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Vita Beder
Meg Benwell
Toni Bucknell
Isabel Davies
Wendy Kelly
Maureen McDermott
Rachel Rovay
Josie Telfer
Lillian Townsend
Aloma Treister
Pam Wragg
Maxienne Tritton-Young
The 2π r Artists are a group of Women artists, most of whom have studied at Monash University Melbourne, Australia. They have formed a circle of friends, thus the name of the group, the mathmatical formula for the circumference of a circle – a playful distortion of the Heideberg School's 9 x 5 show.
Meg Benwell Concia Di Mare
Isabel Davies Simpson Desert
Toni Bucknell
Are Words More Important than Music?
Wendy Kelly Communication
Maureen McDernott Mauro's Meat Counter
Rachel Rovey Vertical Village 4
Josie Telfor Echo 7
Lillian Townsend Meeting Place
Aloma Treister Baghdad Album Page 7
Maxienne Tritton Young
Dialogue As Experienced by Pinocchio
Pam Wragg Chinois
Art Historian, Dr. Juliette Peers, placed the 2πr Group in an historical context when she wrote the catalogue essay for their inaugural exhibition shown at the Span Gallery, Melbourne, October 1999. She gave a succinct account of societal influences in Australia in the 1970’s and the impact of feminism as a force within the art world where women artists ‘set the pace’.1
The group consists of twelve women: Vita Beder, Meg Benwell, Toni Bucknell, Isabel Davies, Wendy Kelly, Maureen McDermott, Rachel Rovay, Josie Telfer, Lillian Townsend, Aloma Treister, Pam Wragg and Maxienne Tritton Young.
The core members of the group became friends while studying Fine Art at Caulfield Institute of Technology, now Monash University. Some continued on to further study at Caulfield and Gippsland Campus of Monash University. During June 1998, a sub group of these women decided to celebrate their friendship using a manifestation of the common bond – their art. A circle was found to be an appropriate symbol for a group of friends. The name of the group became 2πr, which is the mathematical formula for the circumference of a circle.
The group is multifarious, each woman bringing a richness of cultural experience, spiritual sensibility, political and philosophical stance and social commitment that encompasses many areas. There is also the general life expertise, sensitivity and experience that is sometimes deeply painful while at other times immensely joyous. Art is nourished and friendships are woven together by common threads of tenacity that strengthens the pull, enabling the desired balance between women’s complex roles and the creative compulsion to make art.
The professional development of these artists is broad, complex and comprehensive. Individual members are represented in both State and Regional Galleries, major private collections in Australia and overseas, are recipients of fellowships, travel grants, major awards, have held artist-in-residence positions, completed commissions, been hung in major exhibitions and exhibit regularly in established galleries. The latter affirms the tenacity of these women in forging their own careers as artists in tandem with the multiplicity of their role as women.
This exhibition of mounted works on paper was first exhibited at the Monash University Campus in Prato, Italy, in 2003.
Generously sponsored by the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation
opening night drinks
wednesday jun 15
6-8pm
exhibition duration: jun 14 - jul 2
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