Download Catalogue (pdf 3.4MB) - Watch Arts
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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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
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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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
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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 />
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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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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 />
community of port phillip<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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