Wild Lands > Arts Project Australia

ARTS PROJECT AUSTRALIA WILD LANDS 6 MAY > 17 JULY 2016

RUTH HOWARD, ‘Not titled’, 2015, acrylic. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

MICHAEL CAMAKARIS DIONNE CANZANO MATTHEW GOVE BRONWYN HACK RUTH HOWARD CHRIS MASON

As urban dwellers we spend so much of our comfortable lives living in separation from the wilderness, and although our domestic animal friends provide glimpses of the untamed, (an occasional scratch, hiss, or howl) their lifestyles, behaviours and habits have come to mirror much of our own. The animals that reside with us have adapted to our disciplined but often sedentary indoor lives with attachments to structured mealtimes and, in the cooler months, to the warmth of the heater or a human lap.

WILD LANDS

In contrast, the artwork in ‘Wild Lands’ conveys an alternate view, with the portrayal of the exotic, the rare and the wild. This diverse representation of animals by six artists from Arts Project Australia reveals each artist’s ardent fascination with animals and demonstrates how these wild subjects define each artist’s work. ‘Wild Lands’ offers a dynamic insight into the corporeal existence of wild animals, from their majestic fierce beauty to their uninhibited and untamed nature.

CHRIS MASON, ‘It’s not a parrot’, 2015, ceramic. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Michael Camakaris’ work hones in on wild animals and animal skulls researched and inspired by imagery sourced from the Internet and while visiting Melbourne Zoo. The elephant and giraffe renderings were created in 2016 specifically for ‘Wild Lands’ at Linden New Art. Dionne Canzano’s artworks focus on several of her favourite animals as subjects, including wild cats and magpies, presenting a friendlier interpretation of wild than her exhibition counterparts.

Matthew Gove’s ceramic sculpture ‘Not titled’ (wolf) exemplifies the theme of the exhibition ‘Wild Lands’ with its dark nature and wild, untamed presence.

DIONNE CANZANO, ‘Not titled’, 2012, acrylic. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

MICHAEL CAMAKARIS, ‘Not titled’, 2016, graphite, oil pastel & pencil. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Like Gove, Bronwyn Hack’s installation of work allows her darker side to come to the fore. In ‘Wild Lands’, she presents a series of untamed dogs and wolves captured from a distance in their natural habitat, as well as a series honing in on their snarling, scowling faces, reminding us of the lineage from which our domestic canine friends are derived.

Ruth Howard’s artworks touch on key narratives explored in Howard’s paintings and ceramics. Her single rudimentary painted animals sit isolated on the page in her idiosyncratic and often whimsical paintings, making a bold statement. Her paintings are accompanied by smaller abstract ceramic figurines of birds and ‘stacks’, which are assembled in clusters and are reminiscent of Bowerbirds dancing around their stacked structures built for courtship.

And finally, Chris Mason’s selection of sculptures includes safari, reptilian and exotic animals inspired by his love of large forms, making a bold statement for ‘Wild Lands’ at Linden New Art. Sim Luttin & Melissa Petty Curators Arts Project Australia May 2016

RUTH HOWARD, ‘Not titled’, 2012, terracotta. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Michael Camakaris’ art practice draws inspiration from diverse subjects: from safari animals and the avian world, to human portraiture. In Camakaris’ hands, these fairly conventional subjects are

MICHAEL CAMAKARIS

imbued with drama, depth and intensity. Through the mode of abstraction, he incorporates bold outlines and contrasts in his work, creating paintings and drawings that are dynamic, with an occasional ominous edge. Camakaris employs a variety of media ranging from gouache and acrylic paint, through to compressed charcoal and chinagraph, often including a combination of these in the one artwork. ‘Wild Lands’ showcases five artworks by Camakaris that hone in on wild animals and animal skulls researched and inspired by imagery sourced from the Internet and while visiting Melbourne Zoo. The elephant and giraffe renderings were created in 2016 specifically for ‘Wild Lands’ at Linden New Art. Michael Camakaris (born 1976) has worked at Arts Project Australia since 2010 and presented his first solo exhibition ‘Five Bulls, No Bull’ as part of the Shepparton Art Museum Drawing Wall Commission in 2013. He has been included in numerous group exhibitions including, ‘Nests’, Northcity4, Melbourne; ‘2014 Belle Arti Prize’, Chapman & Bailey Gallery, Melbourne; National Gallery of Victoria 150th Anniversary, NGV, Melbourne; and ‘Linden Postcard exhibition’, Linden New Art.

MICHAEL CAMAKARIS, ‘Not titled’, 2013, graphite pencil. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Highly skilled with dry pastel, Dionne Canzano employs veils of blended colours punctuated by smaller detailed lines with pastel pencils. Also utilising acrylic paint as a medium, her explorations on paper express an ephemeral quality and often convey a wildness that focuses on subjects close to her heart including Elvis Presley, the Collingwood Magpies as well as various domestic and wild animals. Dionne Canzano’s acrylic artworks in ‘Wild Lands’ focus on several of her favourite animals as subjects, including wild cats and magpies, presenting a friendlier version of wild than her exhibition counterparts.

DIONNE CANZANO

Dionne Canzano (born 1970) has worked at Arts Project Australia since 2000, and presented her first solo exhibition ‘Dionne Canzano’ at Arts Project Australia in 2003, followed by her second solo in 2011. She has been included in numerous group exhibitions including, ‘Melbourne Art Fair’, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne (each year from 2004-2014), ‘Darebin Art Show’, Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, Bundoora (2013-14) and ‘Pearls of Arts Project Australia: The Stuart Purves Collection’, National touring exhibition (2007-2009). Her work is held in private collections throughout Australia.

DIONNE CANZANO, ‘Magpie’, 2013, acrylic. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Matthew Gove is an emerging inter-disciplinary artist with bourgeoning talent. Working across a variety of mediums including ceramics, paintings and drawings on paper, Gove’s work often

MATTHEW GOVE

references historical objects and figures, while also touching on fictional narratives in his ceramic artworks. Gove is currently interested in creating ceramic sculptures based on mythological or folkloric humans and creatures, including recent forays into crafting heads of Medusa and werewolves in various incarnations. These impressive sculptures, while small to medium in stature, present striking interpretations of well-known and legendary characters. Gove’s ceramic sculpture ‘Not titled’ (wolf) exemplifies the theme of the exhibition ‘Wild Lands’ with its dark nature and wild, untamed presence.

Matthew Gove (born 1977) has worked in the Arts Project studio since 2012. He has been included in several group exhibitions in Melbourne and Sydney, including ‘World In My Eyes’, C3 Gallery, Abbotsford, Melbourne (2013), ‘Patrick Francis and Friends’, Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney (2015) and was a winner of the ‘Darebin Art Prize’ in 2013.

MATTHEW GOVE, ‘Not titled’, 2015, ceramic. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Bronwyn Hack is a painter, ceramicist and a 3D artist. She has an intense and fervent art practice that results in poignant, figurative work that can at times reveal a painful melodrama. Her recent

BRONWYN HACK

work has developed a darker edge: while still focusing on figurative subject matter, Hack has begun honing in on specific sections of the body and bones, representing her interpretations in objects and paintings that are both thought provoking and intriguing. Simultaneously, she has maintained a keen interest in exploring animals, with a particular penchant for depicting dogs, both wild and domestic. Bronwyn Hack’s installation of work in ‘Wild Lands’ allows her darker side to come to the fore. In this exhibition she presents a series of untamed dogs and wolves captured from a distance in their natural habitat, as well as a series honing in on their snarling, scowling faces, and reminding us of the lineage from which our domestic canine friends are derived.

Bronwyn Hack (born 1979) is an emerging artist and has worked in the Arts Project Australia studio since 2011. She was featured in her first solo exhibition at Arts Project Australia in 2016 and has been included in numerous group exhibitions including ‘Nests’, Northcity4, Melbourne; ‘My Puppet, My Secret Self’, The Substation, Newport; and each Annual Gala at Arts Project Australia since 2011.

BRONWYN HACK, ‘Not titled’, 2013, pencil & ink. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Ruth Howard is primarily a painter whose practice is focused on painting small-scale works on paper. Domestic and wild animals have always inspired Howard. Her dedication to this theme has

RUTH HOWARD

enabled her to refine her idiosyncratic, bold painterly style. Her main oeuvre has seen Howard portray single animals on a flat plane, drawn or painted in pastel or acrylic on paper. While these bold, minimal animal forms continue to dominate Ruth Howard’s work, she has recently begun painting new subjects from photographs and books after many years working solely from her imagination. She also works in ceramics, making small sculptures based on animals and small abstract clusters using repeated spherical and rod-shaped forms. The works represented in ‘Wild Lands’ touch on key narratives explored in Howard’s paintings and ceramics. Her single rudimentary painted animals sit isolated on the page in her often whimsical paintings, making a bold statement. Her painting are accompanied by smaller abstract ceramic figurines of birds and ‘stacks’, which are assembled in clusters and are reminiscent of Bowerbirds dancing around their stacked structures built for courtship.

Ruth Howard (born 1968) has been a regular studio artist at Arts Project Australia since 1998, and had her first solo show at in the Arts Project Gallery in 2015. She has been included in numerous group exhibitions including ‘Turning the Page’, Gallery 101, Ontario, Canada; ‘Hybrid Making – new work from Australia, Canada and Scotland’, Project Ability Gallery, Scotland; and ‘Face-Up’, Idiom Studio, Wellington, New Zealand.

RUTH HOWARD, ‘Not titled’, 2014, acrylic. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

Chris Mason is an accomplished artist in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, ceramics and 3D mixed media. His eclectic subject matter ranges from trains and aircraft, to snakes,

CHRIS MASON

mermaids and voluptuously large women. Mason has a demonstrated ability to render the exterior and underlying structure of the female body, particularly in his sculptural work. Arguably, his renowned female sculptures began with a series of safari animals he created in ceramics between 2008-2010. It’s these earlier ceramics that prompted Mason’s selection for ‘Wild Lands’, and includes a variety of safari, reptilian and exotic sculptures created specifically for this exhibition at Linden New Art. Chris Mason (born 1976) has been a regular studio artist at Arts Project Australia since 1998 and has had three solo exhibitions, two at Arts Project Australia (2002 and 2007) and one at Darren Knight Gallery (2014). He has also been included in numerous group exhibitions including ‘2015 Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award’, Deakin University Melbourne; ‘Melbourne Art Fair’, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne; and ‘Outsideris’m’, Fleisher/Ollman Gallery, Philapelphia, USA. His work is held in the National Gallery of Australia collection, the State Library of Victoria collection, and the Stuart Purves collection.

CHRIS MASON, ‘Not titled’, 2009, stoneware. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia. Photograph: Penelope Hunt.

DIRECTOR: MELINDA MARTIN CURATOR: EDWINA BOLGER PUBLIC PROGRAMS MANAGER: EMMA MATTHEWS COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING COORDINATOR: JOSEPHINE HARKIN GALLERY ADMINISTRATORS: TOM PENDER & SIYING ZHOU ISBN: 978-0-9806560-1-5