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post<br />

mod<br />

an exploration of postmodernism<br />

Toyota Australia<br />

155 Bertie Street Port Melbourne Victoria<br />

Gallery Hours Thu & Fri 1pm to 6pm or by appointment<br />

22 February to 31 May 2006<br />

Inquiries phone Ken Wong 03 9690 0902<br />

toyota community spirit gallery<br />

presents


postmod<br />

an exploration of postmodernism<br />

Toyota Community<br />

Spirit Gallery<br />

The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery is<br />

an initiative of Toyota Community<br />

Spirit, Toyota Australia’s corporate<br />

citizenship program.<br />

Toyota Community Spirit develops partnerships<br />

that share Toyota's skills,networks,<br />

expertise and other resources with the<br />

community.<br />

The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery aims to<br />

provide space for artists, especially emerging<br />

artists to show their work. The space is<br />

provided free of charge to exhibiting artists,<br />

no commission is charged on sales and Toyota<br />

provides an exhibition launch and develops a<br />

catalogue for each exhibition. The Gallery has<br />

now shown works by more than 130 artists.<br />

Toyota has worked with Hobsons Bay City Council<br />

and the City of Port Phillip on this project.


postmod<br />

an exploration of postmodernism<br />

featuring works by<br />

Tsvia Aran-Shapir<br />

Nicola Archer<br />

Leonie Barton<br />

Buni<br />

Maryanne Coutts<br />

Daniel Dorall<br />

Ursula Dutkiewicz<br />

Miwako Inoue<br />

Sandra Kiriacos<br />

Thomas Morison<br />

Annabel Nowlan<br />

Matthew On<br />

thanks to<br />

Rebecca Power<br />

Marian Rennie<br />

Geoffrey Ricardo<br />

Anne Ronjat<br />

Melanie Ryan<br />

Judy Shuter<br />

Fern Smith<br />

Bronwyn Taylor<br />

Paul Villani<br />

Stefan Twaine-Wood<br />

Yenny<br />

curator Ken Wong<br />

katarina persic, hobsons bay city council<br />

sharyn dawson, city of port phillip<br />

cath templeton, toyota australia<br />

invitation, catalogue<br />

design & editing<br />

watch arts<br />

images this page<br />

annabel nowlan,<br />

geoffrey ricardo<br />

& nicola archer<br />

images front cover<br />

bronwyn taylor, buni,<br />

judy shuter, annabel nowlan,<br />

leonie barton, fern smith,<br />

sandra kiriacos & daniel dorall.


Tsvia Aran-Shapiir<br />

The Couple stoneware treated with acrylic pigment & sand<br />

Male 74 x 50cm 2005 $3750<br />

Female 70 x 43cm 2005 $3750 page 06<br />

Nicola Archer<br />

Love Picture mixed media<br />

125 x 57cm 2001 $777 page 07<br />

Leonie Barton<br />

Stepping Out ink & gouache<br />

55 x 71cm 2005 $2000 page 08<br />

Buni<br />

Head Horrors mixed media on canvas<br />

106 x 106cm 2005 $1037 page 09<br />

Maryanne Coutts<br />

Tunnell oil on linen<br />

182 x 135cm 2005 $8000 page 10<br />

Daniel Dorall<br />

Yellow Brick Road mixed media 20 x 20cm 2005 $750<br />

Hunting in Green Pastures mixed media 10 x 20cm 2005 $550<br />

Captain Cook mixed media 10 x 10cm 2005 $350<br />

Curse mixed media 10 x 10cm 2005 $350<br />

Santa vs. Santa mixed media 10 x 10cm 2005 $350 page 11<br />

Ursula Dutkiewicz<br />

Demon 2 stoneware clay, underglaze, frit<br />

29.5cm 2005 $340 page 12<br />

Miwako Inoue<br />

Green oil on canvas<br />

101.5 x 84cm 2001 NFS page 13<br />

Sandra Kiriacos<br />

Emotional Blackmail acrylic on canvas<br />

60 x 60cm 2005 $500 page 14<br />

Thomas Morison<br />

Cowy at the Beach house paint on canvas<br />

100 x 120cm 2005 $750 page 15<br />

Annabel Nowlan<br />

Outsider iv mixed media on canvas<br />

150 x 200cm 2005 $4000 page 16<br />

Matthew On<br />

Surveillance (Dog Monitor) watercolour on paper (20 panels)<br />

100 x 80cm 2003 NFS page 17<br />

p<br />

community spirit gallery<br />

mod<br />

ostartists & works


mod<br />

Forest in Lübbecke oil on masonite<br />

ost<br />

Rebecca Power<br />

artists & works<br />

60 x 45cm 2005 $250 page18<br />

Marian Rennie<br />

Pale Moon oil on canvas<br />

127.5 x 127.5cm 2003 $16500 page 19<br />

Geoffrey Ricardo<br />

anno domino copper<br />

49cm 2005 POA page 20<br />

Anne Ronjat<br />

Untitled (pair) ceramic<br />

41 x 22cm each 2005 $400(pr) page 21<br />

Melanie Ryan<br />

Frangipani digital photographic print<br />

78 x 67cm 2006 $440 page 22<br />

Judy Shuter<br />

Aparajita-Undefeated oil on canvas 73 x 57cm 2004 $2000<br />

Angeni-Spirit Angel oil on canvas 70 x 53cm 2005 $2000<br />

Vinaya-Humble oil on canvas 72 x 56cm 2006 $2000<br />

Sudarshini-Beautiful Lady oil on canvas 75 x 58cm 2005 $2000<br />

Amanaki-Hope oil on canvas 71 x 56cm 2005 $1500<br />

Kambo-Work for Everything oil on canvas 64 x 53cm 2005 $2000 page 23<br />

Fern Smith<br />

Coy digital artwork<br />

108 x 88cm 2005 $700 page 24<br />

Bronwyn Taylor<br />

Big Chicken acrylic & pastel on primed linen<br />

212 x 212cm 2004 $1500 page 25<br />

Stefan Twaine-Wood<br />

Mystical Moment acrylic on canvas<br />

61 x 137cm 2005 $5000 page 26<br />

Paul Villani<br />

Melbourne’s Hidden Secrets V11<br />

digitally enhanced photograph<br />

76 x 102cm 2005 $700 page 27<br />

YennY<br />

Untitled type-C print<br />

84 x 200cm 2005 $1800 page 28<br />

community spirit gallery<br />

p


tsvia aran-shapir<br />

06<br />

p<br />

mod<br />

The Couple<br />

stoneware treated wtih acrylic pigment & sand, 2005<br />

Man 74cm x 50cm & Woman 70cm x 43cm<br />

Tsvia was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, but received her Masters Degree in<br />

Counseling and Psychology at Boston University. She completed her practicum<br />

at NATO hospital, Department of Psychiatry in Frankfurt, Germany and in 1988<br />

moved to Belgium, working as a psychotherapist combining Gestalt therapy, Art<br />

therapy and Body awareness. In 1993 she studied ceramics at “Atelier Circle”<br />

with Belgian artist Paty Wouters. The following year she enrolled at the<br />

Academy of Art in Antwerp (Academie voor Beeldende kunsten Berchem Antwerpen)<br />

specialising in sculpture and also completed 2 years at IKA (Hetinstitute voor<br />

Kunstambachten, Te Mechelen) specialising in glass before graduating in 2000.<br />

She has exhibited since 1998 in Israel and Belgium including at the Second<br />

International Ceramics Biennale in 2002. In August 2004 Tsvia moved to<br />

Australia with her husband and son and is currently finalising work for an<br />

exhibition at Uber Gallery, St Kilda.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

While creating these forms, I was looking for the “true life” or the “true<br />

self”, forming in the image a call back to the basics of human existence, back<br />

to our basic selves as man and woman, as a couple. These highly abstract human<br />

figures resonate with serenity and physicality and radiate “inner force” -<br />

something touchingly human. I am fascinated by the human skeleton; as a<br />

reflection of a certain primeval innocence-the human frame revealing purity and<br />

authenticity as well as our strong connection with nature and with each other.<br />

community of port phillip<br />

ost


ost<br />

mod<br />

nicola archer<br />

Nicola is originally from Sydney and had a keen interest in art as a teenager<br />

studying screenprinting at high school. For the past twenty years she has<br />

worked in media as a publicist and in television and radio and also managed<br />

Australian bands including The Angels, Baby Animals and Diesel. She traveled<br />

and worked overseas for a year living in London and Africa. Ten years ago she<br />

visited Melbourne for the Spring Racing Carnival and ended up staying. She<br />

settled in Middle Park but now resides in St Kilda which she describes as<br />

‘definitely the most interesting, pretty and eclectic suburb to live in<br />

Melbourne’. This is the first public showing of her artwork.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

I picked up a paint brush for the first time two years ago and over this<br />

period, I have painted my feelings and absolutely love it. It is an<br />

inspirational outlet and I am completely in a zone when I create. I now<br />

don’t feel like a sane person if I do not create, mix and paint or draw on<br />

a weekly basis. In fact, something is missing inside of me and I am very<br />

unhappy if I do not. This ‘Love Picture’ represents the men in my life and<br />

my relationships with them. I had just moved into a beautiful house on the<br />

bay and that very weekend I had the urge to buy beads, to cut up my own<br />

necklaces and I spent hours weaving and threading the crystals to tell the<br />

story. I was saying goodbye to all of them, feeling grateful for most of<br />

the experiences and preparing myself to welcome in the new.<br />

Love Picture (detail)<br />

mixed media, 2001, 125cm x 57cm<br />

community of port phillip<br />

07<br />

p


leonie barton<br />

Leonie is based in Sydney and has only been developing her art practice over the<br />

past couple of years. In 2004 she studied ‘Making your Mark in Drawing’ at RMIT<br />

through Open Universities Australia and achieved a pass with distinction. This<br />

year she has commenced studies for an Advanced Diploma of Fine Art with Sydney<br />

Gallery School. Her works were selected as finalists and exhibited for various<br />

local art prizes in 2005.This is the first Victorian exhibition of her work.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

Currently I am working in a mixed media format, which begins with drawing my<br />

subject matter in ink and blocking in the backgrounds in a more vivid colourful<br />

medium. This medium can be watercolour, pastel, coloured pencil or even oil<br />

stick. The images come to me generally in a “flash” for want of a better<br />

description and tend to just pop into my head whilst I am attending to the more<br />

mundane chores in life. I don’t tend to sketch out my work, just begin, as the<br />

image always stays so strongly in my mind. These images can be epic in their<br />

process as they can take several weeks to execute because of their incredibly<br />

fine detail.They are a journey for me from start to finish and a real commitment<br />

- one line in the wrong place and I’m back to the beginning. The backgrounds<br />

tend to emerge and be more playful and less intense thus balancing the work and<br />

myself in the process, like exhaling after having held my breath whilst getting<br />

the original image down. My work requires patience from both myself and the<br />

viewer, which is a nice connection. The more they look - the more they will see.<br />

08<br />

p<br />

guest artist / NSW<br />

mod<br />

Stepping Out<br />

ink and gouache, 2005, 55cm x 71cm<br />

ost


ost<br />

Head Horrors<br />

mixed media on canvas, 2005, 106cm x 106cm<br />

mod buni<br />

represented by artasis<br />

Buni was born in 1982 on the Mornington Peninsula but left home for the big<br />

smoke and bright lights of Melbourne where she became fascinated by<br />

all things plastered, painted, stencilled, glued and sprayed on lane way walls<br />

all over the CBD. While completing a Bachelor of Fine <strong>Arts</strong> in painting at Monash<br />

University, she continued her interest in street art by becoming ‘Buni’ and<br />

sticking small self designed stickers of her new persona all over the<br />

un-expecting cracks, crevices, windows and doors wherever she went. She is<br />

still strongly influenced by street art but has departed from the outside art<br />

form and settled into life at her home studio. She has completed two solo<br />

exhibitions and participated in various group shows in Melbourne and Sydney.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

I am interested in how memories make us feel, affect our state of mind and<br />

provoke emotion. My works capture the atmosphere of a memory and reflect how<br />

emotion has connected with a particular phrase or image. The work reveals the<br />

polarity of darkness and light creating discourse between these extremes. The<br />

presence of this disturbing space symbolises the distressed nature of our vast<br />

inner and outer worlds which form our sense of reality. I see memories as a way<br />

of reflecting and provoking response. Intrigued by the brain’s ability to<br />

recall and fabricate thoughts and memories, I am drawn to phrases that trigger<br />

these responses. These elements connect within the composition of the images to<br />

remind us of the interconnectedness and fragility of the human thought process.<br />

community of hobsons bay<br />

09<br />

p


maryanne coutts<br />

10<br />

p<br />

Tunnell<br />

oil on linen, 2005, 182cm x 135cm<br />

Maryanne received her Bachelor of Fine <strong>Arts</strong> (Painting) from the Victorian<br />

College of the <strong>Arts</strong> in 1981, going on to complete a Graduate Diploma at the<br />

University of NSW in 1984. In 1996 she commenced a PhD in painting from the<br />

University of Ballarat, completing her studies in 1999. She has exhibited<br />

widely since the mid 1980’s across Australia in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and<br />

Hobart with a dozen solo exhibitions and numerous group shows. She has been<br />

the recipient of several awards and prizes including two Highly Commended<br />

awards for the Portia Geach Memorial (1999, 2000), the Urban Attitude Prize<br />

(Linden, 1999) and two Australia Council Project Grants (1982, 1992-3).<br />

Maryanne is currently a resident of Albert Park.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

As a painter I am always interested in implying a story. I am very interested<br />

in post-modern narrative strategies like self-reflexivity and ambiguity.<br />

However, I feel that this painting is more a story about post-modern experience<br />

than being a post-modern work. In a sense I am looking for a way to use what<br />

I have learnt from postmodernism and move beyond it; to become less self<br />

conscious and yield to both the drama of events and the drama of paint.<br />

community of port phillip<br />

mod<br />

ost


ost<br />

Yellow Brick Road<br />

cardboard, sand, plastic, hydrocryl, acrylic paint,<br />

synthetic grass, sandpaper, 2005, 20cm x 20cm<br />

mod<br />

daniel dorall<br />

Daniel was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1979 and grew up in Kuala Lumpur. He<br />

completed his first degree in architecture at the University of Malaya in 2002.<br />

The following year he arrived in Australia and embarked on a second degree in<br />

architecture at Melbourne University, completing this in 2005. He has been<br />

included in several group exhibitions over the last few years and has curated<br />

two highly regarded exhibitions in Malaysia. In July 2005 he was the recipient<br />

of the University of Melbourne Student Union <strong>Arts</strong> Grant. He held his first solo<br />

exhibition in October of last year at the George Paton Gallery, Melbourne and<br />

was subsequently invited to participate in a group show at Red Gallery,<br />

Fitzroy. He is currently preparing for his next solo show in May at Red Gallery<br />

and has recently been curated into the Slide program at Gertrude Street<br />

Gallery, Fitzroy. The miniature tableaux exhibited here address social issues<br />

with wit and candour and demand that the audience re-evaluates their<br />

preconceptions about individuality and our relationships with each other.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

I am keenly interested in the possibilities that exist between the<br />

functionality of architecture and the non-functionality of fine art. Using my<br />

skills and training as an architect within a fine art context I seek to<br />

challenge perceptions of space and our relationship to it and society.<br />

guest artist / victoria<br />

11<br />

p


ursula dutkiewicz<br />

12<br />

p<br />

Demon 2<br />

stoneware clay, underglase frit, 2005, 29.5cm<br />

Ursula grew up surrounded by the abstract and expressionist paintings of her<br />

emigrant father Wladyslaw Dutkiewicz who settled in South Australia and became,<br />

along his younger brother Ludwik, one of the leading modernist painters there<br />

in the 1950s and 60s. Ursula became a professional ceramic artist in 1994 after<br />

completing a Bachelor of Fine Art from VCA in 1993. She has exhibited in over<br />

40 shows and is a resident artist and kiln co-ordinator at Gasworks <strong>Arts</strong> Park<br />

Ceramic Studio.In 1996 she completed an architectural ceramics course specializing<br />

in wall murals and has since completed several commissioned projects for<br />

clients including Kensington Swimming Pool, South East Water, City of Port<br />

Phillip and Albert Park College. Her professional practice has included tutoring<br />

and workshops for all sectors of the community including projects with Footscray<br />

Community <strong>Arts</strong> Centre and Skinners Adventure Playground. She also created an<br />

Altar Installation for ‘Celebrate Women' in conjunction with the Women’s Circus<br />

and Amnesty International in the forecourt of the Victorian <strong>Arts</strong> Centre.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

I started learning to be an artist as a young child by watching my father. My<br />

work is similar in content using elements of line and colour but unlike my<br />

father I use clay as a medium. I create my work with a limited range of colours<br />

and a technique that gives me an embossed textured surface. My clay works eventuate<br />

from a combination of knowledge, experience and being open to the moment.<br />

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

community of hobsons bay<br />

mod<br />

ost


sandra kiriacos<br />

Sandra is a South Melbourne based artist whose works explore humanity from a<br />

personal and feminine perspective primarily through figurative forms. She held<br />

her first solo exhibition in South Melbourne in 2000 and her work was published<br />

as part of a 2001 emerging artists calendar. More recently her practice has<br />

begun to take on more complex layers of meaning facilitated and inspired by<br />

experiments with collage and a growing interest in design and digital media.<br />

This work is part of a pair that deals with some of the darker aspects of power<br />

versus influence that can arise in personal and intimate relationships. It<br />

retains the traditional painterly approach and technique she aspires to but<br />

also borrows heavily from her recent, more postmodern experimentations. The<br />

bold use of vibrant colour is a trademark of her practice.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

Applying paint to canvas is my way of conveying thoughts and emotions that I<br />

have no words for. Sometimes I am perplexed by what is going on in my<br />

subconscious, but I have learned not to doubt, question or over analyze it.<br />

“The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever<br />

passes through my head without any other consideration.” Frida Kahlo<br />

14<br />

p<br />

community of port phillip<br />

mod<br />

Emotional Blackmail<br />

acrylic on canvas, 2005, 60cm x 60cm<br />

ost


ost<br />

Cowy at the Beach<br />

house paint on canvas, 2005, 100cm x 120cm<br />

mod<br />

thomas morison<br />

Born in 1982, Thomas grew up in North Melbourne and attended University High<br />

School where he studied graphic design. Art has become a means of self<br />

expression for him reflecting his observations on life and exploring the<br />

possibilities of his creativity. His painting practice is not yet three years<br />

old but his current works display an inventiveness full of bold, inquisitive<br />

and incisive cunning that demonstrates his unique perspective and wit. At the<br />

same time his pictures reveal a courageous and deeply felt humanity.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

Postmodernism might claim that whatever I write here, is a narrative which<br />

I’ve rolled myself into. That in fact, all we have are stories we tell<br />

ourselves, stories that aid our imagining of relationships. After all, what<br />

is truth but a series of relationships? Belief is thus subject to<br />

usefulness. Postmodernism to me, is the era beyond (post) the modern<br />

16th/17th century scientific enlightenment in Europe. It can be seen as a<br />

counter idea to there being a single globally authoritative perspective.<br />

Postmodernism states that what a group or individual believes, may as well<br />

be true, when they believe it, if they believe it. Pomo can be seen as an<br />

attack on Truth, or as the empowerment of the viewer to define their<br />

own truth on anything (regardless of the author/authority).<br />

community of hobsons bay<br />

15<br />

p


annabel nowlan<br />

Annabel has held annual solo exhibitions in Sydney and more recently in<br />

Melbourne over the past fourteen years. Over that time she has exhibited in<br />

commercial galleries, regional galleries, artist run spaces and public venues.<br />

In 1997 she was awarded an Art Gallery of NSW ‘Cite Paris Studio’ which enabled<br />

her to work and exhibit in Paris. In 2001 she was awarded a Museums Galleries<br />

Foundation grant for a group exhibition touring regional NSW. She completed her<br />

Masters of Fine <strong>Arts</strong> at the Victorian College of the <strong>Arts</strong> in 2002 and was<br />

awarded the National Gallery of Victoria Women’s encouragement award and a<br />

highly commended in the Keith & Elizabeth Murdoch Travelling Art Scholarship.<br />

In 2003 she was a recipient of an Australia Council and Melbourne City Council<br />

grant for her ‘Soldier Settlers’ projects. Her work is held in many private and<br />

public collections throughout Australia and also in the UK and USA.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

These readymade objects, weathered by time and constant use are the vehicles of<br />

an intimate and personal narrative. Whilst these materials mimic and celebrate<br />

the rich vocabulary and nuances of the untamed environment they also locate<br />

human endeavour and man’s misguided attempts to dominate and subdue the land.<br />

16<br />

p<br />

community of port phillip<br />

mod<br />

Outsider iv<br />

mixed media on canvas, 2005, 150cm x 200cm<br />

ost


ost<br />

Surveillance (Dog Monitor)<br />

watercolour on paper (20 panels), 2003, 100cm x 80cm<br />

mod<br />

matthew on<br />

Matthew is a contemporary artist based in Sydney. He completed his Masters<br />

of Art at the University of New South Wales in 2002. His drawings and<br />

paintings are based on watching people in the city and are occupied with the<br />

themes of identity, surveillance, pre-emptive actions and fear.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

The Surveillance series of works have focused on my observations of the city,<br />

heavily influenced by the aesthetics and intent of the surveillance camera. By<br />

adopting the skewed, distant perspective and a monochrome palette, I set out<br />

to depict the denizens of the city as seen through a camera lens. As well as<br />

choosing the aesthetics of the surveillance camera, the intention was to focus<br />

on the idea of pre-emptive security, viewing others as a threat prior to knowing<br />

who they really are. As I worked with my painting and drawings, it was<br />

interesting to see how easily the figure lost its identity and became typecast<br />

by its clothing and actions; innocent motions appeared menacing when taken out<br />

of context; the individual was lost and replaced by a ‘type’ of person that<br />

fell into a pre-arranged category; built environment, imagination and<br />

artificial images merged with life to create hybrid beings living in a hybrid<br />

world (being equal parts fantasy/reality). These artworks are inspired by<br />

images and objects found within the Metropolis (i.e. images derived from<br />

computer games, advertising, surveillance cameras, graffiti, film and<br />

television images, comic books, photography, magazines, newspapers etc.)<br />

guest artist / nsw<br />

17<br />

p


ebecca power<br />

18<br />

p<br />

Forest in Lübbecke<br />

oil on masonite, 2005, 60cm x 45cm<br />

Born in Melbourne in 1979, Rebecca completed her Bachelor of Fine <strong>Arts</strong> at the<br />

Victorian College of <strong>Arts</strong> in 2000. Since graduating she has traveled<br />

extensively visiting South America including Peru, Bolivia and Argentina in<br />

2001. A European tour followed in 2003-4 taking in Germany, France, Italy,<br />

England, Scotland, Holland, Croatia and Austria. She has also managed to find<br />

time to produce two solo exhibitions at Universal Café Gallery in Hawthorn and<br />

has participated in several group shows in Melbourne and regional Victoria. In<br />

1999 she was a finalist for her rug design at the International Trade Imports<br />

Award, Melbourne and in 1997 received a special mention at the Australian Silk<br />

Cut Award. Her work has been published on the front cover of ‘Tricks of the<br />

Trade - The Homebuilder and Renovators Guide’ on three occasions. Her travel<br />

experiences have expanded her horizons and provided much inspiration for her<br />

art practice.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

‘Forest in Lübbecke’ is about the strange familiarity I felt when seeing the<br />

German landscape for the first time. It was as though all the fairy tales that<br />

I heard as a child finally had a real place. The dark woods, the big pine<br />

trees, the shadows in the forest, all provided the perfect backdrop for tales<br />

such as ‘Hansel and Gretel’ or ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. There is also a<br />

haunting and poignant quality to ‘Forest in Lübbecke’. It could be said that<br />

it is more about a psychological space rather than a real place.<br />

community of port phillip<br />

mod<br />

ost


ost<br />

Pale Moon<br />

oil on canvas, 2003, 127.5cm x 127.5cm<br />

mod<br />

marian rennie<br />

Born in 1954 to a large family in rural Victoria, Marian has painted from the<br />

age of seven. Her sketchbook has been her constant companion. Leaving school<br />

and family at eighteen she has kept a vast record of her interpretations of<br />

every aspect of our lives. She has recently returned to the surrounds of her<br />

childhood, relocating her studio and gallery from Williamstown to Acheron in<br />

Central Victoria in 2005. Marian’s emotional country is as vast as the<br />

continent. Her controlled vibrancy of colour and the absorbed textures of the<br />

worlds she paints give her paintings a unique sense of awe and power. She has<br />

exhibited widely since the late 1980’s throughout Australia and also<br />

internationally and has completed numerous private and public commissions.<br />

Her works are held in collections in Paris, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, New<br />

Zealand, Germany, Dubai, London and throughout Australia.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

There are times when a painting seems to appear from nowhere, totally unrelated<br />

to the body of work in hand...and my life has then followed that path. ‘Pale<br />

Moon’ was painted in my studio at Williamstown, long before I had considered<br />

returning to live in the country, long before I was once again dealing with the<br />

issues of life "outside our urban comfort zone" on a daily basis. I was unable<br />

to explain this painting until my return to the country last year...so often I<br />

have felt like the woman on this canvas...a touch of "the Drover's Wife" in a<br />

post modernist world. I feel particularly close to this painting.<br />

community of hobsons bay<br />

19<br />

p


geoffrey ricardo<br />

represented by australian galleries<br />

Geoff is a Melbourne based artist whose practice includes painting, printmaking<br />

and sculpture. He has regular solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide,<br />

Brisbane and Perth and has participated in numerous group exhibitions in<br />

Australia and internationally. He lectures at the Victorian College of the<br />

<strong>Arts</strong> and has presented many printmaking workshops in Victoria. His work is in<br />

public and private collections in Australia and overseas and he is represented<br />

by Australian Galleries in Melbourne and Sydney.<br />

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anno domino<br />

copper, 2005, 49cm<br />

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ost<br />

Untitled<br />

ceramic, 2005, 41cm x 22cm each<br />

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anne ronjat<br />

Anne was born in Paris, France and has pursued a passion for the creative arts<br />

all her life. In 1990 she completed a Diploma of Ceramics and began an intensive<br />

apprenticeship with renowned French ceramicists Vanier, Montaudoin and Duru<br />

which she completed in 1994. Shortly after she migrated to Australia and worked<br />

as a thrower/decorator until she established her own range of fine functional<br />

ceramics in 1997. She has held studio space at Gasworks <strong>Arts</strong> Park in Albert<br />

Park for several years and began creating sculptural ceramic works in 2000. In<br />

2002 she was invited to participate in the Becton Sculpture Biennial and<br />

created a life-size trio of figurative works which helped to create a platform<br />

for her sculptural practice. She has held two highly successful solo<br />

exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows throughout Melbourne and<br />

regional Victoria. This work is a new direction for her exploring clay as a<br />

surface for inscribing and painting her images in coloured glaze.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

My sculptural work evolves around the theme of femininity. The woman is<br />

seen as a place of meeting between earthly elements and ethereal forces.<br />

As a serene being, she surrenders to the natural process of life rather<br />

than forcing or manipulating it. Using the creative process as a<br />

meditation, I attempt to create pieces that have an aura of tranquility and<br />

that give the viewer an experience of feeling centered and peaceful.<br />

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melanie ryan<br />

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Frangipani<br />

digital photographic print, 2006, 78cm x 67cm<br />

A passion for colour photography has consumed Melanie since her VCE studies when<br />

she was fortunate enough to attend a school where super chrome printing was<br />

available to students. This adoration continued to grow when she was accepted<br />

into RMIT’s Illustrative Photography course at the age of 18. During her three<br />

years of study she developed technical skills and a desire to follow the stars<br />

into fashion/editorial photography. Towards her final year at RMIT, she became<br />

a preferred photographer with emerging fashion design students, models and<br />

makeup artists, constantly shooting creative visions and ideas. After<br />

graduating with distinctions from RMIT, she relocated to Sydney to promote her<br />

talents and pursue her goals. While in Sydney, she came to realize that<br />

commercial photography did not suit her style or nature. She returned to<br />

Melbourne and redirected her passion towards creating images with a freedom that<br />

allows her to explore the colour and design within nature’s creations. She is<br />

now pursuing a new career in exhibiting and publishing the images she creates.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

Fresh and ready for a new era, this image captures the texture and beauty<br />

of nature suspended within a moment of transparent light. By freezing my<br />

subjects, I have created additional textures and pockets of light and air<br />

to explore a different view of Mother Nature’s creations. A mystifying sense<br />

of depth and perspective is present, as layers of petal and leaf lie<br />

caught adrift in a flow of time ... suggestive, romantic and enquiring.<br />

guest artist / victoria<br />

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left to right / clockwise<br />

Aparajita - Undefeated<br />

73cm x 57cm, 2004<br />

Vinaya - Humble<br />

72cm x 56cm, 2006<br />

Sudarshini - Beautiful Lady<br />

75cm x 58cm, 2005<br />

Angeni - Spirit Angel<br />

70cm x53cm, 2005<br />

Kambo - Work for Everything<br />

64cm x 53cm, 2005<br />

Amanaki - Hope<br />

71cm x 56cm, 2005<br />

all works oil on canvas<br />

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judy shuter<br />

Judy came to her art practice late in life, starting classes in 2000 at the age<br />

of fifty. Her practice became a form of therapy for her through a life<br />

threatening illness and now has become an all consuming passion. The works<br />

exhibited here are based on photographs from magazines including National<br />

Geographic. This method of painting portraits would at one time have been frowned<br />

upon as ‘inauthentic’. Postmodernist theorists like Fredric Jameson have<br />

proposed however, that these works fit into a category referred to as simulacra<br />

(copies of copies) that have potential beyond or separate to the originals. In<br />

any case, few would deny the tangible humanity inherent in Judy’s pictures. These<br />

images pose serious questions about the state of global and gender equality.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

I have worked all my life and decided a few years ago that it was now ‘my time’<br />

to do what I really wanted to do. I started art classes as a beginner not<br />

really knowing if I was cut out for it. Shortly after I began classes I was<br />

diagnosed with cancer and had to give up work to undergo chemotherapy. In some<br />

ways this worked to my advantage as it gave me even more time to study and<br />

immerse myself in painting. At this point art became a lifeline for me. My<br />

days were spent in sheer bliss, totally losing myself in the world of oil<br />

paints and turps. I now can’t imagine life without art. I am so happy when I<br />

have a brush in my hand that time stands still for me. I love to paint old<br />

people or people with their life written on their face and in their eyes.<br />

guest artist / queensland<br />

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fern smith<br />

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Coy<br />

digital artwork, 2005, 108cm x 88cm<br />

Fern’s artwork uses current dialogue, arguments, and questions from academic<br />

papers and reports, official statistical information and media reports to<br />

create visual re-interpretations using post-modern and feminist thought.<br />

Since 1985 she has produced fourteen solo exhibitions and participated in<br />

eleven group exhibitions across Australia in Western Australia, Northern<br />

Territory, Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria. Much<br />

of her work is concerned with exploring the status of women in the ‘modern’<br />

world. In 2000 she completed an Advanced Diploma of Interactive Media at the<br />

Canberra Institute of Technology. In 2002 she designed and developed ‘Xmaz<br />

Blitz’ an exhibition featuring twenty-six artists and was also a member of the<br />

management committee of Axiom Gallery. Between 2003 and 2004 Fern researched,<br />

designed and developed a body of interactive artwork and a booklet to assist<br />

in creating community awareness of the social and physical impact of hepatitis<br />

C. This project was in collaboration and partnership with a host of community,<br />

government and corporate organizations including the Hepatitis C Council of<br />

Victoria, La Trobe University, the City of Melbourne and the Department of<br />

Human Services.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

“Coy" is using postmodernist feminist thought to visually interpret the<br />

conflicts with our personal and actual interpretations of the word ‘coy’.<br />

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Big Chicken<br />

acrylic and pastel on linen, 2004, 212cm x 212cm<br />

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bronwyn taylor<br />

Bronwyn was born in Young, NSW moving to Canberra at age seven where she began<br />

private studies in art with renowned printmaker Chrissy Grishin (GW Bot) in<br />

1994. Bronwyn moved to Sydney and then Wollongong, where she commenced a<br />

Bachelor of Creative <strong>Arts</strong>/<strong>Arts</strong> at the University of Wollongong in 1999. She<br />

transferred to The University of Melbourne and completed her B.A., majoring in<br />

Art History in 2002. Throughout her life she has traveled across Australia and<br />

overseas, most recently working in the Tiwi Islands with local visual artists.<br />

She has exhibited in three solo exhibitions and several group shows since 1999,<br />

including The Dominique Segan Drawing Prize at the Castlemaine State Festival<br />

in 2005. Currently a resident of Melbourne, Bronwyn is being mentored in<br />

printmaking by Diana Orinda Burns in Sandon and is also completing a Bachelor<br />

of Fine <strong>Arts</strong> in the Drawing Department at the University of RMIT.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

Chickens have been an ongoing subject in my work since 2001. Initially I was<br />

interested in portraying the characters of toy chickens. More recently it has<br />

extended to the consideration of the intensive<br />

farming of chickens and the practice of de-beaking.<br />

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stefan twaine-wood<br />

Mystical Moment<br />

acrylic on canvas, 2005, 61cm x 137cm<br />

Stefan was born in Bendigo in regional Victoria in 1956. His family moved to<br />

Adelaide in 1964 where he eventually studied art at the South Australian School<br />

of Art between 1975 and 1978. The following year he joined Roundspace Studio<br />

Collective for a period of five years before moving on to Central Studio.<br />

During the 1980’s & early 90’s he worked as scenic artist in the theatre and<br />

television industry. In 2002 he moved to Melbourne and joined Studio 106 in St<br />

Kilda in June of last year. His most recent solo exhibition was in 2001 in<br />

Adelaide and he has taught painting, drawing and pastels as well as completing<br />

commissioned works over the years. His works are held in collections including<br />

Wabash Engineering, Chicago, USA, New Parliament House, Canberra,<br />

City of Onkaparinga, SA, West Lakes Mall Collection, SA and various others<br />

throughout Australia.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

As an artist I find it hard to put my work into a category. The best way for<br />

me to describe my work is to say - I paint illusionistic images that reflect<br />

my situation in my environment. I aim to capture a duality and a spirit of<br />

place - and beyond. My obsession to use multiple images has taken me down an<br />

interesting path of discovery thus the ‘Mystical Moment’. Whether or not I have<br />

had a postmodern moment, I could not really say at this stage.<br />

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Melbourne’s Hidden Secrets VII<br />

digitally enhanced photograph, 2005, 76cm x 102cm<br />

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paul villani<br />

Paul was born on the 26th of September 1970, the day Carlton defeated<br />

Collingwood in one of the most famous Grand Finals of all time. It was taken<br />

as an omen that he would pursue ‘great things’ in his life and his considerable<br />

musical talent was nurtured through singing and guitar lessons from a young<br />

age. In fact he displayed a broad range of artistic abilities that included<br />

acting and a lifelong interest in photography. In his late teens he became<br />

involved with the independent music scene and for over ten years he played in<br />

bands and released two independent recordings, touring across Australia.<br />

Throughout all of these experiences he has continued to document his life<br />

through photography and it is in the last few years with the advent of digital<br />

media that photography has become the focus of his creative energies.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

Photography has been a part of my life all the way. I’ve always treated my<br />

camera like an American Express Card ... “Don’t leave home without it”! As far<br />

as postmodernism is concerned, I have my own sense of what it means and what<br />

it depicts and I am happy to have known it and to leave it behind. I hope that<br />

one day the art that myself and other artists locally and universally are<br />

creating is worthy of a new title…or perhaps no title at all!<br />

guest artist / victoria<br />

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YennY<br />

Untitled<br />

type-C print, 2005, 84cm x 200cm<br />

YennY was born in Vienna but came to Australia in 2000 to build on her education<br />

and experience in Europe. She has exhibited widely and has been a finalist in<br />

several award exhibitions across Australia. In 2002 she was the winner of the<br />

Sanpellegrino Melbourne Café Society Photography Competition and in 2004 was<br />

invited to show in The Fine Art Photography Exhibition by Agora Gallery at Soho<br />

and Chelsea, New York. Her works have been selected for public art projects at<br />

the Australian Centre for Moving Images, Federation Square, Williamstown Art<br />

Festival and Tram-Shelter Installations in the Melbourne CBD. YennY is a<br />

professional artist, curator, creative program developer and lecturer who has<br />

worked with various institutions, organisations and private parties. She has<br />

recently taken up a position as a lecturer at the International College of<br />

Professional Photography and Multimedia and is currently curating an<br />

international photographic exhibition for the Melbourne Fashion Festival 2007<br />

as well as several shows of her own.<br />

Artist Statement<br />

In a world that is getting faster and faster by the day, where people are hardly<br />

aware of their surroundings and emotions any more, I believe art provides a<br />

truly beautiful medium to bring back human awareness of self and place. This<br />

enables people to experience the foreign and the strange as well as to observe<br />

details of the world that surrounds them but may be overlooked in the hectic<br />

rush of their busy lives. ‘Untitled’ forms an abstract interpretation, a<br />

collective observation and intensive search for the complex character of a<br />

city, its people and its country. It engages with the deep complexity that is<br />

embedded within every centre of history and culture and visually confronts the<br />

loneliness and the nostalgic beauty present in any large metropolis.<br />

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