PICA Guide
January – July 2015
contents /
2–3
16 – 17
4–5
18 – 19
Director’s Foreword Tracey Moffatt Kaleidoscope
From the Rubble After Julia 20 – 21
6–7
An Internal Difficulty Australian Artists at the Freud Museum London
MAXIMUM 22 – 25
Studio Residencies 26 – 27
8–9
Hatched National Graduate Show 2015 10– 11
Creative Developments 28 – 29
Spark_Lab
PICA Salon 2015 Epic Narratives
30 – 31
12 – 15
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Summer Nights
Photo by Alessandro Bianchetti
Support Partners
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/ director’s foreword
Director’s Foreword – From Freud’s couch and the dance floor of an AIDS activism sex disco to the war-zones of the middle-east and the Machiavellian machinations of federal politics, PICA’s artistic program for the first half of 2015 will take you on a psychological roller-coaster of mind-bending proportions. Nothing about humanity, in all its glory and ugliness, is left unturned by the artists who’ve been engaged to show us what they’ve got and then asked to do their worst! (And we mean this in the most provocative sense). We’ve mined the vast pool of today’s most remarkable creatives, from all art forms and across all generations, to bring you a program that will prick your conscience, stir your spiritual side, challenge you to question your own sanity, open your heart, make you laugh out loud and gasp in horror – and possibly all at once! We are not going to let you slouch. This is a jam-packed program of exhibitions, dance, theatre, and music performances, interdisciplinary projects, studio residencies, creative developments and education and public programs that will take you all the way through Summer to Winter. You will require stamina and commitment but most of all, an open mind and willing soul. Your efforts will be rewarded with sensorial experiences of the most profound kind, intellectual stimulation, aesthetic inspiration and most importantly, the sense of being part of something really important. Enjoy. — Amy Barrett-Lennard Director
Nalda Searles Hirsute Vision, 2013 Eyeglasses with hair and blanket, salvaged woolen blanket, felted and stitched (eye glasses gifted by Ted Snell, artist’s own hair), 16 x 16 x 6 cm Image courtesy and © the artist with thanks to the Freud Museum London Photo by Bewley Shaylor
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/ exhibition
Tracey Moffatt Kaleidoscope – 19 February – 15 April Central Galleries Opening Night Wednesday 18 February, 6-8pm
Tracey Moffatt is arguably Australia’s best known and most influential contemporary artist. She has been based in New York since 1997 and recently returned to live in Sydney. Kaleidoscope is Tracey Moffatt’s first major solo exhibition in Perth since 2004. It will be the West Australian premiere of her candid new video work, Art Calls, in which the artist plays a talk show host. In an honest, unruly and comic TV pilot series, Moffatt quizzes eight artists on what art means to them. This video is presented alongside a kaleidoscopic installation of bold photography and works on paper from her recent evocative Spirit Landscapes series. Tracey Moffatt is represented by Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney and Tyler Rollins, New York. — Part of the 2015 Perth International Arts Festival’s Visual Arts Program.
Tracey Moffatt Night Spirits No. 8, ‘Over the bridge in Yellow, Youth in Red, River in Blue’, 2013 From the series ‘Spirit Landscapes’ Photographs mounted behind acrylic Image © the artist and courtesy Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
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/ exhibition
An Internal Difficulty Australian Artists at the Freud Museum London – 19 February – 15 April West End Gallery Opening Night Wednesday 18 February, 6-8pm Artists Thea Costantino Susan Flavell Tarryn Gill Travis Kelleher Pilar Mata Dupont Andrew Nicholls Nalda Searles Curated by Andrew Nicholls
An Internal Difficulty brings together seven of Western Australia’s most innovative artists to reconsider the figure of Sigmund Freud in relation to his domestic context. In 2013 the artists undertook a residency at the Freud Museum London, the townhouse in which Freud and his family settled after fleeing the Nazi occupation of Austria. The Museum houses the late psychoanalyst’s extraordinary collections of art, antiquities, textiles, prints and furniture, and his library. Its centerpiece is Freud’s study and ‘the’ iconic psychoanalytical couch. The residency allowed the artists privileged insight into Freud’s final months and the resulting artworks represent a unique and intimate reconsideration of one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. — Part of the 2015 Perth International Arts Festival’s Visual Arts Program. An ART ON THE MOVE touring exhibition.
Andrew Nicholls & Travis Kelleher Untitled Study (detail), 2013 Framed photographic print, 180 x 120cm Image courtesy and © the artist with thanks to the Freud Museum London
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exhibition \
Hatched National Graduate Show 2015 – 2 May – 21 June All galleries Curated by Nadia Johnson
The annual Hatched: National Graduate Show tracks the changing trends and developments in emerging contemporary art by providing an annual snapshot of the country’s aesthetic mood. It has become a vital compass in identifying a new generation of emerging artists, fresh out of art school and eager to embark on their careers. 2015 will see the 24th iteration of Hatched, still the only national exhibition of its kind and, once again, a celebration of the most talented graduate artists from 22 of Australia’s best art schools and universities. — The Dr Harold Schenberg Art Prize of $35,000 cash will once again be awarded to one outstanding Hatched artist.
Installation view: Hatched National Graduate Show 2014, featuring Zoe Kirkwood The Neo-Baroque Spectacle, 2013 Photo by Toni Wilkinson
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/ exhibition
PICA Salon 2015 Epic Narratives –
Exhibition Dates: 5 July – 16 August Central Galleries
Artists include Abdul-Rahman Abdullah Abdul Abdullah Jacobus Capone Penny Coss Teelah George Tarryn Gill Zoe Kirkwood Richard Lewer Shannon Lyons Clare Peake Pip and Pop Reko Rennie Snapcat Kynan Tan Hossein Valamanesh Gosia Wlodarczak Caitlin Yardley
In 2015 an expanded PICA Salon with a distinctly Western Australian focus explores recent artistic tendencies towards storytelling, ideas around humanity and empathy, and a renewed interest in experiences that are phenomenological, esoteric, or sensorially charged. PICA Salon 2015: Epic Narratives is a curated selection of responses to our over-saturated digital age by artists who seek to carve out ‘experiences’ and connect with others in meaningful ways.
Curated by Leigh Robb & Nadia Johnson
Tarryn Gill Guardians, 2014 Mixed Media, photo by Kim Tran Image courtesy and © the artist
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/ performance
Summer Nights – Summer Nights is the hand-crafted program of theatre and dance at FRINGE WORLD 2015, curated and presented by The Blue Room Theatre in association with PICA.
23 January – 21 February Performance Space & Studio 2
This year’s program tells stories that are political and personal, counter cultural or culturally counterproductive, adventurous in form, and diverse in practice, content, style and design.
Info & Bookings: summernights.org.au fringeworld.com.au
We’ve invited exceptional artists from around the corner to across the globe to break boundaries, tear up rulebooks and animate our Performance Space and its surroundings in exciting new ways.
In the Shadow of Venus Lost & Found (WA) 23–25 January
Opera on the edge. Three outstanding sopranos embroiled in three one-act comic operas, exploring the frustrating world of marriage proposals, blind dates and chocolate cake in PICA’s hidden spaces. Featuring Sara Macliver with Brendan Hanson, Fiona McAndrew & Elisa Wilson Directed by Thomas de Mallet Burgess Music Direction by Chris van Tuinen
Hooray for Ben Target
A celebration of play. A deeply silly visual comedy full of joyful audience participation, warm-hearted stories of adventure and imaginary cake. Suitable for families and ages 6-12.
SQUIDBOY
The critically acclaimed physical comedy about an imaginary friend who makes imaginary friends who make imaginary enemies who make imaginary armies out of imaginary Scotsmen.
Ben Target (UK) 23–25 & 27 January
DON’T BE LONELY 28–30 January
Performed by Trygve Wakenshaw (NZ)
KRAKEN
DON’T BE LONELY 23–25 & 27–31 January
Beautifully mad physical comedy. Brilliant stream-of-consciousness idiocy from the maker of the smash hit SQUIDBOY. Performed by Trygve Wakenshaw (NZ)
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Image by Tanya Voltchanskaya
/ performance
performance \
FAG/STAG
The Last Great Hunt (WA) 3 –7 February
Best friends, bad decisions. Decide the truth as two unreliable narrators tell the same story at once to hilarious effect. Written by & featuring Jeffrey Jay Fowler & Chris Isaacs
CONCRETE:heartbeat kdmindustries (NSW) 3–7 & 10–14 February Studio 2
24 hours. 8 stories. 1 city. Standing surrounded by a visual world of graphic novel and street expression, a lone storyteller riffs on a day in the metropolitan playground. Created and performed by Mark Haslam
Pale Face Cold Blood
Iranian translator’s boxing workout. An Iranian woman, working as an interpreter in a country she has only recently started to call home, struggles to deal with her past experiences.
Gillian Cosgriff is Whelmed
Musical comedy cabaret. “I know you can be overwhelmed and I know you can be underwhelmed but can you ever just be whelmed?” Yes. You can.
HEX
AIDS. Activism. Sex. Disco. A dance work reflecting on the AIDS crisis through the eyes and bodies of Generation Y.
Last Rounds
Love. Music. Whiskey. The final bell for last orders has been rung. She’s just a girl, sitting in a bar, waiting for a boy… A sexy comedy from the makers of Fringe hit …miskien.
Mina Mokhtarani (VIC) 10–14 February
Gillian Cosgriff (QLD/VIC) 10–14, 16–17 & 19–21 February
James Welsby (VIC) 10–14 February
Fake it ‘til you Make it by Bryony Kimmings & Tim Grayburn 3–7 February
Love. Jokes. Music. Depression. A wickedly heart- warming and funny show that seeks to unpick what it takes to be a ‘real man’.
The Pink Couch (South Africa) 16–17 & 19–21 February
Produced in Australia by Theatre Works Directed by Tara Notcutt Performed by Rebecca Makin-Taylor
Bryony Kimmings & Tim Grayburn in Fake it ‘til you Make it. Photo by Richard Davenport
Those Who Fall in Love Like Anchors Dropped Upon the Ocean Floor
Jo Morris & Renée Newman-Storen (WA) 23–25 & 27–31 January
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Straight from a sold-out season at The Blue Room Theatre, this story is a “sparkling exploration of love” (The West Australian) that travels the globe. Featuring Jo Morris, Renée Newman-Storen & Ben Mortley Written by Finegan Kruckemeyer Directed by Adam Mitchell
A Circle of Buzzards The Comedians (WA) 16–17 & 19–21 February
A nightcap or a nightmare? In this tense thriller set in Spain, two Australians strike up a conversation in a bar. Is the meeting simply a coincidence? Directed by Joe Lui Written by Nathaniel Moncrieff Produced by Sam Farringdon
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/ performance
From the Rubble Perth Theatre Company Presented by Perth Theatre Company in association with PICA
– 16 – 28 March Performance Space World Premiere
A COMPELLING AND MEMORABLE LOOK BEYOND SOUND-BYTES AND HEADLINES
Exploding the boundaries of theatre, From the Rubble is a unique multi-artform piece inspired by the work of one of Australia’s most cherished writers and journalists, Walkley Award winner Sophie McNeill. Director Melissa Cantwell uses the evocative images embedded in Sophie’s work to offer a glimpse into the lives of civilians in conflict zones. Exploring themes of displacement, transformation and hope, From the Rubble tells compelling personal stories that find joy in the resilience and ingenuity of women the world over. Witness PICA’s Performance Space transformed into an immersive world, created by visual artist Fleur Elise Noble and a team of Perth innovators, incorporating drawing, animation, film, sculpture, live performance and puppetry. Directed by Melissa Cantwell Visual Design by Fleur Elise Noble Inspired by stories from Sophie McNeill Created with Joe Lui, Mei Saraswati, Ian Sinclair Tina Torabi & Mikala Westall
Image by Fleur Elise Noble
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/ performance
After Julia Decibel Presented by Tura New Music and PICA
– 20 April Central Gallery WA Premiere
A SONIC PERSPECTIVE ON AUSTRALIA’S FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER. After Julia is a concert of works by Australian women responding to a pivotal moment in contemporary Australian politics, Julia Gillard’s term in off ice. Featuring eight newly commissioned works by outstanding Australian composers, After Julia provides an opportunity to reflect on the situation Gillard faced with the consideration, sensitivity, and time only afforded by art practice, something distinctively lacking in the Australian media cycle that has provided the commentary to date. Featuring a diverse collection of works utilising a small choir, spoken phrases turned into musical gestures, mouth organs and instructions from goldfish, this one night only concert celebrates Decibel’s ongoing engagement with experimental music practices.
Composed by Michaela Davies, Andrée Greenwell, Cat Hope, Laura Lowther, Cathy Milliken, Kate Moore, Gail Priest & Thembi Soddell. Decibel is Cat Hope (director, flutes, bass, voice), Lindsay Vickery (reeds, electronics), Tristen Parr (Cello), Aaron Wyatt (viola, programming), Stuart James (piano, percussion, electronics) & Louise Devenish (percussion).
As part of Tura’s 2015 Scale Variable Series.
Decibel performing Michaela Davies “Goldfish Variation” in After Julia, at the Euguene Goosens Hall, ABC Centre, Ultimo, Sydney 2014 Photo by Lucy Parakhina
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/ performance
MAXIMUM Natalie Abbott – 26 – 30 May Performance Space WA Premiere
A DUET BETWEEN A DANCER AND A BODYBUILDER. GET READY TO SWEAT.
“Coming together, Abbott and HendersonSmith give a strange and intriguing meditation into the degradation of bodies through exercise, but also in the ability for the body to keep pushing through.” The Guardian
Two highly trained performers, a female contemporary dancer and a male bodybuilder, combine forces in a compelling and impossibly physical feat of strength and stamina. Challenging the limits of the body, the two performers move in sync continuously with every tiny action repeated and intensified. A combination of dance and live performance, MAXIMUM tests the boundaries between dance and sport. As the performers reach the limits of exhaustion, the composed forms of bodybuilding and dance unravel to reveal the vulnerabilities and endurance of the performers and audience alike. MAXIMUM is a visceral live experience not for the faint hearted. Do you have what it takes? — Directed & Choreographed by Natalie Abbott Performed by Natalie Abbott & Donny Henderson-Smith Lighting Design by Matthew Adey Sound Design by Daniel Arnott Dramaturgy by Matthew Day Natalie Abbott and Donny Henderson-Smith in MAXIMUM Image by Tin & Ed
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artistic development \
PICA Studio Residencies – 24 February – 15 April PICA Studios Opening Studio Night Tuesday 31 March, 6pm
ART IN PROCESS (Austria/WA)
Sonal Kantaria (UK)
ART IN PROCESS are Austrian artists Elisabeth Eitelberger and Bello Benischauer. Their multidisciplinary work includes video, installation, performance art and creative writing and is concerned with transcultural identities, belonging and links between technology and the human body. ART IN PROCESS are planning to develop an Existence Theatre performance piece, inviting new participants to create a temporary ensemble during their residency.
Sonal Kantaria is a London-based visual artist and academic whose practice encompasses themes of migration, settlement and subcultures. Most recently she was invited by Curtin University as a visiting academic to facilitate and run a refugee resettlement project through teaching photography. Her residency will continue her field research into Aboriginal sites of significance to the Yamaji and Wajarri populations in Geraldton and the surrounding Murchison region.
Rachael Dease (WA) The Resonator is a creative development residency project in which highly regarded WA musician and artist Rachel Dease will research the visual and sonic collaborations possible between polyphons (music boxes) and planispheres (celestial maps/star charts). Polyphon discs share a remarkable resemblance to star charts, and Dease aims to produce a version of the music of the spheres on these discs through projections, new technology and eventually, live music. Sonal Kantaria Clarrie Cameron (Aboriginal Elder), from the series: After the crow flies. Image courtesy and © the artist
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artistic development \
PICA Studio Residencies – 7 July – 16 August PICA Studios Opening Studio Night Tuesday 4 August, 6pm
Tanya Lee & Simone Johnston (WA)
Carla Adams (WA)
Tanya Lee & Simone Johnston are emerging West Australian artists who are proposing to work together for the duration of their residency. They plan to develop a collaborative project which combines their shared interest in notions of public and private space existing within domestic and urban environments and the importance of emotion and the absurd in these spheres. They will incorporate and develop experimental performative elements and take both their practices in new directions.
Carla Adams is an emerging West Australian artist and Hatched alumni whose practice investigates the complexities of the internet as a tool for contemporary courtship. She uses her own online encounters and makes tactile objects to bridge the divide between the digital and physical worlds. For her residency, and in order to explore the ethics and anthropology of online courtship, Carla will set herself the task of establishing an online relationship.
Elise Reitze (WA) Elise Reitze is an emerging West Australian experimental sound artist. Her residency proposal is to create an installation that involves composed and recorded music, computer generated and manipulated sounds and the development of a lighting algorithm. The dynamic lighting and sound design will be triggered by motion sensors, hidden buttons, hidden instructions and hidden microphones. Elise hopes to create an interactive sensory experience for the audience emphasising the idea that music and art is for and should be enjoyed by everyone.
Carla Adams Fabio: On the couch with Luna the cat (detail), 2012 House Paint and Acrylic on MDF Image courtesy and © the artist
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/ creative development
creative development \
The Book of Life
The Unknown Soldier
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Renegade Productions 30 March – 12 April Performance Space
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Over a 2-week period, Renegade Productions will undertake a second stage development for the new work, The Book of Life, written and directed by one of Perth’s promising young performance makers, Joe Lui.
Sally Richardson & Performing Lines WA 20 April – 3 May Performance Space
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot… Exodus 21.24 King James Bible
Exploring the form of contemporary post-dramatic theatre, The Book of Life is a collage of ‘The Hero’s Journey’, lecture theatre, lush visual landscapes and live performance. It is a story about finding hope amidst the certainty of death.
Writer/director: Sally Richardson Produced by: Performing Lines WA Composer/sound artist: Cat Hope Performer: Hayley McElhinney Designer: Zoe Atkinson Dramaturg: Francesca Smith
Ella Hetherington in The Book of Death Photo by Jessica Wyld Photography
Image by Günter Brus
Exploring the concept of fear through the eyes of the Terrorist, this creative development is inspired by the unknown and unidentified women affected by war. The Unknown Soldier looks at the motives of a woman who feels she has nothing to lose and the broader context of our obsession with security and terrorism. Sally Richardson and her team will develop the sound and its interplay with the textual and physical elements of this future work, investigating the potential as a chamber-style voice opera/new music performance.
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Spark_Lab Interactive Education Tours & Workshops for Schools
About Spark_Lab
With a dedicated Education Studio located in PICA’s historic building in the Perth Cultural Centre, Spark_Lab offers interactive education tours & workshops for the following programs:
Spark_Lab is PICA’s ground breaking learning program aimed at fostering innovation skills in young people. It brings students and teachers up close and personal with contemporary artists, dancers, theatre makers, musicians and other innovators across a wide range of disciplines through an exciting program of residencies, workshops, tours, special projects, professional learning events and on-line resources. Installation view: Hatched National Graduate Show 2013, featuring Pascal Proteau, Swarm, 2013/2014 Photo by Toni Wilkinson
Spark_Lab activities are shaped around PICA’s dynamic artistic program. They are bespoke, student-led, linked to curriculum outcomes and designed to cultivate innovation skills and attitudes such as creativity, self-eff icacy, energy, risk-propensity and leadership.
Tracey Moffatt Kaleidoscope & Internal Difficulty Tuesday 24 February – Thursday 2 April Hatched National Graduate Show Tuesday 5 May – Friday 12 June PICA Salon Tuesday 21 July – Friday 14 August Bookings are essential, see www.pica.org.au for more details or call (08) 9228 6316.
support \
Support –
PICA’s mission is to create career-defining moments for artists, life-changing experiences for audiences of all ages and critical turning points in the advancement of art forms. Join us on this important quest as a much-valued PICA supporter. Make an investment in the creative future of your community by becoming: - an Art Addict with an Annual PICA Membership - an instant philanthropist with a gift from $2 - $999 - an ART1000 Donor with a gift of $1,000+ - an ART5000 Donor with a gift of $5,000 + - a Corporate Partner — Visit the PICA website or contact philanthropy@pica.org.au for more information.
Installation view: Hatched National Graduate Show 2014,featuring Michael McIntyre, Everything/Becoming A Monster (detail), 2013 Photo by Toni Wilkinson
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/ partners
PICA Thanks –
Government
PICA’s ongoing programs are primarily supported by an investment from the State of Western Australia through the Department of Culture and the Arts in association with Lotterywest, assistance from the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. PICA is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments.
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GETTING HERE PICA is easily accessed via public transport and by car.
Cover image
There is a pedestrian overpass from the Perth train station and PICA is a two minute walk away. Transperth’s free Blue CAT buses also provide the closest pick-up and drop-off points for PICA located on Beaufort St. General & ACROD car parking is available within the Perth Cultural Centre precinct. The closest ACROD accessible carparks with lift access to the Cultural Centre are the Cultural Centre car park, State Library car park and Citiplace car park.
Pip & Pop Dreamers who seek treasure (detail), 2013 Image courtesy and © the artist
For more information visit the PICA website or Transperth website.
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