August 2014–November 2014
newsletter
THE UNDISCOVERED A NATIONAL FOCUS ON WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ART SYMPOSIUM Monday 20th October 2014 8.30am–5pm at The University Club A symposium exploring Western Australian visual arts in the national context. Featured Speakers Olga Cironis, Stuart Elliott Seva Frangos, Carly Lane Victoria Laurie, Ian McLean Louise Morrison, Matthew Ngui Leigh Robb, Sue Starcken Trevor Vickers and Ted Snell with more to be announced...
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM undiscoveredsymposium.com Image: Trevor Vickers, Untitled, 2013 acrylic on canvas, 122 x 122cm Courtesy of Art Collective WA
Fremantle Office
Perth Office
9am – 5pm Monday to Friday Level 1, 8 Phillimore St Fremantle WA 6160 PO Box 999, Fremantle WA 6959 T (08) 9335 8366 F (08) 9335 3886 info@artsource.net.au
King Street Arts Centre Level 1, 357 Murray St Perth WA 6000
Gavin Buckley – Chief Executive Officer Yvonne Holland – General Manager Nichola Zed – Development Officer Martine Linton – Marketing Officer Loretta Martella – Studios + Residencies Manager Ron Bradfield Jnr – Membership + Indigenous Development Manager Vanessa Russ – Membership Services Coordinator Anna Richardson – Membership + Administration Coordinator Tabitha Minns – Artsource Consulting Manager Perdita Phillips – Art Consultant Katy Eccles – Art Consultant Sabina Moncrieff – Finance Officer
Board of Directors
Note that our Perth office is not staffed full time. Please direct all communications to Fremantle.
Anthony Hasluck – Chair Mal Di Giulio – Treasurer Corine van Hall Miik Green Paola Anselmi Sue Starcken
Advertising Enquiries Martine Linton martine@artsource.net.au
Writers + Contributors Annette Davis, Andre Lipscombe, Louise Morrison, Sandra Murray, Richard Petrusma, Perdita Phillips, Andrew Purvis, Geoff Vivian
In this issue… From the Chief Executive Officer...................................................4 Welcome to the conversation….....................................................5 Positive Vibes: A dream future.........................................................6 Way out West................................................................................................9 Journeying in his own land............................................................. 13 The Accidental Resident.....................................................................15 Words and Pictures................................................................................ 17 Controlling his own space................................................................ 19 Networks and Collaboration.......................................................... 20 Invest and Prosper in WA..................................................................22 Studios & Residencies.......................................................................... 23 New Artists in Fremantle Studio............................................... 23 Studios Research................................................................................ 23 Artsource Midland Open Studios............................................24 2015 Residency Recipients.......................................................... 25 Artsource Basel Exchange Residency, Switzerland – Theo Koning............................................................................... 25 Artsource Artspace Residency, Sydney – Teelah George........................................................................... 25 Consultancy Services........................................................................... 26 Recently Completed Projects.................................................... 26 Artlease..................................................................................................... 26 Gascoyne Biennial Art Awards................................................... 27 Upcoming............................................................................................... 27 Bentley Adolescent Unit Artist-in-Residence program............................................... 27 New Commissions............................................................................. 27 Online Artist Gallery......................................................................... 28 Membership Regional + Indigenous....................................... 29 The Undiscovered: A National focus on Western Australian Art............................................................. 29 A new initiative to Ignite careers............................................. 29 Professional Development Review: Artist’s Professional Presentation Pack.......................... 30 Cossack Art Award............................................................................. 30 Members News......................................................................................... 36
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Cover Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, I’ve Been Assured That You’re Going To Heaven My Friend. Image courtesy of David Collins and Venn Gallery
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From the Chief Executive Officer
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Gavin Buckley
he business plan in place when I joined Artsource is coming to an end. It is a good plan and the team is continuing to deliver it brilliantly. However, in June, we submitted to the Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA), our fresh plan and request for funding for 2015-2017. This document sets out our purpose, strategies and actions for the three years ahead and, in addition, makes a robust case for more funds that would enable us to deliver a number of important extra activities to benefit members. Members are always at the heart of everything we do and we are planning no dilution of the direct support that Artsource offers. Providing practical, affordable and relevant
Members are always at the heart of everything we do and we are planning no dilution of the direct support that Artsource offers. support to Members is clearly vital. However, if we can secure the additional funds from DCA and others, we will also be looking to deliver initiatives that contribute to developing the external environment where art is valued and artists can flourish. Of course, this is a big task and we will be looking to work with others whenever possible. For example, we are currently pleased to be working in partnership with The University
of Western Australia Cultural Precinct on The Undiscovered: A National Focus on Western Australian Art. This is the first of a proposed series of symposia that will emerge over the next three years. The purpose of this first event is to convene artists, scholars, curators, arts administrators, gallery directors and the public to consider the place of Western Australian art and artists within the national and international art worlds. This symposium provides the visual arts community the platform to engage in a crucial conversation on the current position of Western Australian art nationally. At time of writing there are still some tickets available and I also encourage you to contribute to the online conversation and blog. Follow the links from artsource.net.au to the dedicated symposium website. On the subject of the website, the online gallery/artist database has been live for some time now and many PLUS and MAX Members have already uploaded their profiles, including up to nine images. We are receiving both positive feedback and enquiries about artists who are
Trevor Richards, Paris, Go Anywhere residency, 2013. Artsource is currently running a crowd funding campaign for the 2015 Go Anywhere residencies. justgiving.com/artsource-go-anywhere-residencies/ Image courtesy of artist. 4
Welcome to the conversation… June Moorhouse, Editor
now featured on artsource.net.au, so if you haven’t yet uploaded your profile I urge you to do so soon. It is then easy to keep up-to-date by adding to and editing your images, information and external links as often as you like. We know that there is a clear need for quality writing and dialogue about living Western Australian artists and the artwork they create. The Undiscovered symposium is part of our response to this. In addition, subject to raising the necessary funds, we are planning a number of quality publications in the coming years that will help address this issue head on. We are now starting work on the detailed planning and I hope to be able to tell you more in the next edition of this newsletter. Residencies remain an important part of our plans for the future and we have started the fundraising, via JustGiving.com, for two Go Anywhere residencies in 2015. Our Go Anywhere residencies are provided thanks to the generosity of donors and, as I write, we are already 15% towards our $25,000 target. I am grateful to Trevor Richards for appearing on our online fundraising page, helping us to excite potential donors about the value and importance of residencies. In addition, we are looking to create a six-week New York residency to run for three years from 2015 and we are making a strong case to DCA and others to bring this to fruition. I’m also grateful to those Members who have participated recently in various discussion groups in respect of both Artsource Studios and Artsource Consulting. This has been of significant help in shaping and informing how we continue to develop and improve what we do in these areas and final reports are expected soon. Members think studios are of fundamental importance to the health and vitality of the visual arts in Western Australia. We agree and the findings and recommendations arising from this important study will help us focus and steer our growth in this area for years to come. The work around Artsource Consulting will have more immediate benefit as we implement recommendations before the current year is out. Finally, I would like to welcome Sue Starcken to the Artsource Board and, as he leaves the Board, express my deep thanks to Jánis Nedéla for his active participation, sound advice and personal support has given to Artsource, the team and to me. It was a pleasure to work with him and Artsource is much the better for his contribution.
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oday winter has hit – driving rain, swirling winds and endless grey. It’s a good day to be contemplating all that Perth offers, beyond its famous sunny skies. As someone who’s moving into the WA ‘arts veteran’ category, I’ve participated in many discussions about the challenges and benefits of living and working creatively in this place. And yes, it can become repetitive, but it’s also a conversation worth revisiting at regular intervals to hear new voices and open up to different perspectives on this very particular place we call home. This issue does that as we gather up the thoughts and approaches to creative work of a range of WA’s artists including Rod Garlett, who talks about the “huge bonus” of working on country “where your inheritance lies, your spirit is connected… a place where you’ve been taught culture”; Lee Harrop who has accidentally stayed in Kalgoorlie and Alex Maciver who made a deliberate choice to locate here for a time. Then we hear the perceptions of two recent interstate judges of art awards that are based in Western Australia. Most of these voices offer many reasons for celebrating all that’s on offer in this part of the world, and allowing that to propel our thinking about individual and collective creative development. The manifestations of that are clear in Kynan Tan’s collaborations and cross-disciplinary creation, Ron Nyisztor’s gallery and studio spaces that nurture his own and other’s practice and Lucille Martin’s call for us to recognise all of the benefits of our unique placement in the Asia Pacific. The optimism and enthusiasm in these pages is deeply encouraging. However, for me, the bottom line of this debate, which we need to keep having, rests with Abdul-Rahman Abdullah’s comment: “the reality is that nobody cares about geography if the work stacks up.”
June Moorhouse is an arts business consultant and writer. She works with artists and organisations to realise their full creative potential. June has a long history of working in the arts across all sectors, in WA and nationally. She is a former journalist, Director of Fremantle Arts Centre, Australia Council Fellow and has been a consultant for 12+ years. 5
Positive Vibes: A dream future Andrew Purvis
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couldn’t explain why I had been away from my hometown for so long. Throughout the years spent as an independent curator and essayist in cities like Berlin, New York, Tokyo and London, I was often asked by bemused gallerists and artists: “Why are you here? Why waste your time in Paris when you could be in Perth?” In all honesty, I didn’t have an answer. I hadn’t been back since Perth experienced its great arts boom in the ‘20s when, with typical acumen and foresight, Premier Buswell along with a group of visionary philanthropists switched our state’s economic focus from mineral exploitation to cultural development. Now, I hardly recognised my hometown. Whizzing between thriving commercial galleries on an efficient light rail public transport system and enjoying the lavishly funded public institutions down at beautiful Elizabeth Quay, I wondered why I had ever left. In my absence, Perth had become everything I ever wanted it to be and I wished I had stayed to help make it happen. My dream may seem like an odd one, even a bit crazy, but really, when did optimism and a
“We need to become more curious about each other here at home. There is a huge variety of practices right here that seem to have very little overlap and it would be great to see some worlds collide … we are all peers in an exciting, volatile industry and there is much more common ground than we assume.” genuine sense of excitement about the future become so unfashionable? We hear a lot of doom and gloom about the Perth arts scene. A lot of people seem to operate under the unexamined assumption that the grass is much lusher on the eastern side of the rabbit proof fence. As an unfortunate result, we tend to suffer a kind of Perth diaspora, a constant sapping brain drain, whereby young art school grads fly for the tantalising prospects of Melbourne or Sydney, out the door before their mortarboards have even hit the ground. But that’s not the case for everyone.
Potential and opportunity are largely a matter of perspective. For all the grumbles about what needs to change, perhaps the first thing to shift is our outlook. Maybe it’s time that we started talking about all that is good about maintaining an arts practice in Perth. The hustle and hubbub of Melbourne and Sydney isn’t for everyone; our local art scene moves to a different rhythm. For some artists, the idyllic west coast environment and lifestyle may be more conducive to creative contemplation. Installation artist Rebecca Baumann agrees, “I have always found Perth to be a great place for making – the relaxed pace allows the space and time I need to be able to focus and disappear into my work.” For Baumann, Perth is an ideal base of operations – it is a place to process new influences, allow ideas to ripen and to develop new works. But that doesn’t mean that her art practice is an insular one: “It has been important to have time away from Perth to see new things, have new experiences, and gather research. I have been lucky enough to Rebecca Baumann, Smoke Fields (2012). 75 smoke canisters, 4125m3 coloured smoke, electronic igniters. 10 minute performance. Image: Brodie Standen
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have had residencies and research trips to India, Berlin and New York, all of which have enriched my work and given me a sense of where my practice sits within a global context.” Indeed, Baumann is an international operator. Recently returned from exhibiting in Art Basel Hong Kong, the artist is currently preparing for a solo show at Auckland’s Starkwhite gallery in September. There’s been plenty of interstate attention too, with recent shows in Anna Pappas Gallery in Melbourne and a collaboration with fashion label Romance is Born at Carriageworks in Sydney. Baumann attributes her success to hard work, luck and the support provided by local organisations such as the Department of Culture and the Arts and Artsource. Perth residents are all too familiar with chatter about our geographic isolation and the fabled ‘tyranny of distance’. It was once supposed that our remoteness was an insurmountable inhibitor to maintaining an interstate or international arts career, but Rebecca Baumann is just one young Perth artist proving that this is not the case. Other examples are all Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Wednesday’s Child. Image courtesy of the artist Installation view, Primavera 2013: Young Australian Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Image courtesy of Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. © the artists. Image: Alex Davies
around us. Recently, the Art Gallery of Western Australia’s own Robert Cook was invited to curate the annual Primavera exhibition at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art where he took the opportunity to showcase the work of Western Australian artists Jackson Eaton, Jacqueline Ball and Thomas Jeppe, amongst others. Another young Perth artist who is seeing his work flourish on the interstate gallery scene is Abdul-Rahman Abdullah. He says, “the reality is that nobody cares about geography if the work stacks up.” Having secured representation with Melbourne-based Dianne Tanzer Gallery + Projects as well as Perth’s Venn Gallery, Abdullah is soon to be exhibiting at the Melbourne Art Fair and will be showing new work at the Jan Murphy Gallery in Queensland and the Campbelltown Arts Centre in New South Wales. He maintains an equally strong presence locally, recently exhibiting at the Fremantle Arts Centre and Moana Project Space. For Abdullah, it was a conscious choice to push his career in a national direction. “As a West Australian artist you have to make the effort and spend the money, go over east and familiarise yourself with the galleries and spaces, meet people, go to openings and events, say hello and be a happy face. The fact is we need to show over east to get the audiences and to build a sustainable profile, it’s a matter of maths.” But despite this, the artist has chosen to remain in his hometown.
Perth’s unique identity is a key component to Abdullah’s work. The artist recalls growing up in ‘crusty’ Victoria Park, where for a “curious kid on a skateboard” there was always something to see and do. But inside his family’s “classic rundown Californian bungalow”, his mother’s Malay heritage proved to be an equally formative influence. “The interface of suburban Australia with the global culture of Islam”, an idiosyncratic mix typical of Perth, has shaped much of Abdullah’s work. Perth’s geographic position, once seen as a detriment, is now touted as the city’s primary selling point. Boasting an unparalleled proximity to South East Asia, Perth based practitioners have easy access to Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and elsewhere. It’s an acknowledged fact that it is easier and cheaper for Perth artists to attend the Jakarta Biennale than its Sydney counterpart. Other young Perth artists like Nathan Beard and Jacobus Capone are taking advantage of international residencies to enrich their locally based practices with a global dimension. But with all this talk of international influence and interstate markets, we shouldn’t forget that Perth can be an exciting destination, not just a convenient launching pad or cosy home base. International Art Space’s Spaced program facilitates residencies in rural and remote communities throughout Western Australia for both international and Australian artists. 7
“…the reality is that nobody cares about geography if the work stacks up.” Our unique landscape, history and the cultures of our diverse communities offer a rich and exciting array of influences for international visitors. It is not surprising then that some have chosen to adopt Perth as their home. Performance and new media artist Loren Kronemyer relocated from Los Angeles to Perth in 2011, in order to study and work with the internationally esteemed SymbioticA. She is currently preparing a new performance work for this year’s iteration of the Proximity Festival at the Fremantle Arts Centre. Another new arrival is Alex Maciver, who traded Edinburgh for Western Australia in 2011. The artist was “…intrigued at the prospect of entering a new art scene as an outsider; meeting artists, exploring new artistic influences, possible developing trends and experiencing a new gallery scene.” Maciver and Kronemyer have been welcomed and embraced by the Perth arts community. Both artists have exhibited at Paper Mountain, benefitting from the strong supportive network Loren Kronemeyer, Life Drawing Promo Cell Circle (detail), 2013. Image courtesy of artist. Alex Maciver, Wherever I am, I am what is missing, 2014, mixed media on canvas 8
that operates out of this artist run initiative. Maciver was also the recipient of last year’s Fremantle Print Award. At the time of writing he is due to open his new exhibition PERF at Melody Smith Gallery. The winking, elbow-to-the-ribs title hints at the significance Maciver’s new surrounds have for him. The show promises interesting developments in the painter’s practice, straying into areas of sculpture and performance, but, as the artist says, it also operates as, “…a confession that my immediate surroundings of Western Australia, its cultural mannerisms and my daily observations, are beginning to influence my artistic practice.” Maciver is interested in giving back too. He says, “I have a lot of ambition to support the interests of local artists; encouraging the development of both their artistic pursuits and the Perth arts scene.” With this in mind, Maciver sees some room for growth in his new hometown, speaking about enhanced engagement between artists and funding bodies and a general improvement in artists’ conditions.
Likewise, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah also has opinions on how the Perth art scene can get better, but his advice is to take note of what we already have: “We need to become more curious about each other here at home. There is a huge variety of practices right here that seem to have very little overlap and it would be great to see some worlds collide. A lot of this separation is generational or stemming from different art schools and social groups but … we are all peers in an exciting, volatile industry and there is much more common ground than we assume.” Abdullah stresses the importance of a positive outlook when it comes to the Perth art scene, urging us “…to celebrate each other’s successes and back each other onto bigger stages.” There are huge grounds for optimism and positivity in Perth. Though we still have a ways to go before my dream of a great arts boom comes to pass, it’s not impossible. We just need to get excited.
Andrew Purvis is an artist, writer and academic resolutely based in Perth. He is the co-director of the forthcoming Temper magazine.
Way out West Sandra Murray
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s there something unique about the art of Western Australia to that from other Australian states? What’s the opinion ‘over east’? Is there a divergence between art from the centre and that on the periphery? I interviewed two people who were recently involved in judging visual art awards in Perth for their perspective, Justin Trendall and Kelly Gellatly. Both live outside WA and so proffer a fresh viewpoint to this discussion. The Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award for prints and artists’ books is a high profile, established award that has developed a considerable reputation since its inception in 1976. The exhibition and award presents the best in contemporary Australian print media and charts the developments and shifting boundaries of this medium. Last year Justin Trendall, Senior Lecturer at Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney was one of its three judges, a particularly apt choice as he grew up in Perth. Trendall attended the Special Arts Program at Applecross Senior High School then studied Fine Arts at Curtin University. He has an extensive national exhibition record, focussing on a combination of drawing, photography, screen printing and Lego. Trendall returns regularly to WA to keep in touch with family. This enduring link has kept him contemplating over the years about how the two cities differ culturally and how artists fare in each; as part of the judging panel he had the opportunity to reflect on this. As a national survey exhibition the 38th Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award supported by Little Creatures Brewing provided an overview that lends itself to such speculations. There was a strong contingent of entries from WA, plus a substantial number of interstate works; it was a genuine national survey. The judges’ final selection of 51 works from some 300 entries had a significant proportion of artists, notably 19, from WA. Trendall found this intriguing given how closely focused the judges’ approach was. Their discussions were strictly about the work and not the artist’s reputation. Interestingly, a WA artist, Alex Maciver, won the $15,000 Major Acquisitive Prize in 2013. The last time the Award was won by a WA artist was 2002 when Poppy van Oorde-Grainger took out the prize. The solid presence of WA artists in the award confirmed Trendall’s opinion as an artist and teacher. “There is a certain evenness in contemporary art production; that the information age really is beginning to blur centre/periphery differences.” Trendall observed, “Part of this new equation may be evidenced by the fact that the WA work was not
Artists from both Perth and Melbourne shared “…a conceptual rigour, a willingness to be brave, not bound by commercial restraints.”
Judging for the 2013 Fremantle Print Awards at Fremantle Town Hall. 9
recognisably different in terms of its concerns or approach; it was strong work but not distinctly local.” Kelly Gellatly is Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at The University of Melbourne. She was previously Curator of Contemporary Art (Australian and International) at the National Gallery of Victoria and has also worked as a curator at Heide Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Australia. Gellatly is one of the 2014 judges of the esteemed Basil Sellers Art Prize. Last year she was one of three judges of the Bankwest Art Prize. The Bankwest Art Prize was established in 2001 and is one of the State’s most generous visual arts awards exclusively for WA artists. Criteria for making the selection of finalists have focused on two-dimensional art that reflects a contemporary approach, is conceptually refined and innovative; with the winning artist receiving $30,000. Their artwork becomes part of the
Judging for the 2013 Fremantle Print Awards at Fremantle Town Hall. 2013 Fremantle Print Awards opening with winning work by Alex Maciver on right. Image: Jessica Wyld 10
Bankwest Art Collection; a collection of some 500 works by Western Australian artists. Since 2012 the Prize has been shown in the Bank’s new art gallery at Bankwest Place, Murray Street, Perth; one of the few corporate art galleries open to the public nationally. The 2013 Prize featured the work of 19 contemporary Western Australian artists chosen from a field of 110 applicants. Gellatly’s role as a judge of the 2013 Bankwest Art Prize enabled her to visit Perth after a hiatus of several years. While her brief stay only allowed her to dip into the local contemporary arts scene, she was nevertheless, “…impressed by its diversity, vibrancy and ambition.” The work she viewed both in the prize and elsewhere was, she says, “…conceptually rigorous; produced by artists committed to their own unique journeys, rather than chasing or adhering to fashions or fads.” While much of the art reflected, “…to greater or lesser degrees the specificities of the geographical, physical and cultural environment
in which it was made, it was in no way parochial, and instead embodied a level of complexity and sophistication that placed it squarely within a global context.” Furthermore she relished the strength and presence of Indigenous art in the mix with other artists in the Bankwest Art Prize (as it is with the Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award), rather than as a stand-alone concept or prize. The Indigenous artists, both urban and regional, were exhibited alongside their non-indigenous peers. Did Gellatly consider the art disparate to Melbourne? No, instead artists from both places shared “…a conceptual rigour, a willingness to be brave, not bound by commercial restraints.” Indeed she expressed that the artists selected for the prize were at the forefront of contemporary art in Western Australia, and overall the works were of a very high standard with exceptional qualities, especially the winning work by Susanna Castleden.
What Gellatly did perceive as distinct is the limited exposure available for artwork exhibited in WA; it can be restrictive for an artist operating in WA apart from their online presence. As Trendall concurs, “There are still real differences attached to geographic locations and there are clearly advantages to being based in cities like Melbourne and Sydney with their flagship institutions and larger buying publics. Yet what may have been a disadvantage has softened, like the disadvantage of Australia being peripheral to the art centres of the world.” Additionally there are many positives to being distant from the centre, such as cheaper studio space and less pressure to conform to current fashions. Both Gellatly and Trendall experienced a sense of self confidence in the WA art scene that defies the archaic concept of provincialism. Moreover both judges commented on the new artist run initiatives in Perth; the positive initiatives to foster a creative community; and
Both Gellatly and Trendall experienced a sense of self confidence in the WA art scene that defies the archaic concept of provincialism. the surge of new activity arising in part from the closure of various commercial galleries. Geographical isolation need not be a hindrance, WA’s extraordinary contemporary music scene is another example of its flourishing creativity. Has the frontier mentality in the West played out? As a previous Sydney-sider, I recall my fellow colleagues thinking little about Western Australia before moving here 25 years ago, and am not sure that sentiment has changed greatly in the Eastern States beyond the West’s reputation for FIFO, cashed-up bogans, mining magnates, Bondy and his mates. Still, the pressing sense of remoteness in ‘the world’s most isolated city’
2013 Bankwest Art Prize exhibition, Bankwest Art Gallery, featuring works by (from left to right) Christopher Young, Elizabeth Nyumi, Penny Bovell, Thea Costantino Winner of the 2013 Bankwest Art Prize, Camping Continuum (Indian Ocean Drive WA), 2013. Acrylic paint and stencil on vinyl and wood camping tables (219 x 292 x 5 cm) by Susanna Castleden
has dissipated considerably with the impact of the internet and cheaper airfares, it is more a psychological difference if at all. So now we have a burgeoning connected national and global arts community, yet the opportunity for artists from Perth to exhibit on the other side of their country is still too rare and cost prohibitive, it surely deserves more support. Artists’ careers are still challenged in Perth, to make it to that next level they are pushed to expand beyond the state border.
Sandra Murray is the Art Curator for Bankwest; most recently she was Head Curator at Fremantle Prison for 9 years. She moved from Sydney in 1989 to take up the position as the inaugural Curator of the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA. Sandra holds a BA (Honours) in Fine Arts from The University of Sydney and a Masters in Philosophy from The University of Western Australia. 11
Journeying in his own land Rod Garlett by Geoff Vivian
“When we go out to collect the ochre we don’t just take it from the land. We ask the ancestors, or the spirits of that place, if it will be alright, so we can paint the stories of our people.”
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f you visit Rod Garlett’s Midland home studio you will see a dozen or so paintings stacked against the wall. They have an unusual texture. The layers of natural ochres and acrylic are thick, but not through any typical impasto technique. They have a gritty texture because he mixes the colours with sand. Rod will tell you this is no ordinary sand. It all comes from Gugulga, at a permanent spring-fed pool on the Avon River that is sacred to his family. “I believe the Rainbow Serpent has rubbed his belly up upon the sand, and has put magic there,” he says. “It’s what makes my painting unique. I seldom see artworks in the galleries with the thickness of my river sand art. “I always wanted to find my own style, getting away from the dot work that I mainly found to be the art of the remote people, though many have adapted to it today. I remember as a young child it was always our landscapes that our people of the south painted. They used watercolour, charcoal, ochre and bark painting. I remember
Goorlil Dreaming (detail), 2014. Natural ochre, acrylics and river sand on canvas, 90 x 120 cm. Image: Midland Photographers Rod Garlett. Image: Geoff Vivian
quite fondly me and my uncle picking the bark from the island in the river in Northam, which we call Narrjuk. “When we go out to collect the ochre we don’t just take it from the land. We ask the ancestors, or the spirits of that place, if it will be alright, so we can paint the stories of our people.” Rod says he spent most of his life in his home town of Northam. His late uncle was an accomplished bark painter and taught younger men the art. “I miss him but you get to walk alongside them for a while for a reason,” Rod says. “When they go you must carry on the stories and remember the sites that they showed you and always care for them.” As an Aboriginal man with Yued, Ballardong and Wadjuk heritage, Rod began painting stories based on significant sites of his ancestors, and ancestral beings. He places tremendous importance on the fact that he lives and works in his ancestral Avon, Swan and Canning River country.
“It’s a huge bonus to be able to paint from a country where your inheritance lies, your spirit is connected, where you’ve been born, where you have lived,” he says. “And also a place where you’ve been taught culture. Taught by the Elders, the stories of that place, their meaning and how they fit with us today and how we will walk the rest of our journey.” He is standing a short distance from the sacred pool, and picks up a handful of that special sand. “It’s sad because the sand tells another story about country, about destruction of country,” he says. “It’s the topsoil of the farmlands. All the natural barriers that were holding country together are now allowing country to fall apart. So the topsoil is the sand that’s falling into the river that will eventually choke the river system.”
Geoff Vivian, a former studio artist, is a freelance writer and photojournalist who has also spent more than a decade working in community development for local councils and as the manager of the Aboriginal radio station at Halls Creek. 13
The Accidental Resident Lee Harrop by Annette Davis
Lee has been able to observe the dynamics within this regional centre and its main economic driver. Those observations, research and analysis feed her artistic practice.
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algoorlie was meant to be a three day stay for Lee Harrop, to recover from a non-stop journey along the south coast of WA, and to rest when Albany and Esperance were full of Christmas holiday visitors. Three years later, Lee and her partner have graduated from their tent to a motor home and plan to stay for a while in WA’s gold mining capital. An ‘accidental’ resident, Lee Harrop now has Kalgoorlie’s core – the gold mining industry – as the inspiration for her art practice. Originally from New Zealand, Lee completed a Masters of Fine Arts at the Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, in Auckland. Working in whichever media is most appropriate to conveying her ideas, Lee explains, “I am interested in demonstrating arts’ ability to offer an experience that also becomes a form of criticism, and more specifically, by using language as the artwork in ways that disrupt or cause a disjunction of language.” Her artwork is mostly site-based or context specific, and her current research focuses on the gold mining industry. As a casual employee in
Nonbeliever, 2014. Neon, perspex, paint, glass and electrics Lee Harrop. Image: Lynn Webb
the industry and a local resident, she is in effect embedded in her subject. Over three years, Lee has been able to observe the dynamics within this regional centre and its main economic driver. Those observations, research and analysis feed her artistic practice. Lee works hard at maintaining her life as a practising professional artist. She researches opportunities for contemporary artists and conscientiously responds to advertised expression-of-interests and invitations to participate, in state-wide, national or international arenas. Advice from Artsource helped create links to the wider WA art network and led to Lee hosting the Basel exchange artist in Kalgoorlie for a week in 2013. Lee also maintains connections with the New Zealand arts scene by entering awards and exhibitions. In Kalgoorlie, Lee is gradually developing contacts with other practitioners. She has forged productive connections with tradespeople who she has engaged to produce components of her artworks, and she’s found their feedback on her work instructive and relevant. Twelve months ago
she started renting a studio, which has not only given her much needed space for art making, but also, as a permanent address offers the potential for Lee to develop more links with local artists and the wider community. Although she misses the opportunities for critical art engagement and discussion that may be available in the city, Lee is quite comfortable with living in an isolated town, having mostly lived in regional or rural areas. She travels to as many arts events as time and finances allow, and approaches these opportunities with a similar level of organisation and diligence that she applies to her art practice. “I capitalise on any trip by combining it with as many art related activities as possible. I pack so much in I now type up an itinerary!” Lee protects the hours available to her work and is clear thinking about how to progress her ideas and how to develop audiences for her art, wherever they are. Kalgoorlie is now not only a place to stay, but the bedrock of her current art practice.
Annette Davis is an artist and freelance curator. During the past two decades she has managed arts projects in Perth, Kununurra, Karratha and Albany, where she currently lives. 15
Words and Pictures Lucille Martin by Louise Morrison
“Broadly speaking, the visual arts haven’t got time to navel gaze. We don’t want another generational exodus of amazing talent to leave the West.”
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ucille Martin left Western Australia soon after graduating from the Graphic Design course at Perth Technical College, having secured a position in a major advertising agency in Sydney. This role enabled her to amass the skills and know-how to then thrive as a freelancer for the publishers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar whilst she continued her studies. These eventually culminated in a Diploma of Production Design from the Australian Film Television & Radio School and a Masters in Art from The University of New South Wales, College of Fine Arts. Lucille’s first major solo exhibition, Blind Spots, at Sydney’s King Street Gallery, was the result of a visit to South Africa. Passionate about the anti-apartheid movement, she gained entry to the townships of Soweto and Alexandra to document the brutal impact of segregation on individuals. Her determination to share stories of injustice and call for change became the primary motivation for this body of work and for all that she has done since. She is perhaps best known for her textile works in which she incorporates vintage fabrics, found objects and embroidered text with long, hanging threads. Whilst recent works have addressed Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers,
Contextualise, 2012. Textile, thread, dimensions variable Lucille Martin. Image courtesy of artist.
the themes in her work extend beyond human rights to include a range of environmental, political and social concerns. Lucille’s current project addresses the historical exclusion of women’s stories from our national narratives. Numerous exhibitions, funded projects and residencies reflect Lucille’s professional achievements here and on the eastern seaboard as well as overseas. For many years, she has been based in both New South Wales and in Western Australia but Lucille is now located in Perth and recently secured long-term studio tenancy at Artsource’s Old Customs House in Fremantle. She is excited by the unique opportunities that WA offers artists. For her, its vast diversity of landscapes is inspiring and the potential to connect with the untold stories of the regional and remote communities scattered throughout the State, fire her imagination. Lucille’s observations about the changes to Perth over the last three decades are informed by her coming and going. She notes that whilst the city has expanded, opportunities for visual artists seem to have diminished. “There appears to be less tangible support from State institutions for local practice and there are fewer
commercial galleries.” Lucille also expresses the view that many local artists are competing in public art or art awards but notes that these endeavours reward certain types of practice, which potentially alters the nature of our collective artistic output. Yet, she observes, our own attitudes to the pursuit of opportunities elsewhere and the constraints of distance and isolation seem unchanged despite the solutions offered by more affordable travel and communications technology. “Broadly speaking, the visual arts haven’t got time to navel gaze. We don’t want another generational exodus of amazing talent to leave the West. We need visionaries to nurture this great State and what we have, geographically positioned next to Asia and alongside the rich diversity of our Indigenous artists.” Lucille is keen to head up north but also to New York in the near future, exemplifying her approach to geography. She has physically traversed the country countless times but is aware that, in her case, attitudinal shifts are equally important.
Louise Morrison is an artist and a lecturer at Central Institute of Technology. She is studying towards a Masters in Art History and Curatorial Studies with a focus on historical and contemporary practise in Western Australia. 17
Controlling his own space Ron Nyisztor by Andre Lipscombe
“I think the space has generated a lot of goodwill with the community.”
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on Nyisztor (pron. Nistor) is a midcareer artist whose painting practice is framed by a strong design ethos and underpinned by a composite of representational subjects and formal concerns for the material aspects of painting. He often paints on found supports such as cupboard doors and construction materials lifted from rubbish heaps. This approach is linked to his longstanding focus upon the emotive dimension of the still life genre, which has included elements such as builders’ rubble, neon light strips and soap bubbles. His practice runs deep with the town in which he grew up and the professional support network he has fostered around his studio. While Ron’s painting is a means of carving out an existence in Perth, his practice broadly confounds the model trajectory of many other artists. He has cultivated a successful studio/ gallery enterprise that provides for Ron and his branch of creative comrades – artists, collectors, collaborators and curators – both professional and personal sustenance. Nyisztor Studio has operated a low cost, no frills artist run gallery since 2006, bringing together what Ron terms his ideal studio with a Jagoe Loop, 2004. Oil on canvas, 140 x 120.3 cm. Courtesy the artist and City of Fremantle Art Collection. Image: Victor France Exterior of Nyisztor Studio
broadening network of supporters through an annual exhibition program of his own making. The continuing impact of the stream of regular and new exhibitors, their art practices and growing audiences are inextricably linked to the health of Nyisztor’s own output and substantive success over the last decade. The gallery was originally branded Southern Project Studio, with Lance Hyde curating the first exhibition in 2006. They neatly found support within Melville City Council’s mindset to setup a studio/gallery in the disused Melville Library building as part of the established community arts activity in the area. A trim and light 1960’s space with timber floors, requiring minimal refit, offered a perfect low cost opportunity at the time for Ron to “go it alone”. He understood that occupying a studio space for the long term alongside an exhibition venue might have considerable advantages. Not least, it offset his immediate studio rental costs and could provide a useful network around which a program of exhibitions could intersect. The inclusion of painter Moira de la Hunty (2007) in a second studio in the building enhanced the creative backdrop of the gallery. The associated
audience continued to grow with support of senior exhibiting artists in Trevor Richards and others previously linked with Brigitta Braun’s Art Place, such as Michael Doherty, Annette Orr, Peter Wales and Olga Cironis. An autonomous and flexible role for Ron at the space has provided scope to program exhibitions in keeping with his own idiosyncratic philosophical position. This has directly supported local artists to show new work, as Ron says, “on their own terms”. “I think the space has generated a lot of goodwill with the community,” says Ron. Ron has also coordinated group exhibition projects with artists associated with the studio. These have included the annual group show, Pure Contemplation without Knowledge, now in its sixth year and Star, a touring exhibition to Danks Street complex in Sydney and Bunbury Regional Art Galleries (2012). Plans are afoot to participate in the Vienna Art Fair in 2015. Nyisztor Studio, now secure in its eighth year, continues to run its flexible, low cost model, with an enviable sales record, in which audiences and artists alike, feel comfortable and equally at home. Andre Lipscombe is an artist based at Artsource Studios Fremantle. He is represented by WA Art Collective and is Curator of the City of Fremantle Art Collection. 19
Networks and Collaboration Kynan Tan by Perdita Phillips
“At the moment I am quite interested in the way that things connect and sort of looking at works and systems as inspiration for artworks.”
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ust around the corner from the entrance to the State Library are five monitors and two speakers that make up the audiovisual installation Hyperthymesia (25 years of non-linear western australian history) by Kynan Tan. There is a constant stream of fragmented sound that parallels the parade of flickering images on each of the screens. Hyperthymesia is the ability to remember one’s life in intricate detail. The images in this installation were sourced from 260 videos Kynan found on YouTube, all created by Western Australian pop and rock musicians. The music clips have been reduced to fragments of data at 30 frames per second. Memory is lost in hyper-detail. Although fast-paced, the visual images have retained some sort of fleeting coherency, whereas sounds have been reduced to blips without rhythm, melody or apparent variation in pitch. Kynan frequently works with data in various forms. His background is in musical composition, which has shaped the way that he views the construction of artworks. Combined with an interest in electronic music, there is a strong impression of putting elements together into a
Kynan Tan, artwork composite – Multiplicity, 2012. 2 channel video (8:3 dual projection), 2.1 channel sound. approx. 30 min. Image courtesy of artist Kynan Tan. Image: Brad Serls 20
greater whole, but which often retains the sense of the ‘atomic’. His works are typified by a finely wrought aesthetic – a delicate ‘plucking’ of data. “At the moment I am quite interested in the way that things connect and sort of looking at works and systems as inspiration for artworks but also looking at each artwork as its own network or system…In the way that, say, a source like a data source or computer algorithm can then output into multiple different senses and how these relate to each other and inform each other – and can provide inspiration to work in different mediums.” This approach lead Kynan to expand his media from music and live electronic performance to audio visual installation works such as Hyperthymesia and sculptural installations of his own or in the long-term té project with collaborator Andrew Brooks. Not surprisingly, the different media and collaborations have allowed Kynan to adopt concepts and approaches of other disciplines and to refine his own sense of what is pivotal to his sound art practice. For té, Brooks is based in Sydney and the duo does a lot of preparation
over the Internet before meeting up for focussed and intense project sessions. When working with choreographers, Kynan speaks of adapting to the repetitious nature of rehearsals. In the last year he has had access to a conventional studio space at CIA, which has allowed him consolidated periods of time over weeks to focus on deeper investigations of how image and sound interact. In Hyperthymesia Kynan builds on the past, not by following methods or trends, but by fracturing and recombining, in order to create something distinctively new. His solo and collaborative investigations into the physicality of perception pose novel questions about image/sound. Look for Kynan’s work in What I See When I Look at Sound, curated by Leigh Robb and showing at PICA until the end of August. Sound artists in Western Australia have been productive in undoing boundaries. Seeing these creative tensions from other disciplines affords us the opportunity to re-evaluate our expectations about models of art production in Western Australia and take on some of the urgency and adaptability needed for contemporary art in the 21st Century.
Dr Perdita Phillips is an artist working with environmental issues and social change. She is co-editor of Lethologica Press and hopes to be voyaging to the subantarctic later this year.
Advertorial
Invest and Prosper in WA Words by Richard Petrusma
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erth and Western Australia’s unique character and lifestyle continue to attract new residents from interstate and overseas. Individuals and families come for the quality of life and work opportunities. Business is attracted for growth opportunities, an overall perception of affluence and openness to embrace change, innovation and new ideas. And for Artists – is there an atmosphere here that somehow draws out a deeper level of creativity and expression? Contrast the densely-populated and relatively close-by centres of Singapore, China, Macau and Hong Kong. Chaotic, noisy and non-stop but also experiencing growth – and with that the frantic development to maintain infrastructure, services and other necessities. Sound familiar? Yet these places all face impediments that we don’t have – lack of space, resources, clean environment; and so it seems that demand for our natural abundance, along with the lifestyle and relative freedoms we enjoy, will continue unabated. That growth is virtually guaranteed is not an exaggeration. WA is brimming with potential,
vibrancy and confidence, so why wouldn’t you want to be here, whether artist, business person, or investor? With focussed leadership and a mature dialogue between stakeholders this potential can be harnessed to produce transformative, equitable and sustainable prosperity. However, as the dynamics associated with rapid external growth bring change, it is the essence of WA’s unique lifestyle that is important to protect and celebrate, for this is a primary reason others want to join us to better their life, and ours too. Building on what is unique and good, moving towards making it even better will require a contribution from all of us, with broad participation in the vision, planning, investment and commitment to ongoing development. Ideally, creativity plays a major role here too, with artists prominent in re-defining what WA is to become. This same process of capturing potential and growth also holds true on a micro-level – for artists, businesses, for families and individuals. Most artists understand that planning and a commitment to developing craft and technique
The art of thinking financially. For more than 30 years, PSZ Partners has worked closely with Western Australia’s arts community. Our services include business advice and mentoring for artists and arts enterprises, tax accounting, superannuation and self-managed super funds, and financial planning. Not to mention our PSZ Artshelf micro exhibition space!
is equally as important for success as the creative process. So then, to invest in your own future will help position you for opportunities and the promise of a greater return. Financially too, most successful investment programs require discipline and strategy along with some optimism. Despite the risk of an uncertain outcome, it seems that the prospects now are favourable and sound investment should ultimately be rewarded. At all levels it is time to prepare for and invest in a prosperous future. Your future. Our future.
PSZ Partners provide business, taxation and financial services to their clients. Financial planning services are provided by Richard Petrusma and PSZ Plan Pty Ltd as Authorised Representatives of Sentry Financial Services Pty Ltd (AFSL 286 786) ABN 30 113 531 034. In preparing this material we have not taken into account any personal objectives. You should obtain financial advice specific to your situation before making any financial investment or insurance decision.
Find us at: 243 Stirling Highway, Claremont Phone us on: 6365 9000
Studios & Residencies Studios Research
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rtsource studios offer fundamental support for artists by providing affordable working spaces throughout their careers. The Old Customs House building in Fremantle has housed 24 studios since 1986 and has provided tenure of five years to over 200 professional artists. In 2013, Artsource offered 80 studios to artist members, adding studio complexes on commercial leases in Midland and Leederville to our building portfolio. To help us plan for future studio provision that meets artists’ needs, we have been pulling apart our studios program, researching new models and working on the development of a long-term strategy. There is still time if you would like to contribute to this process! So if you have something you’d like to input in relation to studios please get in touch. Contact loretta@artsource.net.au to take part.
New Artists in Fremantle Studio
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he 2014 application round for Artsource Fremantle studios took place in March. We welcome Tom Freeman, Lucille Martin, Clare Peake and Rick Vermey who join the other artists in the building on five year leases.
Applications for Artsource Fremantle studios open in January each year and close on 15 March. If you’re interested in how to apply for a five year studio with us, contact studios@artsource.net.au for more info.
Clare Peake, Prima Materia, 2012. unfired clay, 1.25 x 4m. Image: Bewley Shaylor Rick Vermey, Modular folded façade screen, Victoria Street Hotel, 2014. 23
Artsource Midland Open Studios
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he Artsource Midland studios have received a facelift from Leah Tarlo, who has brought her world of whimsy and style to the shop-front space. The impressive store was launched with the Midland studios open day in June. Here’s some pictures from the day.
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2015 Residency Recipients We are pleased to announce the recipients of our 2015 Basel and Artspace Residencies. These long-running residencies are supported by the Department of Culture and the Arts.
Artsource Basel Exchange Residency, Switzerland – Theo Koning
Artsource Artspace Residency, Sydney – Teelah George
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heo Koning has primarily focused on sculptural assemblage over his forty year practice. Being in Basel will provide an opportunity to contemplate this work, while gathering information and inspiration for new works and directions. It will allow for fresh momentum and potential for materiality development within the work. Theo’s six-month Swiss experience will start in July 2015.
eelah George looks at archival information and processes as a way to examine the relationship between narrative and representation. The Artspace Residency will allow for close proximity to the artist archive at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, to inform a new body of work surrounding the formations of identity, mythology and methods of representation. This three-month residency will commence in October 2015 and is housed in the former Gunnery building in Woolloomooloo.
Theo Koning, Still-life with Pipe (detail), 2012. Gesso and olive sap on wood, 146 x 33 x 23cm. Teelah George, Adolescent (detail), 2014. Oil and enamel on board, 90 x 60cm. Image: Velvet Millar. 25
Consultancy Services Artlease •
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Don Walter’s sculpture Ziggurat was recently purchased by Jones Lang LaSalle, the global real estate services firm, after a two year Artlease in their Perth office foyer. Riverstone has leased a body of new works for two display homes in the Fremantle area. Paintings by Jo Darvall, Joanne Duffy, Francesca Gnagnarella and Vania Lawson were installed in a Mosman Park display home, complementing the existing commissioned sculpture by Britt Salt in the entrance. Three of Alex Spremberg’s monochromatic enamel on wood pieces have been leased in another Riverstone display home in Fremantle.
Recently Completed Projects • •
Penny Bovell’s integrated screen artwork was recently installed at 180 Scarborough Beach Road. Cindy Poole and Jason Wooldridge’s artworks for the Esperance foreshore have been completed and are soon to be unveiled to the public. Both works are key features in the development of the foreshore and sit alongside Whale Tail, already a major attraction in the James Street precinct.
Jo Duffy, Sky Show, 2014. Image: Eva Fernandez Jo Darvall, Sand Fire 1 + Sand Fire 2, 2013. Image: Eva Fernandez 26
Gascoyne Biennial Art Awards
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elebrated visual artist Michael Doherty won best overall artwork at the Gascoyne Biennial Art Awards for his artwork, Northwest Fire (Imaginary). The Biennial Awards were coordinated by the Gascoyne Arts Council, with principal partner, The Shire of Carnarvon. Artsource supported the event, contributing curation and artwork hanging expertise. Artists Veronica (Bonnie) Ingram, Peter Usher,
Warayute Bannatee, Julie Silvester, Nalda Searles, Anton Blume and Terina Collins also won prizes for their outstanding work.
New Commissions •
Bentley Adolescent Unit Artist-inResidence program
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rtsource assisted the Bentley Adolescent Unit (BAU) to employ Turid Calgaret to coordinate an artist-in-residence program at the BAU. Charlotte O’Shea and Noeleen Hamlet have each recently completed a six week residency as part of this program. Funded by the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the program was established to facilitate artistic learning and understanding about Aboriginal culture for young people and staff by having Aboriginal artists share their artwork and discuss differences in their culture. The program also features some non-Aboriginal artists and will run through to the end of 2014. Young people have thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the artists, learning new skills and working together with their peers to create meaningful visual art.
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Tony Pankiw was the selected artist for the Spectrum Apartment public art commission. His integrated design plays on the bright colours of the architectural design and references prisms. The commission gives him the opportunity to further explore colour as a theme in his public art practice. Britt Salt has been commissioned to create an internal suspended artwork for The Shipping Lane Bar and Restaurant opening in Leighton. The public art commission for a commercial and residential development on Richardson Street was awarded to Leanne Bray, who will create an exterior façade artwork and interior lobby work. Phil and Dawn Gamblen have been engaged by the City of Swan to deliver three small-scale and one landmark public artworks for the Ellenbrook District Open Space, currently under development. The suite of kinetic works referencing sport and play develops the Gamblens’ exploration of movement as a conceptual basis for their work.
Upcoming •
Preparations have started in delivering the new Ronald McDonald House artwork strategy. The commissioning process will invite artists to produce a range of interactive, high calibre artworks to fill the requirements of several interior and exterior, two-dimensional and sculptural works, to be installed in both the existing House and the new premises in Nedlands.
Michael Doherty, Northwest Fire Imaginery, 2014. Gascoyne Art Prize Best Overall in Show
Early June also saw the kick-off of the Kings Square Public Art Strategy implementation. The exciting Kings Square precinct in Perth offers many possibilities for place activation through artwork. Artsource will be developing an extensive commissioning program for public artworks with Leighton Properties Pty Ltd, the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority and other corporate stakeholders.
We have again teamed up with Perth Public Art Foundation to commission a public artwork for the Telethon Appeal. The work will be inspired by, and made for children with ill health and will be auctioned at the Lexus Ball on Telethon Weekend, with all proceeds supporting the Telethon Foundation.
All commission opportunities are published in the Artsource +mail that is sent out to members every week. 27
Online Artist Gallery We look forward to it becoming an important resource for those looking to work with Western Australian artists.
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rtsource is thrilled that the Online Artist Gallery is now live. Visitors to the Artsource website can ‘search artists’ and view the artwork and professional portfolio of any Artsource Plus and Max members who have completed a profile. Each profile includes images of the artist’s work, their biography and artist statement and links to the artist’s website. The information can include an artist’s solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, commissions, awards, residencies, and representation in collections and by galleries. The Online Artist Gallery enables us to share members’ talents with others in an easy, effective and accessible way. We look forward to it becoming an important resource for those looking to work with Western Australian artists. This is an excellent promotional tool available to our members that is easy to manage and can be created and updated at any time. To start searching artists today go to artsource.net.au/Search-Artists
Sample artist profile from artsource.net.au 28
Membership Regional + Indigenous The Undiscovered: A National focus on Western Australian Art This symposium will bring together all those involved in WA visual arts to consider the place of Western Australian art and artists …
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rtsource, in partnership with the Cultural Precinct of the University of Western Australia launched The Undiscovered: National Focus on Western Australian Art in June. The full day symposium will be held on Monday 20 October at the University Club, UWA. It will feature speakers from all facets of Western Australian visual arts including Professor Ian McLean, contemporary artist Trevor Vickers and artist and curator Matthew Ngui. The Undiscovered was prompted by several events in 2013 that raised some questions about how Western Australian art is represented on a national scale and the potential we have to expand the understanding of Australian art beyond the New South Wales-Victoria nexus. This symposium will bring together all those involved in WA visual arts – artists, scholars, curators, administrators, gallerists and audience members – to consider the place of Western Australian art and artists nationally and internationally. The presenters will offer insight into aspects of contemporary practice, art history and theory to form a full picture of Western Australian art practice and the position we hold within the national discourse. It is important that this is an ongoing discussion and not a one-off event. To facilitate this and to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute, we’ve started a blog that will feature interesting opinion pieces and related news articles. We encourage you to contribute to the discussion at undiscoveredsymposium.com
A new initiative to Ignite careers
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rtsource, with support from BHP Billiton, have launched the funding program Ignite. The program will provide grants to Artsource members to take the next step in their careers. This could be anything from a professional development activity, research towards new work, or further developing an exhibition, production or publication. The call out for expressions of interest was made in June. For information on the successful members and the project go to artsource.net.au/Artist-Services/ Funding-Programs We’re delighted to be able to offer this exciting opportunity to our members and we thank BHP Billiton for their support.
2013 Emerging Artist Program recipient, Joanna Sulkowski. Photo: Eva Fernandez 29
Professional Development Review: Artist’s Professional Presentation Pack
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xperienced artist and writer, Louise Morrison, gave a half day workshop in May to PLUS and MAX members on the industry standard for presentation of an artist’s practice. Attendees learned the essential requirements of an artist’s CV, how they should develop their artist statement and biography, the importance of choosing a quality portfolio of images and how to amalgamate this to effectively represent their practice in today’s visual art market. Due to the high demand for this workshop, which meant that many missed out, we are considering running it again later this year. Please go to artsource.net.au/Artist-Services/Professional-development for information on this and other PD opportunities as they arise.
Installation view, Cossack Art Awards 2013, Shire of Roebourne. © the artists 30
Cossack Art Award
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he 2014 Cossack Art Award has again engaged a strong selection of regional and metropolitan artists. The Shire of Roebourne hosted Indigenous artist Julie Gough from Tasmania and gallerist Mark Norval from Derby as the judges for this year’s prize. As part of the extended Cossack program, last year’s winner and Artsource member, Lesley Munro, completed a residency. We’re pleased that our partnership with Rio Tinto has continued to provide vital support to regional and Indigenous artists in the Shire of Roebourne. This support enables the artists’ to develop their professional practice and share their work with a wider audience. We look forward to continuing this in 2015. For more on the event and the successful artist for the 2014 Cossack Art Award, go to artsource.net.au/News-Print
We were saddened to hear of the passing of Martin Heine earlier this year, a bold and courageous Perth-based contemporary artist. Graffiti Paradise (detail) 2014 1.2 x 1.2m Oil & acrylic on synthetic polymer
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Jo Darvall Gemstones + Millstreams 2014 watercolour and mixed media on archival paper Install for Singapore 2014 Image: Bo Wong
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Thomas Heidt Entanglement #1, 2014. 1.2 x 1.2m. Lead pencil, Ballpoint pen and Highlighter on Ply. Exhibited at the Melody Smith Gallery, May/June 2014 Image: Nigel Heidt
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Helen Clarke Helen Clarke in Finland. Self-funded artist residency, 2014.
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2014 City of
Albany Art Prize A national contemporary painting survey
5 September – 12 October Albany Town Hall Free Artist talks and exhibition tours www.albanyartprize.com.au
The Jack Family Charitable Trust
Reko Rennie, Bunbury Street (detail) (2013), acrylic and ink on linen; winner of the 2013 Albany Art Prize. Photo courtesy the Artist.
Members News EXHIBITIONS CARLA ADAMS, DAN BOURKE, CLAIRE BUSHBY, ZORA KREUZER, MINAXI MAY, DANNI MCGRATH and others, High Visibility, Perth CBD, 25 June to 27 August 2014 FRANC VAUX-KOENIG, Wax Lyrical, Freight Gallery, Fremantle, 25 July to 5 August 2014 SANDRA BLACK, IAN DOWLING, PIPPIN DRYSDALE, ANDREA VINKOVIC and others, HERE&NOW14, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, Crawley, 26 July to 27 September 2014
TANIA FERRIER, LAURA MITCHELL and others, Talkback, Heathcote Museum & Gallery, Applecross, 23 August to 21 September 2014 CHRISTOPHER MCCLELLAND, A Fish out of Water – A Cultural Identity Crisis, Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle, 28 August to 12 September 2014
JESSICA JUBB, Gondwana, Citadines on Bourke, Melbourne, 2 August to 3 August 2014
MAY ALI, MEGAN CHRISTIE, MONIQUE CURBY, JENNY DE BRUYN, LISA DYMOND, MARIAN GILES, KAREN MILLAR, PASCAL PROTEAU, ANNA RICHARDSON, ANDREA VINKOVIC, JUDE WILLIS and others, Duality, Freight Gallery, Fremantle, 22 September to 5 October 2014
CLAIRE BUSHBY and others, Becomings, Spectrum Project Space, 8 August to 22 August 2014
AMANDA SHELSHER, Tattoo, Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle, 24 September to 12 October 2014
SANDY MCKENDRICK, Meniscus, Upstairs, Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, Fremantle, 8 August to 24 August 2014
JO DARVALL, Walking the pipe line to the waters end, Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, Fremantle, 26 September to 12 October 2014
OLIVIA SAMEC, Australian Land and Sea, Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, Fremantle, 8 August to 24 August 2014
SARAH MCNAMARA, Journal for Dreamers, Albany Public Library Foodbank Exhibition, 2014 Bendigo Bank Great Southern Art Trail, 27 September to 13 October 2014
AMANDA SHELSHER, Skepsi@Montsalvat, The Barn Gallery, Montsalvat, 16 August to 31 August 2014 Andrea Vinkovic, Shape of Thought (detail), 2014, Image: Kevin Gordon Ian Mutch, The Long Race, Aerosol and drawing ink on found book cover 36
IAN MUTCH, Conversation, Hay Shed Hill, Wilyabrup, 16 August to 11 September 2014
THEA COSTANTINO, MARZENA TOPKA and others, Otherworldly, Heathcote Museum & Gallery, Applecross, 27 September to 2 November 2014 FRANCESCA GNAGNARELLA, Asia Contemporary Art Show, Hong Kong, 2 October to 5 October 2014
MUNDARING ARTS CENTRE to 29 August
MUNDARING ARTS CENTRE will be closed for renovations
29 Aug to 28 Sep
HELEN CLARKE
Exceptional printmaker MUNDARING ENVIRONMENTAL ART PROJECT Primary School students investigate environmental themes LIZ ARNOLD as a member of the MELD group of 4, Hidden Revealed Transformed, Showcase Gallery, Perth, 17 October to 1 November 2014
JENNY DE BRUYN was highly commended for her work BBQ Baroque at 2014 Castaways Sculpture Awards in City of Rockingham.
STEPHEN ARMITSTEAD and LIA MCKNIGHT, Between sticks and clouds, Paper Mountain, Northbridge, 1 November to 16 November 2014
LISA DYMOND was highly commended for her work Second Wave at 2014 Castaways Sculpture Awards in City of Rockingham.
RESIDENCIES CLAIRE BUSHBY was the successful artist for the 2014 Asialink Artist Residency for Taipei Artist Village, and will be there from 23 September to 21 December 2014 JO DARVALL had a residency at Belmont City Council WA ELISA MARKES-YOUNG will be artist in residence at Central TAFE from November 2014, culminating in an exhibition AWARDS KERRIE ARGENT was jointly awarded the Western Australia Sculptor Scholarship at Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2014, for her work overconsumption. DAVID BROPHY received special commendation for his work in the Hatched: National Graduate Show 2014 at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. ELAINE CLOCHERTY was jointly awarded the Western Australia Sculptor Scholarship at Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2014 for her work overnight.
LESLEY MEANEY was the 2014 VASSE Open Award winner for her painting Reason, Rhythm & Rhyme. She was also joint winner in the sculpture category at the 2014 Wanneroo Art Awards for her work Memoir of a Desert Crossing.
3 Oct to 9 Nov
TRACE
Artists and architects explore the nature of the act of drawing ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT SPACE
14 Nov to 21 Dec
EXPOSITION-Vic Fibre Arts
International fibre and textile artists CATHY RANKIN Artist in Focus BETTY MCKEOUGH Artist in Focus
MUNDARING ARTS SHOP Supports the work of WA artists
LOCATION
7190 Great Eastern Highway (corner Nichol St) Mundaring WA 6073 T: +61 8 9295 3991 www.mundaringartscentre.com.au
VIEWING TIMES
Open Tue to Fri 10am - 5pm Sat and Sun 11am - 3pm Closed Mondays & Public holidays
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
Francesca Gnagnarella, The Future of Now, 2014, Acrylic and 23 Carat gold leaf on canvas, 120 x 120cm Olivia Samec, Whale Shark, Ningaloo 2013. 102cm x 102cm, mixed media on canvas. Jessica Jubb, Gondwana Cuffs, 2014, Brass, dimensions variable, approx. 55 x 45 x 65mm 37
AWARDS
SUE CODEE was commissioned by the City of Perth to create an artwork to celebrate the Perth/Houston Sister City 30th Anniversary Celebrations.
HOLLY PEPPER received the GDF Suez Kwinana Award at 2014 Castaways Sculpture Awards in City of Rockingham, for her work Revived.
JO DARVALL received a nine painting commission for Changi Terminal 3 Executive Suite through Sculpture Square Limited Singapore.
YUKO TAKAHASHI was the Alcoa Second Award Winner at 2014 Castaways Sculpture Awards in City of Rockingham, for her work Way of the Wind.
OLIVIA SAMEC’s artwork design was selected to represent City of Melville at Banners on the Terrace on St Georges Terrace.
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG received a highly commended award for his exhibition Five – Fremantle Prison at the 2014 WA Heritage Awards.
A CITY OF FREMANTLE FESTIVAL
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PUBLIC ART AND OTHER COMMISSIONS
STELLA ONDERWATER was the City of Rockingham Award Winner for recycled sculpture at 2014 Castaways Sculpture Awards, for her work Lashing.
OTHER NEWS JO DARVALL had art work collected by Belmont City Council WA, was invited to exhibit at Asian Contemporary Art Show Hong Kong and is now represented in Singapore/Asia/Melbourne by Australasian Art Projects. AMANDA SHELSHER’s works Suburban Escape and Loss featured in the book 500 Figures in Clay by Nan Smith (Lark books, 2014). Christopher McClelland, Autumn leaves over the Indian Ocean (detail), 2014. Oil on canvas, 156 x 122 cm Christopher McClelland, Dusk over the Great Eastern Highway (detail), 2014. Oil on canvas, 56 x 44 cm Christopher McClelland, The Montgolfier Brothers over the Great Eastern Highway (detail), 2014. Oil on canvas, 48 x 36 cm
art AWARDS s
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ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN for the 2014 City of Bayswater Art Awards. Win a share in over $7,500 worth of prizes. Visit our website: www.bayswater.wa.gov.au/events 4.00pm, Wednesday 10 September 2014 (Delivery of artwork: Sunday 5 October 9.00am - 12noon) Monday 6 October to Sunday 19 October 2014 Monday to Sunday 10.00am - 4.00pm The RISE, 28 Eighth Avenue, Maylands T 9272 0622 E mail@bayswater.wa.gov.au W www.bayswater.wa.gov.au/events
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ANGEL WINGS 1 – 30 SEPTEMBER Be enlightened through the elegant simplicity of LA artist Colette Miller’s internationally renowned visual arts installation ‘Angel Wings’.