Conversations in space by Deakin University Art Gallery

Conversations in space 1

Conversations in space Alex Hobba Helen Maudsley Noriko Nakamura Laura Skerlj

Deakin University Art Gallery 12 February – 5 April 2024

Installation view at the Deakin University Art Gallery 2

Installation view at the Deakin University Art Gallery 4

Alex Hobba Piss Trough 2020 6

How to start a conversation

There are lots of different ways and topics in which to begin a conversation with someone you don’t know, that could lead to new relationships. A quick online search results in a myriad of techniques to help facilitate new connections between people. From introducing yourself to offering a compliment or asking for assistance, ice breakers and shared experiences, there are many steps to take.i A group exhibition can sometimes feel like an artificial construct with a curator creating connections between arbitrary objects, people and contexts that aren’t necessarily there. I guess you have to start somewhere, as how do we go about meeting the difficult challenge of transmitting culture from one generation to the next when we only have the given form of these written words to speak? It gives me a great sense of pride and purpose to present the practices of artists Alex Hobba, Helen Maudsley, Noriko Nakamura and Laura Skerlj with the exhibition Conversations in space. A project that aims to establish new and deeper meanings with artists at different stages of their careers and present a selection of their recent projects to the Deakin University community. This exhibition presents contemporary visual arts in conversational mode. The various objects that comprise this exhibition use a taxonomy of words, letters, symbols and images to create talk and chatter. More like a library, the exhibition is a space to think and consider, among a catalogue of objects and feelings. The paintings of artist Helen Maudsley who has been practicing in Naarm Melbourne since the 1940s, are pivotal to the thinking of this exhibition. This presentation follows Maudsley’s survey exhibition of drawings at Deakin’s former Stonnington Stables Museum of Art in 2007.ii Now in her nineth decade, Maudsley continues to make and produce highly precise and technical paintings that advance her philosophical questioning of art, language and communication. Just six months or so ago Maudsley presented a series of new works at Niagara Galleries, brimming with new ideas, variations and paintings that were more open-ended and direct in the ways they articulated and expressed themselves. A selection of these most recent works are featured front and centre in this installation and set a stage for the presentation of works by other artists. Maudsley is well known for her painting subjects that are maze-like in their compositions and lead viewers through complex narratives and symbolic associations. Conversations in space is inspired by Maudsley’s approach of visual essay making expanded into exhibition form, like walking into one of her pictures: relics, objects, words and moving images float in space without anchor, colliding and reassembling. The puzzle-like matrices of Maudsley’s most recent paintings are a joy to decipher. They are remarkable not only because many of them have been painted in the artist’s ninety-fifth year, but also for their painterly directness, energy and liveliness. In one work, floating images of sorbet glasses, a bouquet, ribbon bows, unopened envelopes and fountain pens suggest both the anticipation and celebration of receiving a message and corresponding with others. In another, a series of floating drill bits and cutting mechanisms, screw shapes, brass tacks, a chain and an envelope are suggestive of a broken toolbox for painting. And in another, a series of looped cursive letters of an alphabet hang above an opened book, a set of eyes, a glove and pointing arrows suggest the flow of knowledge from sight to text and language. 7

These recent paintings by Maudsley affirm the integral connection between writing and art. Without further discussion and elaboration through text, ‘art does not exist’ Maudsley reiterates in one of her poem-like lengthy titles.iii I imagine, as an artist more closely approaches the end of their being, there must surely be a greater appreciation for sharing stories and conversations and how they might continue through time. The desire to describe the ambiguities of life and to share the deeper meanings of our common experience with others is universal. The artists in this exhibition evoke historical forms and mythologies in their practices as ways of constructing meanings from the passages of time. Laura Skerlj’s new abstract paintings continue her thinking and feeling through colour with combinations of finely layered passages of oil paint. In this grouping, hues of greens, yellows, burgundy and dusty pinks accrue on landscape formatted linen canvases of the same size. Skerlj sometimes begins her canvases with printed relief patterns from earlier studies on paper, or from textures recreated from the collaged fragments of old paintings. Her attitude is to form something tangible and concrete but open to the changing world. Areas of paint are built up in this bricolage process, others are removed and painted over, creating dense fields of mark making, texture and paint loss. Skerlj describes the rectangular frame as a structured way of capturing her labour: the gestures, activities, emotions and the passing of time ‘in a multivalent’ world.iv Working away in her studio Skerlj enacts the repetition and ritual of painting. Moving from one painting to the next, she allows for the vulnerabilities and failures to creep in until the losses of dead paintings have to be set aside, waiting to come back to life again. The continuity between death, the everyday, objects and the afterlife is explored in the practice of Noriko Nakamura. A Japanese-born artist now based in Castlemaine Victoria on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, Nakamura often uses limestone to carve sculptural ritualistic objects inspired by her deep understanding of Japanese mythology. The four works presented in Conversations in space were first produced in 2017 around the time of her solo exhibition Harvest at the Daine Singer Gallery, Melbourne.v Nakamura was influenced by Shinto mythology regarding the origin of foods and female sexuality. In her artist statement for the exhibition, she recounts an ancient story: After the deity Susanoo was banished by his sister, he visited the deity of food, Ogetsuhime, and requested food. Ogetsuhime welcomed him and prepared a feast with food that came out of her nose and spewed out of her mouth and bottom. Susanoo was disgusted and killed her with a sword. Ogetsuhime‘s dead body continued to produce food and her body parts were planted in the ground to grow and be harvested. Silkworms came out of her head. Her eyes became rice. Her ears turned into millet. Her nose transformed into red beans. Her vagina turned into wheat. Her bottom became soybeans.vi 8

Nakamura’s symbolic sculptures include a rib bone, an open chest, a heart and a braided totem carved by hand in porous Mount Gambier limestone. The raw, chalk-like, marine fossil qualities of the stone are emphasized so the forms appear seemingly like relics from another time, inherent with the possibility of new life. In Shinto beliefs and animism, a soul or reikon exists within all things and this connection to the spiritual world creates complex understandings of the everyday. In this way, inanimate objects become vessels connecting the present with lost ancestors and the past.vii As the source of new life, the female body is presented by Nakamura as a metaphor for creativity and power, but not without the ongoing companions of pain and biological change. Emerging artist Alex Hobba works long laborious hours using 3D digital rendering software in her creation of digital animations and videos. Hobba’s most recent work Cockfighter’s Ghost seeks to explore our needs for heroic transformative characters in narrative. Over the epic six-minute duration of digitally rendered virtual spaces and forms, the life of a champion fighter is talked about but never really seen. Hobba utilizes the conventions of documentary film to push against the limits of genre. Voice over characters fondly recall their memories humanising the main protagonist in relating stories of their skills and prowess.viii Hobba’s character study is more of a proxy device in this instance to consider the construction of power and its operations. In another part of the gallery hanging from the ceiling like electronic signage is Piss Trough (2020). An earlier virtual 3D animation painstakingly created by Hobba that depicts a tiled urinal basin full of water. The transparent liquid ebbing and flowing like an epic tide. Here a symbol of masculine power and dominance is converted into an infinite loop of to-ing and fro-ing where nothing happens. Hobba’s digital animations tangibly capture our contemporary malaise: the anxious dread of endless screen scrolling and memes. Infinite moments of distraction whereby time passes yet nothing changes. Conversation in space begins and ends over a short period of just eight weeks. Within this time the artworks sit alongside each other, standing in for the artists in the hope audiences will make new connections and elaborations between them, forming new occurrences, thoughts and ideas. Recent research has found that it takes at least fifty hours of shared contact for genuine friendships to form beyond casual acquaintances.ix Speaking from experience it becomes more difficult to form new friendships as we age and struggle with trusting others, being vulnerable and open to new possibilities. But as with life and moving between artists, artworks, contexts, exhibition making and audiences, there is a comfort in our attempts. The warmth of companionship, the lightness of shared perspectives and joy against the coldness of despair, is the finest return. James Lynch Curator, Art Collection and Galleries

i See Jennifer Herrity, 20 Ways to start a conversation with a stranger, 27 September 2023, https://www.indeed.com/ career-advice/career-development/how-to-start-conversation-with-strangers ii Helen Maudsley: Works on paper, 28 February – 5 April 2007, Stonnington Stables Museum of Art, Deakin University iii For full details see the exhibition Helen Maudsley, 26 July – 19 August 2023, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, niagaragalleries.com.au/exhibitions/helen-maudsley-2023/ iv Laura Skerlj from an artist statement provided to the curator via email 16 January 2023 v

See full details //www.dainesinger.com/noriko-nakamura

vi ibid. Tales of this story are found in several documents from ancient Japan including the Kojiki or Record of Ancient Matters, first compiled in 712 A.D.. See Toichi Mabuchi, Tales Concerning the origin of grains in the insular areas of Eastern and Southeastern Asia, pp. 3, asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a148.pdf [Accessed 18 January 2023] vii Larissa Hjorth, In Japan, supernatural beliefs connect the spiritual realm with the earthly objects around us, The Conversation, 31 October 2019, theconversation.com/in-japan-supernatural-beliefs-connect-the-spiritual-realmwith-the-earthly-objects-around-us-125726#:~:text=In%20Japan%20—%20informed%20by%20Shinto,as%20 “kami”%20or%20deities. [Accessed 16 January 2023] viii Alex Hobba artist statement to her exhibition at Blindside gallery, 16 August – 9 September 2023, blindside.org.au/ program/cockfighter-s-ghost ix Jeffrey A. Hall, How many hours does it take to make a friend?, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15 March 2018, //journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0265407518761225?journalCode=spra

Helen Maudsley The Power of the Written Word; Without the Written Word, Art Doesn’t Exist. 2020

Helen Maudsley The Coil, the Circle & the Rectangle. Into the Trees & the Landscape. Into the Distance. Unless Art is Written About, it Doesn’t Exist. 2020

Helen Maudsley The Coil, the Screws, the Rectangle, and the Chain that Hangs Colours and Tones, not mixed, but Calling to Each Other. 2022

Helen Maudsley Linkages of Different Kinds. The basic 4 shapes; the square, the circle, and the triangle. And the Golden Ratio. 2022

Noriko Nakamura Milking my heart 2019 photo by Matthew Stanton

Noriko Nakamura Untitled 2016 photo by Matthew Stanton 25

Noriko Nakamura Secret 2017 photo by Matthew Stanton

Alex Hobba Cockfighter’s Ghost 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (orb) 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (sparkler) 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (fizzy) 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (trance) 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (bouquet) 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (limbo) 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (moth) 2023

Laura Skerlj Untitled (cloud) 2023

List of works

All works are listed as they appear in the exhibition. Measurements are height x width x depth. From left clockwise around gallery: Laura Skerlj born Geelong, 1983; lives and works Naarm Melbourne Untitled (fizzy) 2023 Untitled (sparkler) 2023 Untitled (cloud) 2023 Untitled (orb) 2023 Untitled (trance) 2023 Untitled (moth) 2023 Untitled (bouquet) 2023 Untitled (limbo) 2023 all works are oil on linen 35 x 45 cm © copyright and courtesy of the artist Noriko Nakamura born Tokyo, 1986; lives and works Dja Dja Wurrung Country Castlemaine Milking my heart 2019 carved limestone 43 x 26 x 24 cm Rib Bone 2017 carved limestone, 8 x 66 x 8 cm Untitled 2016 carved limestone 147 x 28 x 28 cm 50

Secret 2017 carved limestone 14 x 32.5 x 25.5 cm all works © copyright and courtesy of the artist Helen Maudsley born Melbourne, 1927; lives and works Narrm Melbourne Know Thine Own Self 2022 oil on canvas 63.4 x 44.7 cm The Power of the Written Word; Without the Written Word, Art Doesn’t Exist. 2020 oil on canvas 76 x 66.5 cm The Coil, the Circle & the Rectangle. Into the Trees & the Landscape. Into the Distance. Unless Art is Written About, it Doesn’t Exist. 2020 oil on canvas 61.7 x 43.8 cm Linkages of Different Kinds. The basic 4 shapes; the square, the circle, and the triangle. And the Golden Ratio. 2022 oil on canvas 68.5 x 49.5 cm

The Coil, the Screws, the Rectangle, and the Chain that Hangs Colours and Tones, not mixed, but Calling to Each Other. 2022 oil on canvas 61 x 61.2 cm rear wall Nudes 1986 watercolour and gouache on paper and artist frame 66 x 55.5 cm (frame) Gift of the artist, 2007 Deakin University Art Collection all works © copyright and courtesy of the artist and Niagara Galleries, Melbourne Alex Hobba born Canberra 1993; lives and works Naarm Melbourne Piss Trough 2020 digital video consisting of 3D render animation 1:24mins looped Cockfighter’s Ghost 2023 digital video consisting of 3D render animation, AI voice acting and human voices sound design by Christopher Maruca 6:35mins looped all works © copyright and courtesy of the artist

Biographies

Alex Hobba

Helen Maudsley

Alex Hobba is an emerging artist currently based in Naarm Melbourne. Born in Ngambri Canberra, Hobba completed undergraduate studies in photomedia at the Australian National University’s School of Art (2016) before completing a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) at Monash University, Melbourne (2019). Hobba combines 3d animation, photography, video and sculpture to explore the construction of stories, genre, narrative and the ‘hero’ complex. Her most recent creative research investigates the Gallus gallus domesticus or the domestic chicken from its representation in film and literature to its position as a food staple. Recent solo exhibitions include: Cockfighter’s Ghost, Blindside, Melbourne (2023); A Gun Went Off in Human Resources, TCB art inc., Brunswick (2020) and Cloakroom: Institutional, Photoaccess, Canberra (2017). Recent group exhibitions include: After the past, ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, Canberra (2023); Snake Mistake with Chunxiao Qu, Kings Artist Run, Melbourne (2022) and Power and Imagination: Conceptual Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (2018).

Helen Maudsley was born and is currently based in Naarm Melbourne. After studying at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Maudsley attended the National Gallery School in the 1940s. She staged her first solo exhibitions in 1957 and has held regular exhibitions recently at Niagara Galleries, Melbourne. In 2018 the National Gallery of Victoria held its first major survey exhibition of Maudsley’s work Our Knowing and Not Knowing at NGV Australia, Federation Square. Recent group exhibitions include: Thin Skin, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne (2023); Against The Odds, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth (2023); Painting More Painting, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne (2016) and Lurid Beauty: Australian Surrealism and its Echoes, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2015), among many more.

vimeo.com/506343244

niagaragalleries.com.au

Noriko Nakamura

Laura Skerlj

Currently based in Castlemaine on the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Noriko Nakamura is an artist who uses stone carving to make installations drawing on ideas of animism and ritualistic practices. Nakamura first studied at Byam Shaw School of Art at Central Saint Martin’s College, London followed by undergraduate studies with honours from The University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts (2011) and recently completed a Master of Fine Art from Latrobe University (2023). Recent solo exhibitions include: In the beginning was chaos, Composite, Collingwood Yards, Melbourne (2023); Soil, Water, Stone, Yamanshi, Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan (2020) and The force that the warrior adopts during the evolution of the pale pink rose, Caves, Melbourne (2019). Selected group exhibitions include: Maternal inheritances, Latrobe Arts Institute, Latrobe University, Bendigo, curated by Amelia Wallin (2023); From the Collection: Gertrude Contemporary Regional Residencies, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Warrnambool, curated by Emily Cormack (2015) and Interrupted Expenditure, RM Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand (2014).

Laura Skerlj is an artist currently based in Naarm Melbourne and works in the fields of contemporary painting, writing and teaching. Born in Wadawurrung Geelong, Skerlj first studied journalism at the University of Queensland, Brisbane (2005) before completing a Master in Fine Art by Research at tThe University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts (2013). Recently, Skerlj has become a PhD candidate at The University of Melbourne (2024). Recent exhibitions include: Private Life, Bus Projects, Melbourne (2019); Aqua Lung, Alaska Projects, Sydney (2017) and Love in a Better Climate, Fort Delta, Melbourne (2016). Selected group exhibitions include: Text Tile, Caves, Melbourne (2022); Stray Pages, NGBE, Melbourne (2022); These Days, COMA, Sydney (2020) and Hyper Hyper, Michael Reid Gallery, Berlin (2017). Skerlj was a recipient of the Leipzig International Artist Residency, Germany (2018-19). lauraskerlj.com

noriko-nakamura.com

Alex Hobba Piss Trough 2020 54

Acknowledgements

I wish to sincerely thank the artists for lending your works for this exhibition. Thank you for your openness and generosity in working with me and through the various logistics to bring this exhibition to fruition. It is an honour to present your incredible creativity to audiences here at Deakin University. I would like to express a special thank you to Clara Brack for allowing us to present the work of Helen Maudsley in this context and thanks also extended to Sarah Murray and Bill Nuttal at Niagara Galleries for helping to facilitate and trusting us with the loan of Helen’s recent paintings. I also wish to thank and acknowledge the support of the Art Collection and Galleries team in bringing this project together including Senior Manager Leanne Willis, Art Collection Officer Claire Muir, Administrative Officer Cindy Seeberger and Public Programs and Education Officer Tabitha Davies. I also wish to thank Exhibitions Technician, Oliver Piperato, Melbourne Art Services and Steve Ingall for helping to present this installation. Thanks finally to designer Jasmin Tulk and photographer Simon Peter Fox for your efforts and service. James Lynch

Conversations in space Alex Hobba, Helen Maudsley, Noriko Nakamura and Laura Skerlj Deakin University Art Gallery 12 February to 5 April 2024 Exhibition Curator: James Lynch All works are © copyright and courtesy of the artists Photography is by Simon Peter Fox unless otherwise stated. Published by Deakin University 978-0-6459431-1-5 digital publication only Catalogue design: Jasmin Tulk Deakin University Art Gallery Deakin University Melbourne Campus at Burwood 221 Burwood Highway Burwood 3125 T +61 3 9244 5344 E artgallery@deakin.edu.au www.deakin.edu.au/art-collection Gallery hours Monday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm Free Entry

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