adam Cruickshank's works at Weapons of Mass Consumption

2010-07-14T08:47:00.004+10:00

Adam Cruickshank, Ikea Lagerphone, 2010.

Adam Cruickshank has two works in Weapons of Mass Consumption. Both of them have intrigued viewers with the comments often being: "is the light real? how many metres of extension cord is in it?" for the nightlight installation and "gee, the artist must of drunk alot of beer!" for the Ikea Lagerphone.

Using techniques of sculptural assemblage and repetitive craft-based processes, Adam Cruickshank takes standardized objects produced from automated systems and reworks them into new items of art work. The work Ikea Lagerphone, utilizes a purchased Ikea chair, modified with many bottle tops reminiscent of the musical instrument. The mass produced chair now has a new function.

"My practice involves sculptural assemblage, installation, drawing, painting, printmaking and aspects of performance. In general it involves a critical engagement with the systems and hierarchies of contemporary culture. It often involves a sense of humour and investigates slippage points between two opposing concepts; hand-made and mass-produced, old and new (etc) in order to force meaning into flux."

Adam Cruickshank is a Melbourne-based artist working across a broad range of media and installation techniques. Having worked as an art director and designer in advertising and magazines, the corporate manipulation of culture is central to much of his artistic practise. The dialogic nature of his approach attempts to question hierarchical definitions of fine and so-called ‘applied art’ practices. Cruickshank attended the Queensland College of Art in the early 90’s and was involved with various Brisbane artist run spaces of that time. He has lived in London, Berlin, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

You can check out Adam's website at www.adamcruickshank.com

Ryan Foote and his Objects of Desire..

2010-07-09T13:49:00.000+10:00

One of the exhibiting artists in Weapons of Mass Consumption is Ryan Foote. His installation of clear perspex boxes that replicate designer packaging are incredibly engaging. This series of works is titled Objects of Desire, he talks further about this body of work.

"This body of work is the second in a series of artworks that looks at my love of art and fashion and how my compulsion to create is more dominant and important to me than my love of fashion. By choosing to express myself through my artwork it restricts my individual expression betrayed by fashion.

This artwork reflects upon contemporary popular culture and the emergence of trend culture. Artists have to consider themselves part of the consumers world, whether it be by consuming materials to create the artwork, through to production of documentation and flyers of the exhibitions.

Elements of my work explores my love to consume but also my over powering desire to create and add to the world. This artwork also comments on ethical issues of living in a world dealing with global warming and growing financial credit driven by a global society.

The work sees boxes that mimic the size and shape of fashion related objects that I desired but have had to give up in order to produce my artwork. The boxes replicate packaging of things like Victor and Rolf cologne, Apple’s iphone, Calvin Klein underwear, D&G shoeboxes. The boxes are made out of clear acrylic and subtly etched with the designer labeling and then filled with by-products from the creation of past artwork. For example the shoe boxes stuffed with hundreds of pieces of used sandpaper and cologne boxes filled with sawdust from timber I have cut up. The works are slick and seductive but at the same time they are objects filled with all my art excrement.

Our consumer driven world love creating objects and products that we as society don’t necessarily need but rather want, this is epitomized through these objects as they are filled with waste from my studio and workshop, but on the other hand this artwork looks at trends in sustainable /recycled found objects, found in a growing number of artist artwork that comment on society. "

Weapons of Mass Consumption: Emma-Lee Crane

2010-07-08T12:15:00.003+10:00

Artist Emma-Lee Crane is based in NSW so we were very please that she got on a plane and came to help us install her hundreds of resin triangles for the Weapons of Mass Consumption exhibition. It was also fantastic to have her here for the official launch as well. Emma-Lee's work is incredibly engaging with it's use of repetition. Her small red resin triangles are reminscent of lollies and the colour on mass is beautiful.

She says about this her artistic practice:

"Concentrating on social issues, my work explores the ugly side of human nature through the device of repetition. The repetition is both the visual components that create balance and rhythm and the physical actions during the laborious process of creating (and installing) the work.

Bulk is created from resin and drawing pins. It is a work that explores the excessive number of mass-produced products that are in the market place. Bulk is made up of thousands of useless singular objects that together create a display of attractive shimmering red that draws the audience in.

Understanding the connotations the colour red imparts is important to the understanding of this work. Red is used a great deal by marketing companies to attract buyer to their product, it heightens the sense hunger and desire. Red is also used by the stock market to indicate loss - a visual that we are more familiar with following the recent Global Recession.

By creating ‘mass produced’ goods by hand and by ones self is a contradiction to the idea of industrial mass production. The repetitive actions and processes involved make the artist a ‘machine’ - a machine that inadvertently makes mistakes and inconsistencies whilst producing the same object thousands of times over. It is these ‘mistakes’ that differentiate Bulk from other mass produced items. Bulk has character and original detail when viewed up close - even with a ‘real’ mass produced item (the pin) in each triangle."

Weapons of Mass Consumption: Peter Zylstra

2010-07-07T13:08:00.000+10:00

Perth based, artist Peter Zylstra, has recently completed a series of photos inspired by his travels through many parts of Mexico titled, "Hecho En Mexico" (Made in Mexico).

Born in Canada, Peter went to the United states where he completed his BFA and MFA. He then went on to lecture in various universities in the US and Mexico, and then to the Contempory Arts Media in Melbourne where he worked developing the curriculem there.

Peter's artistic background specializes in painting and phototography, many of his works feature and are influenced by 'the politics of looking, especially that implicit in the touristic, colonizing and artistic gaze'.

Many images in Peter's series capture materialistic aspects of tourism and culture seen on Peter's recent travels to Mexico. These photos aim to explore the authenticity of transformation of traditional hand-made goods into mass produced souveniers. Many of the photos ironically reveal that these 'traditional' goods have been imported and mass produced yet still appeal to a tourist's "authentic experience".

Peter states, "The photographs in this series archive the rapidly changing landscape of Mexico, one of the many developing economies that will define the direction of the twenty-first century".

You can check out more of Peter's work via his website here.

Weapons of Mass Consumption: artist Jessica Wong

2010-07-05T15:01:00.000+10:00

Jessica Wong's artworks explore the temporary happiness gained through retail therapy, consumerism and extension. Jessica has created an artwork of a long flowing scroll which mimics the fluidity of an ocean and sky. By creating movement in her work, Jessica makes a connection between the elements human and Earth.

Detail from Jessica's installation.

Instability of the human world is symbolized using layers of blue and white ink which build images of clouds and seas. In her artwork, Jessica incorporates references to environmental issues associated with our world.

Fine drawings across Jessica's work use humour to display environmental impacts, "Overpopulation, urban expansion and the associated ecological issues can be read into the free-hand doodles and mapping elements, imparting ironic humour to encourage the viewer to consider ideas of equality, over-consumption and excess."

Jessica explores the vulnerability and disordered nature of social constructions in our culture, creating fluidity of folds across the scroll. The use of translucent paper is evident across all of Jessica's work, this means that the artwork is very fragile and can be easily damaged.

Jessica explains that, "Modern museums and galleries are charged with keeping works of art in mint condition, but what are the implications on our planet over time if artworks are continually produced and kept forever? ". Over consumption is evident in our culture, using translucent paper challenges the need for over consumption to exist in our culture. Using this medium, Jessica is also able to highlight similarities between the 'temporary nature of human life' and the 'fragility of existence'.

Interview with Louisa Marks for Weapons of Mass Consumption

2010-06-30T15:54:00.003+10:00

Writer Lou Pardi put together this article in this weeks Beat Magazine about the Weapons of Mass Consumption exhibition. She interviewed Ms Louisa Marks, our 'young curator' who put this thought provoking and beautiful exhibition together. You can visit the article online at Beat Magazine, or please see below for the interview. Thanks to Lou Pardi at Beat Magazine for this.

(Article)
Opportunities for young curators to formulate exhibitions are few and far between. Town Hall Gallery curator Mardi Nowak has given young curator Louisa Marks exactly that opportunity. Marks speaks with Beat about the experience.

Can you tell us about the Young Curator Project?
LM: “I have been working with Mardi since August last year as part of a Young Curator Mentorship at Boroondara's Town Hall Gallery to implement an exhibition in July as part of the annual program. She has done a lot of work previously with many young and emerging artists and that's always been a focus of her curatorial program. This, however, is the first time Mardi has mentored a young curator and given someone the opportunity to curate their own exhibition from concept to practical installation and display. She offered to put me in the program and I jumped at the chance.”

What does this opportunity mean to you?
“This project has given me valuable experience as a curator as I have been provided with the opportunity to design and deliver an exhibition under the guidance of a highly experienced curator. There are not many public institutions in Australia that offer a relatively inexperienced curator the chance of a mentorship and to actually have creative control and management of their own exhibition. I undertook a Masters of Curatorship at the University of Melbourne and while they facilitated internships, which was very helpful, it was almost impossible to find the opportunity to get curatorial work experience in an Australian public art institution despite good efforts and even doing freelance work as an arts writer. I am really thankful for Mardi's willingness to try something new, let a young graduate have a go and give young people opportunities like this one because it really is uncommon in this field. Mardi is definitely a leader and I do hope to follow in her shoes if I ever work as a professional curator.”

How did the concept for the exhibition, Weapons of Mass Consumption , come about?
“The concept was conceived through discussions with Mardi Nowak. I have always been interested in art that addresses current and topical social issues; many of these issues stem from our consumerist nature so selecting consumerism as an exhibition concept was a natural decision. Finally, the dialogue between the handmade and the mass-made has always been a discourse that I have found interesting; this is something that's been explored in art since the ‘60s with Warhol with brand domination – Campbell soup cans and Brillo pad boxes, not to mention screen printing which pointed to the new printing technologies to produce images repeatedly as posters or newspaper pages – an essential technology that drives mass production.

Consumerism is even more consistent and dominant these days though, with product placement in movies, music clips and even TV shows likeMasterchef. This exhibition does not seek to label consumerism as good or bad; and this ambivalence is definitely present in the exhibition. Weapons of Mass Consumption comes out of my desire for more challenging social and political thematical exhibitions. I don't see that many group shows doing that but I do see artists doing it.”

How did you go about connecting with the artists?
“Some of the artists I approached because I knew they were critically engaged with these ideas in their practice. We also did a ‘call out’ and received some fantastic submissions, which resulted in many of the interstate artists being involved including Peter Zylstra, Emma-Lee Crane and Karla Marchesi. There are many other Melbourne artists too and a Chinese artist Huang Xu whom I became acquainted with through some previous work at Arc One Gallery. He does incredibly beautiful photographic studies of plastic bags, seemingly weightless and suspended on inky black backgrounds. I find them quite sublime – but how can that be, they are plastic bags which are made and disposed of every second? There is a real contradiction there. I never think they're beautiful in real life.”

Can you tell us about a work in the exhibition that you find inspirational or that brings hope?
“All the works in the exhibition give me inspiration, but in terms of hope that's a little different. One of the artists, Ryan Foote, is showcasing an installation called Objects of Desire which involves acrylic, etched transparent boxes of recognisable products, rather their packaging, on shelves and plinths. There's an iPhone box, Macbook, cologne and a D&G shoebox. They are slick and beautiful but filled with scraps and offcuts left over from past artwork. I think they are the best example of that conflict with my own personal consumerist desires. It's more hope because there's that element of connectivity, that innate humanness to want material possessions.

“Another artist Daniel Kaplon has taken photographs of other people's graffiti messages in the streets Daniel has been documenting slogan graffiti over the past seven years – there is a sense of hope, distinct from the negative perception of graffiti – in how it related to our freedom to communicate; whether it's the protest against a political leader or that written agitation against a brand (Nike) which could be perceived as humorous and somewhat refreshing in its profane, flippant dig at capitalisation. I find hope in the potential of individual voices to be heard through graffiti and then the common themes that can be there universally. I find it as liberating as the internet which is completely democratic. Forums for individual voices.”

Can you tell us about a work or works in the exhibition which you find challenging?
“I think works such as Karla Marchesi's photo-realist paintings from her Left Behind series are quite challenging; they are external views of houses with abandoned personal items and mounds of rubbish strewn over gardens or near train tracks. There is a way she's painted the refuse with such incredible detail and observation is challenging in what it presents to us; we could imagine this subject matter being presented photographically, but Karla has painted it and therefore it becomes more potent and thought-provoking.

Another work by Adam Cruickshank is an installation that is essentially a tube or knitting nancy of hundreds of metres of electrical cord, instead of wool, hung from the ceiling. One end has a plug and at the other between metres and metres of plastic and metal cord is a light bulb. It's looking at technology but in quite an ironical and humorous way. The threads and wool have been usurped by the electrical cord; the hand-made makes way for the mass-produced. Adam had a previous exhibition at Craft Victoria, Reverse Cargo, in which he transformed mass-made Ikea objects into hand-made, highly crafted works. He definitely presents challenges to the viewer in terms of contemplating the systems of contemporary culture.”

Weapons of Mass Consumption is on until 31 July.