Blog – Artists

VCA graduate show 2009

25 November 2009

On Monday 23 November 2009 the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), which is part of The University of Melbourne, opened its doors to the public, art lovers, families of art students and former VCA people to showcase a year of work from all mediums: painting, photography, printmaking, drawing, sculpture and spatial practice.

Having completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at the VCA, it's always fun to go back and walk the grounds where I once played.

The VCA is an incubator for future creators and Monday was its chance to show off very talented folk. Large installation work filled the hallways, and it was good to see very beautiful drawings... oh and a few paintings... not many, but a few, on the walls.

The best of the best was on show in the Margaret Lawrence Gallery, and digital media was on display in the Photography department.

If you have a chance, it's worth going to Southbank (view location on Google Maps) to have a wander around.

What: The VCA School of Art Graduate Exhibition 2009
When: 24 to 29 November (Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 5pm; Saturday and Sunday, 12pm to 5pm)
Where: Enter via the Margaret Lawrence Gallery, at 40 Dodds Street, in Southbank, VIC (view location on Google Maps)

 

Indulging in another person's talent, passion and form of expression

13 November 2009

I was at yoga the other day and Nancy (Tsou Nan Chien), who is a fellow yogi (one who practices yoga), mentioned that she had read the article about walk-to-art in "The Australian" (July 2009) and wondered if I was interested in popping around to her house on Sunday 8 November 2009.

At 5pm I arrived at Nancy's house and was ushered into the front room. A senior man and a 25-year-old boy were also there. Nancy entered and sat at the Steinway grand piano. Without any words or explanations she began to play. I was in a room with two others, who I had not met before, and, for one hour, I was in bliss, I had forgotten that it was 35 degrees outside and I was transformed into a mediative space.

When Nancy stopped playing, the senior man lifted his head, opened his eyes and said "what now... where does one possibly go now". "Nancy feels an affinity with Chopin, and the notion of affinity plays a considerable part in her general understanding. But affinities are delicate, and Nancy believes, as did Chopin, that the salon is the venue for his music and not the concert hall. In the same way the Pleyel is a better instrument for this music than a Steinway."

How fortunate was I to be invited to listen, to share and to indulge in another person's talent, passion and form of expression. Nancy, like many creative makers, works alone. The interaction of others, fresh ears, fresh eyes are essential. We all struggle with the fact that our love of creating is so consuming, challenging and mentally demanding. Regardless of what medium we work in, we have the same story, the same journey and the same addiction.

It is moments like these that I remember why I created walk-to-art!

The next recital at Nancy's residence will be on Sunday 6 December 2009 at 5pm. Please contact walk-to-art if you are interested in attending.

 

We should all be visually curious like Paul Barbera

27 October 2009

Paul Barbera is a great example of artist meets commercial photographer. Barbera has a long list of top agencies, clients, editorials and, in 2008, he was commissioned by a book publisher to document the work of a Dutch interior designer. This project took him from Naarm / Melbourne to Indonesia, Spain, The Netherlands and France.

Maybe it's because Barbera has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), in Naarm / Melbourne. Or maybe it's because he is always looking beyond, travelling a continued path of conceptual discovery that gives his commercial work so much more.

Barbera shoots interiors... His work is technically astute, and he still manages to capture warmth, stillness and intimacy. Barbera's work is voyeuristic, and a moment is captured through natural lighting, negative space and uncomplicated lens work.

From the day I met Barbera, he has always been searching, looking for the next body of work, maybe taking on too many projects, thinking fast and acting as if everything needed to be done yesterday.

Barbera is inquisitive and thinks from outside in, rather than inside out. I salute Barbera's energy to push harder for clarity, honesty and expression. Barbera is curious... I love that! We should be all visually curious!

Barbera has many projects on the go: interior work, lifestyle, stills and a great website of artists/creators in their space, titled Where They Create (www.wheretheycreate.com). "My name is Paul Barbera. I am an interior based photographer – I travel meet artists & creatives. This is a visual document of their creative environments."

 

One of the most beautiful art shows seen in Naarm / Melbourne in 2009

12 October 2009

On Sunday (11 October 2009) Sarah Duyshart's exhibition ended after a very successful two-week show – "The Lure of Echo". It is not often that I say this, but to me it was one of the most beautiful shows that I have seen in Naarm / Melbourne in 2009.

In conjunction with the Fringe Festival Melbourne and the support of the City of Melbourne and Manildra Flour, Sarah occupied the amazing space in the basement of 673 Bourke Street, Melbourne.

The darkness, the light, the vibration, the emptiness and the emotional connection that the viewer could experience from this installation were incredible.

"Entering down a stairwell into a series of dark arches and corridors the viewer encounters several large spot lit sieves. Atmospheric aural reverberations translate into physical vibrations that gently sift flour to the floor. The sounds are based on field recordings captured within and around the building, including the heritage cage lift. They consist of rhythmic textured arrangements where isolated meditative ambient bass is interwoven with delicate subtle microsounds.

"Duyshart's temporal installations utilise ephemeral materials such as flour and ash. Her viewers are encouraged to consider the impossibility of holding time still. Flour sifts as time disintegrates. Translating the immaterial to the material, 'The Lure of Echo' presents physical and aural echoes of the past providing the audience an opportunity to contemplate the visceral impact of what is unseen in our lives. Moving through the historical basement, the viewer is prompted to engage in a critical reflection of both their internal and external landscapes, that of the past and potentially their future."

It was such a pleasure to take walk-to-art participants to this exhibition. For me, good artwork needs to be conceptual, technical and emotional. This exhibition had all three elements and I was so impressed with Sarah's energy, love and passion. Well done to a very talented artist!

 

Venice research trip

25 September 2009

I've just been in a beautiful tiny town named Pinacale and have travelled four hours by train to see the art at the 53rd Biennale in Venice (Italy). The Biennale occurs every second year (odd) in Venice and is an international affair.

There are tourists everywhere; however, Venice does not seem to lose its charm, as I meander through the many lanes navigating myself to hidden wine bars at 6pm for aperitivo time... un bichiere di proseco.

So much to see, such little time...

The two main venues to cover at the Biennale is the Giardini and the Arsenale.

53rd International Art Exhibition
"Making Worlds"
from 7 June to 22 November 2009

The 53rd International Art Exhibition, titled "Making Words", directed by Daniel Birnbaum and organized by La Biennale di Venezia chaired by Paolo Baratta, is open to the public from 7 June to 22 November 2009 in the Giardini (50,000 square metres) and the Arsenale (38,000 square metres), as well as in various other locations around the city. Read more.

I start with the Giardini. It's easier to navigate than one would expect. Each country has its own building in the gardens. It takes me half a day... Highlights for me were "Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens" (United States) and "The Collectors" (Denmark and Nordic countries – Finland, Norway, Sweeden).

Chatting later... I noticed that I missed a few countries. Oops. I did manage to view the Australian exhibit by Sean Gladwell. Mad Max, Kangaroos, video work in a large black room. It was impressive and it was great to be an Australian in Venice.

For me the Arsenale was my favourite site. I was impressed by the work and the space. As I love discovering art in different places, the individual exhibits of different countries, scattered around Venice such as China, Iceland and Mexico were the highlights.

What an experience... I am looking forward to taking a walk-to-art group in 2011.

 

A very talented, hard working creator in the fashion industry

2 September 2009

Finally the sun is shining again and we are in September!

As a creator, regardless of what medium you work in, we all have a very long journey before we are noticed, collected or plucked for a commercial space.

Alexi Freeman is a very talented, hard working creator in the fashion industry. Alexi works long hours from his studio in Collingwood (VIC) and is dedicated, determined and positive in every step of the way.

On 2 September 2009 Alexi Freeman launches his Spring/Summer 09/10 collection. AF has also been selected as a top 10 finalist in this year SOYA – Qantas Spirit Of Youth Awards 2009. The Spring/Summer 09/10 collection is fantastic, and I am crossing my fingers for this talented artist to win.

"The collection offers a signature monochromatic palette of grey, black and silver highlights with a splash of risque coral. Realised in hand-printed textiles, jersey, plaid, mesh, satin and sporty minimalist detailing, it references archetypal summer silhouettes, seamlessly combining these elements to create indispensable pieces for the Spring/Summer 09/10 season."

Check out the collection at Alexi Freeman's website.

Happy spring shopping!

 

Greg Wood: the second exhibition of a fabulous artist

18 August 2009

I am fortunate to meet many talented artists through walk-to-art. Artists introduce me to other artists and great connections/relationships evolve. There are many artists who have supported walk-to-art and have opened their doors over the years. Greg Wood is one of those fabulous artists, and he has been there from the very beginning.

Greg is about to have his second exhibition at Australian Galleries – Melbourne Smith Street, opening Thursday 27 August 2009.

When the skyline's blue burnish'd resistance
Makes deeper the dreamiest distance...

"Greg Wood creates the impression of space and movement by depicting obscurity, with his current portrayals of brooding, majestic landscapes being neither abstract or realistic. These panoramas of soft fields and blurred profiles of vegetation are charged with a poetic grandeur based on the artist's sensation of the Tasmanian wilderness, combining swirling mists, distant views and bucolic landscapes. Twilight and early morning flows through the canvas with luxuriant ease. His preference for the large scale delivers works dominated by vast heroic skies that dwarf the suggestion of foliage, enveloping the viewer within an atmosphere of lowering melancholy and mysterious subliminal imagery. Wood invites the viewer to consider the inherent drama of strange primal formations within the landscape, and in turn the dark recesses and lurking swampy structures take on a formidable course of their own.

"The existential experience of the viewer and the perceived landscape is filled with potent human experience, and defines the viewer's relationship within the spiritual universe. With its absence of detail the panoramic work becomes both a composition and a transient space, creating an evocative condensation of form and thought. This form of landscape is a perfect medium for self-reflection, with just enough ephemeral detail to trigger certain elements of identification, and tap into our memories and experiences of the forces of nature.

"Born in Naarm / Melbourne, Wood later lived in Tasmania and studied Fine Art. He is now based in Naarm / Melbourne and regularly revisits the island to reconnect with the landscape. His dry painting technique begins by applying a colour ground to enhance the overall mood – whether warmer or cooler – then he boldly applies passages of colour which are then reigned in as the dreamlike composition emerges. While the image develops, breathing through the canvas, thin layers of pigment are applied over the base colours rendering a tantalizing textured finish."

Caroline Field (July 2009)

 

Art and food to tantalize the senses

7 August 2009

I love art and food and, in August, Alana Kennedy combines the two.

Alana Kennedy's installation, "Tormentate I Sensi", muses on immortality, mythology and epicurean delicacies to "tantalize the senses" and richly combines this mystery with painting.

This dining room named after Marsilio Ficino, the 15th century Florentine philosopher who ignited the cultural revolution which elevated dining to an art form (and together with his translations of classical antiquity), fed and elevated the minds and status of "a painter" into the realm of an artist.

In 2009, the artist continues her improvisations on art and epicure... following "The Painted Gardens of a Honey Empress" (2007), "L'Oignon" (2005), and "Domestic Bliss" and "Jelly" (2004). Alana Kennedy's recent painting cycle, "The Garden of the Hesperides", in dark sumptuous grounds, capture floral studies inspired from the dark flower field foreground of Botticelli's "Primavera".

Also known during the Renaissance as "The Garden of the Hesperides", these paintings both define and hang on the walls of the dining room, which is a furnished installation with Kate Rohde's divine frenzy of faux Italianate creation, where within is juxtaposed Mark Chapman's bespoke interpretation of a 15th century Florentine philosophers' table.

Alana Kennedy with two precociously talented young women from the local Melbourne epicurean realm, Sophie Cookes and Nicole De Bono of Cookes Food, are offering menus for private dinners and soirées (by appointment only). For information about reservations to dine visit the Chapman & Bailey website. Music Salons in association with the Composers Club will present Sunday Salons. Information about reservations is available from the same website.

 

walk-to-art's first New York artist in a residence

14 July 2009

walk-to-art, in conjunction with Melbourne Girls Grammar (MGGS), will host our first New York artist in a residence.

Ryan F Kennedy, an emerging New York artist from Brooklyn, New York, will be artist in residence at MGGS. RFK will be accommodated in North Fitzroy by walk-to-art and will then exhibit at fortyfivedownstairs, in Naarm / Melbourne. The small room has been generously funded by MGGS from 1 and 12 September 2009.

RFK has been in demand even before he graduated from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). After a group exhibition at Location One gallery in New York, RFK was chosen to work for Ralph Lauren in textile and design.

walk-to-art discovered RFK in 2006 and has been following RFK's creative journey ever since. RFK has opened his studio doors to accommodate walk-to-art groups in New York and has generously given time, enthusiasm and artistic knowledge to all those who have visited. In conjunction with MGGS, walk-to-art is very excited to be giving this fabulous opportunity to a very talented and unique artist.

"I am so excited to do this project. I believe every person has a defining moment at school; the one experience that alters them to pursue a career or a passion as they move through life." For me it was the adults around me who where consumed by their artistic process. It would mean everything to me if just one student is touched in a similar way as we create our works together," says RFK.

RFK works in multiple disciplines that include found object, fibre, installation and performance. RFK draws from the dynamics within the environments he finds himself in bringing concept to form through his creations.

RFK recently finished a floral sculpture for New York's fashion label Coventry by Matthew Terry. Coventry commissioned an 8-feet tall floral sculpture as a bone-fire for inspiration, which became a 10-feet in diameter and 11-feet tall over-grown Salem Which Trial bundle. The work composed of cedar, white oak, cherry, magnolia, whispy willows, moss, rock and mushrooms was finished with 80-feet vines braided and multiple other vines wrapped around the center.

RFK continues today with installations and wall works for international companies and private collectors.

RFK has been written and reviewed in The New York Times, Village Voice and Women's Wear Daily to name a few.

 

Congratulations to very talented artists

18 June 2009

walk-to-art follows many artists, and we are very proud to congratulate Stephen Giblett, Grant Nimmo and Jackson Slattery, whom we have supported and visited on numerous occasions.

Congratulations to all the artists that were selected for the 2009 Metro Art Award.

To the very talented Jackson Slattery, who won the Judges' Award.

To Victoria Reichelt, who won the People's Choice Award.

Special congratulations to Stephen Giblett, who finally finished painting this fabulous piece of work after nearly two years of hard work in his studio. Stephen wanted this piece to be exhibited before heading off to a new owner and he has been successful! Well done, Stephen.