Strange Fruit at the Redfern Biennale

In mid February I responded to following call out:

We invite you to participate in the inaugural Redfern Biennale 2014. 

For one day only the Damien Minton Gallery presents a cluster fuck of ephemeral  

artworks placed around the streets of a Redfern NSW Housing Commission precinct.

We invite you to contribute an artwork you are willing to place on the street for one day.

It can be a readymade, sculpture, multi media, new media, painting, found object, 

performance, (or even a cobweb you spot) of any size or shape.

Be prepared for your piece to be 'taken' on the day.

Here is my response to this one day happening. 

Strange fruit, 2014. Felt and wool. 60 x 60 x 70cm (installation dimensions variable).

Head to http://www.damienmintongallery.blogspot.com.au/ for accompanying exhibition essay by Yellam Nre, Clusterfuck Aesthetics: The radicality of garbage. 

Better images of scatting inspired out door sculpture in the Hunter Valley

I took these images when we went back to deintall and collect. These images give a much better idea of scale and nice to see people interacting with the work.

      

Site specific project in Marrickville

A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in the final show at Marrickville Garage for the year entitled Some Rooms with Participants: Cherine Fahd: storeroom; Jürgen Kerkovius: main bedroom; Danica Knezevic: spare-bedroom; Margaret Mayhew: kitchen; Sarah Newall: lounge; Mark Shorter: office; Mark Titmarsh: garage; Sean Lowry: garage toilet; Sara Givins: garage door. The exhibition was a 1 day performance event, where artists activated spaces in the large domestic house, garage and courtyard in Marrickville, Sydney. I was allocated the garage door. I wanted to make something in line with the performative flavour of the exhibition so imagined the door as a threshold through which the viewer progresses. Like a letter through the mail box, I imagined the viewer as the letter or package being posted. The results were spectacular...Thanks Sarah & Jane at Marrickville Garage for a great year of festive art events!

 Sara Givins, Envelope door (2013). Polypropylene, chrome hinges, wood. 193 x 74cm.

Sara Givins, Envelope door (2013). Polypropylene, chrome hinges, wood. 193 x 74cm.

Sculpture in the Hunter Valley Vineyards NSW

If you are in the Hunter Valley region over the next couple of months head to the Wollombi Village Vineyard to check out my new scat inspired sculpture. This work will be on public display until the end of the year. Failing a mission out to the vineyard area of NSW check out these pix of artwork and installation:

Me securing ground pegs to Shoo-wap. All of the below sculptures are made of pretty powder coated mild steel and range in size from 50cm diameter to 180 x 50 x 50cm.

    

Me doing something with Sco-sco

 Securing Sco-sco with some ingenious pegging device - only 70c per peg 

care of a camping super store. 

All three sculptures: Sco-sco, Doo-wap, Shoo-waa, 2013.  All powder coated mild steel. 

Dimensions variable from 140 x 80 x 80cm - 60 x 60 x 60.

Sco-sco, 2013. Powder coated mild steel and stainless steel. 

140 x 60 x 80cm.

Shoo-waa, (detail )2013. Powder coated mild steel and stainless steel. 

120 x 300 x 300cm.

Shoo-waa, (detail )2013. Powder coated mild steel and stainless steel. 

120 x 300 x 300cm.

Doo-wap, 2013. Powder coated mild steel and stainless steel. 

80 x 90 x 160cm.

My install assistant Priti and myself amongst the vines & sculpture-all we need is a glass of vino in hand. Bring on the opening!

News from the workshop

A glimpse of new work in progress fresh from the workshop.

 And back at home in the spare bedroom/ emergency studio...

So, we are looking at 6mm mild steel rod bent and welded. Welding: a magical, alchemical process of melting gas, fire and compound to make drawn images stick and stay in physical space. My plan is to have these bulbous forms painted in the electrostatically charged powder pigment - a process called powdercoating. I have delivered all 17 orbs to the muscular powdercoating gentlemen in Blacktown for their expert candy coloured finish. I can't wait to collect them and see the expert results! 

From India with love

A day before I was due to fly out to India, Sarah Newall rang and asked if I would like to take part in the opening exhibition of her new art space: http://marrickvillegarage.com/ The exhibition entitled "Plus 1" was to take place in just over a month. I replied, "love to but I'll have to post something from India!" So I did.

I made 4 postcard sized collage works. Traveling through this incredible visually rich and socially complex country I wanted to make a work that spoke about my time moving across the Northern part of this huge continent. On the one hand I was on holiday casually drifting through cities visiting monuments and national treasures yet the local news was jammed full of abuses against women. The instigator to this revelation of social bias and crimes against women was the highly publicised Delhi gang rape case. The resulting artwork collages a typical picturesque Indian tourist postcards with current news clippings of the notorious Delhi gang rape case. 

I made 4 works and posted them on consecutive days. Only 1 arrived for the exhibition. I wonder weather a worker at the post office read the content and vetoed, I guess I will never know. As I was told whilst traveling "anything is possible in India". I am hopeful the artworks may arrive in Marrickville one day. I did photograph the works before I posted them, perhaps the only evidence I may have of there existence...

Check out the other works in the exhibition including my artwork that did make it. 

Measuring Porosity at SNO, Sydney Non-Objective, March 2012

Installation shots...