THE SHAKE OF LEIR

BLACKARTPROJECTS, OPEN HOUSE MELBOURNE AND NITE ART PRESENT

THE SHAKE OF LEIR SARAH HENDY

B L A C K

THE SHAKE OF LEIR The Kelvin Club 14-30 Melbourne Place Melbourne, Australia Nite Art | 23 July, 2014 Open House Melbourne | 26 - 27 July, 2014 The Shake of Leir is an integration of Sarah Hendy's work spanning the past five years amongst the eclectic interiors of the The Kelvin Club. By merging these works, including a suite of new 'disaster' paintings created specifically for the project, amongst those already existing in the collection of club, Hendy will cast ambiguity over the origins of her subjects by provoking questions as to their relationship with each other and the history of this iconic venue.

THE SHAKE OF LEIR There is something particularly horrifying about seeing buildings destroyed by a disaster. By and large, buildings are sanctuaries of comfort and safety, yet we are drawn to scenes of destruction as if it were a primal impulse. Perhaps it is the astonishment we feel in witnessing nature’s supremacy: in seeing something so seemingly indestructible collapse under the weight of uncontrollable environmental forces. Or perhaps it lies deeper within us as an inherent questioning of life, death and rebirth. Whatever the case may be, there is little doubt that we are able to uncover some form of beauty amidst all the turmoil.

Sarah Hendy’s most recent series of paintings plays on the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, where a broken ceramic item is repaired by piecing back together the shards using resin and gold powder. It is a concept that wholly embraces the flaws in an object by mending damaged areas in such a way that it makes the object more beautiful than it was to begin with. Philosophically it speaks to breakage and reparation becoming part of the history of an object rather than something to disguise.

In this way Hendy seeks to acknowledge the significance of her subjects by means of documenting their demise, not as a callous act, but rather as a celebration of the past, the present and the future. These homes are projected as monuments, and in doing so Hendy stalls our desires to think ahead to any form of rebirth, spiritual or otherwise, by asking us to consider them as they are, empty of the lives built within, as an object battered, bruised and transformed.

Against the dying light oil on aluminium 14.7 x 21 cm

Beneath the overhang oil and gold leaf on aluminium 14.7 x 21 cm

Looking west oil and gold leaf on aluminium 14.7 x 21 cm

Land’s edge oil on aluminium 14.7 x 21 cm

Southern light oil and gold leaf on aluminium 14.7 x 21 cm

The Medusa’s call oil and gold leaf on aluminium 14.7 x 21 cm

Nite Art 2014 is an interconnected web between sites, artists and viewers, with its own curatorial voice exploring Melbourne’s art scene. With seven precincts, 28 art sites and 35 exhibitions including over 80 artists, Melburnians have access to sites across the city including commercial galleries, artist–run spaces, museums and unusual architectural spaces. Nite Art highlights Melbourne’s architectural and cultural assets through the lens of artistic responses. www.niteart.com.au

Open House Melbourne can be viewed as simply an opportunity for people to marvel at unique spaces. Whilst the event certainly provides intrigue and invites curiosity, it is actually remarkably sophisticated and layered with significant passive educational opportunities for people to learn about citybased industries, our history and future, and about the built environment. Open House Melbourne is a unique and free event that assists Melbourne in being positioned as a city of creativity and knowledge. www.openhousemelbourne.org.au

The Kelvin Club developed from the former Fitzroy East Melbourne Bowling Club, itself founded in 1865. Given the engineering fraternity within the then membership it was decided to name the new Club Kelvin after Lord Kelvin, the famous Scottish mathematician. Today, the Club is one of the most progressive, inclusive and intriguing private members clubs for men and women that aims to foster community involvement in the busy, sometimes overwhelming, growing city that is Melbourne. www.kelvinclub.com

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