opening september 8
6-8pm
until september 26
Kate Hendry
Auricular Confessions
detail Auricular Confession
In historical Japanese society, it was considered a sign of affection for couples to scratch each others ears with beautifully crafted ear scoops.
Kate Hendry’s work plays with the idea that the ear is both a physical and emotional entrance into a person’s secret or hidden interior. Her work evokes a tension between what ‘lies beneath’ and the tools or means by which we uncover it.
Hendry’s sculptural pieces slip ambiguously between dark Victorian interiors and medical instrument. The pieces are derivative of personal hand-held tools, but their scale is unusually disproportionate to their possible functions.
These large and quiet sculptural objects are handcrafted from Tasmanian Oak with attention to the distinct characteristics of the material.
Kate Hendry is a young Melbourne based artist. This is her second solo show.
gallery 2
David Gatiss Sue McFarland Shane Kent Van Komis
4 artists: David Gatiss, Sue McFarland, Shane Kent & Van Komis
Four artists who have known each other for more than twenty years. Although each of these artists has pursued their own individual careers in art, they have had an ongoing collaborative relationship with each other, which they explore in greater detail during this group exhibition.
David Gatiss’ small sculptural objects are derived from his love of the Australian landscape. His clay and wood installations are complemented by a body of drawings.
Sue McFarland’s work is inspired by the Port Phillip Bay coastline. Clay encrusted with found sea objects, these works explore the vibrant colours and texture of the bay and its surrounds.
Shane Kent’s ceramic vessel like objects are elegant forms with personal intricate line work layered with glazes.
Van Komis utilizes experimentation and chance to construct carved and shaped wood forms that are totem-like, while his works on paper reference inner landscapes.
Having shared an interest in 3D art for over twenty years, the works of each artist are still uniquely individual.
gallery 3
Stan Smith
Blanket Learning
detail untitled
Stan Smith uses the structures of indigenous food plants to create an informative native vegetable garden on paper.
Thick paper combined with inks to describe and convey information. Puddles of water on the paper, with chalk, to create plots on which to cultivate and grow. A word, or descriptive phrase, to enrich and feed the learning. Ash and charcoal as stimulants for plant growth. This is the language of Stan Smith’s works on paper.
Using these materials, Smith draws delicate, and finely detailed, images of local plant life. Despite the attention to detail in his work, he also enjoys the random marks of the ink as it reacts and travels across the paper in an unpredictable fashion. “It’s like the way weather behaves… or the way contours in the landscape appear.”
Growing up in a farming family, Smith learned to communicate with his father using the language of nature. “One of my earliest memories is sitting on a blanket with a biscuit tin packed with Tic Toc’s and Arrowroot biscuits, watching my father burn tussocks to promote new growth for the sheep. Dad would bring over insects and animals that had been flushed out by the smoke. He would talk about each one and then release it out of harms way.”
Smith’s decision to study art and sculpture, and take those skills into a career of landscape design was a direct result of those early nature lessons. Since then he has continued to expand and refine his own visual language. He has developed an extensive knowledge of local indigenous plants, particularly edible ones, along with a knowledge of how local Koori people once used these plants.
sept 8 - sept 26