/  by Claudia Phares

billyjane: Lindsay Seers, I saw the light, 2005 “She is engrossed by the conceptual and philosophical questions raised by the medium that relate to truth, imagination, memory and history. (…) as a child she could not speak. This silence was possibl…

billyjane:

Lindsay Seers, I saw the light, 2005

“She is engrossed by the conceptual and philosophical questions raised by the medium that relate to truth, imagination, memory and history.

(…) as a child she could not speak. This silence was possibly caused by a condition called eidetic memory (photographic memory). Seers first spoke at the age of eight when she saw a photograph of herself, asking: ‘Is that me?’ Her eidetic memory faded with the onset of language. This traumatic loss of her memory led her to ‘become’ a camera; she started forming images by inserting pieces of light-sensitive paper into her mouth and using her lips as the aperture and shutter. This passive process of ‘ingesting’ the world occupied her for many years, she gave up her life as a camera to ‘become’ a projector emitting images in an act of extramission.”  

Nicolas Bourriaud on Lindsay Seers @Tate

Barbara Kasten /  by Claudia Phares

Studio Construct 118, 2011, Archival pigment print, 43.75x53.75 in

A student mentioned Barbara Kasten with regards to my recent work. I guess my constructed still life series triggered a connection. Kasten was new to me. I discovered she had an amazing ability to create simple installations with strong illusionistic effect. Her minimal use of light is quite effective on the reflective surfaces of her objects. I’m very impressed by her studio work.

My recent series and Elad Lassry /  by Claudia Phares

Digital prints, ‘Untitled 2012’, Claudia Phares

My teacher suggested I check out the Israeli-born artist, Elad Lassry, for his use of bold bright colours and simple compositions. My teacher saw some similarities between my use of vibrant colour in my current work and Lassry’s photographs. I’ve uploaded the most recent series on my website.

Elad Lassry, ‘Untitled, (Cheetah)’, 2008

Elad Lassry, ‘Pink Hat’, 2010

Lassry’s works include collages with found images, still life compositions, and studio portraiture. What’s interesting with Lassry’s images is how the final size of his work never exceeds the size of a magazine page. He embraces the fact we are saturated with images by creating conceptual works, with a blur or a double exposure, referencing popular culture.

My images were constructed in a studio. There are visual metaphors of my recent physical journey. I’m still working out the title of my series. I presented the series to the class yesterday and it was well received. The general feedback was to consider printing bigger, which is something I’ll be looking into. I also showed my sculpture on plinths outside the exhibition space, facing the entrance. It was a tentative proposition. The installation is a work in progress.

What's on at Blindside and Edmund Pearce Galleries /  by Claudia Phares

Kubota Fumikazu, pen on paper

I stopped at Blindside gallery to see the current exhibitions, in Gallery one there is Chris Bennett who explored the concepts of isolation and alienation in society through oil paintings. In Gallery Two is featured Kubota Fumikazu ’s exhibition ‘(Un)fortunately no longer human’ whose intricate pen on paper works look like imaginary architectural blueprints. Fumikazu was in the gallery at the time. We chatted about his process which starts with a small scale drawing which is then projected on the final print and traced out. I admire the meticulous work that comes out of the simple use of a black pen on paper. It is worth checking out.

Jessica Tremp

From the 7th floor of the Nicholas Building, I went to see the current show at Edmund Pearce gallery (2nd floor). Currently showing, is a photography exhibition entitled ‘Body’ featuring Jane Burton, Joanna Collyvas, Heather Dinas, Lee Grant, Colin Page, Jessica Tremp, and Konrad Winkler. This gallery is the only one in the CBD that focuses on photo media and is at its 3rd show since its opening.

The show includes amazing portraits and self-portraits (in the case of Jessica Tremp) worth checking out. I was already familiar with the works of Jane Burton and Jessica Tremp. I met Jessica 5 years ago via a Melbourne-based photo group.

I discovered Joanna Collyvas’ works involving family history, fabric, and femininity which I found interesting. I noticed that more than half of the exhibition involved the female body. I wonder if this was a coincidence, or a reflection on how the female body as subject matter continues to be more depicted than the male body in visual arts. This is probably worth an essay.

Memory, dreamscape, identity, intimacy, history, and feelings were some of the topics that were explored by the artists. Most of the works exhibited were constructed or staged and only one series, Konrad Winkler’s to be precise, consisted of a more intimate approach in photography reminiscing of Nan Goldin. Overall, this group show gives a good overview on various styles of photography by emerging and established Australian artists. 

/  by Claudia Phares

darksilenceinsuburbia: Vally Nomidou. Vally Nomidou’s series of life-size sculptures are all made of paper and depict young women and young girls. The female figures impress with the naturalness of their features and poses, the perfection of modell…

darksilenceinsuburbia:

Vally Nomidou.

Vally Nomidou’s series of life-size sculptures are all made of paper and depict young women and young girls. The female figures impress with the naturalness of their features and poses, the perfection of modelling and the beauty of volume.
Paper, Nomidou’s dominant material, now becomes a key component in her creative process, inextricably linked to painful and systematic research on the technical level, as well as on that of aesthetic integration. The artist respects her material and, although it is cheap and vulnerable, she does not “adulterate” it by using other materials. Moreover, she does not use it as a shell, an encasing to cover a necessary inner structure by providing a fake, idealised skin. Nomidou builds and shapes her works from the inside out solely using paper and paperboard. The internal cardboard frame is built with a vertical and horizontal grid in order to be able to support and render stillness in her sculptures, while also ensuring balance in contraction and expansion. The homogeneity of her material allows the equilibrium in the behaviour of the interior and the exterior, and thus ensures its duration.
Regarding her technique, the perfect rendition of facial features, of expression, of the naturalness of pose, of body proportions, is based on a process of combining partial plaster casts, the meticulous observation of an exhaustive photographic documentation of her sitters and a painful processing of the outer skin. The perfect prints are synthesised, cut, sewn, glued, rubbed, and through the mastery of her touch achieve the fully realistic rendering of her sitters. (by )

Kusama: 'I promised myself I'd conquer the world.' /  by Claudia Phares

I discovered the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at the MCA in Sydney in 2009. I felt like I was in wonderland: polka dots everywhere, mirrored walls, giant flowers, and colourful amorphous sculptures. There is an obsessive repetition with pattern and form in her work that spans across various media which include sculpture, film, fashion, painting, collage, and installation. In her obsessive abstract creations, the artist has been attempting to escape some trauma as well as to communicate her experiences creatively throughout her career.

The Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane is showing 'Yayoi Kusama: Look Now, See Forever'. which ends this weekend. I doubt I’ll make it to this show. So far, the exhibition appears to have been successful.

Yesterday, I read in the Autumn 2012 issue of the ‘Art & Australia magazine’ an article on Kusama by Frances Morris, Head of Collections (International Art) at London’s Tate. An excerpt can be found here. I was amazed at the achievements of the multitalented Kusama who’s been practicing for over 60 years and still has great ambitious projects in mind. I also found this interview with Frances Morris who chats about working with Kusama. Morris has put together the Kusama retrospective at the Tate Modern which runs until June 7th 2012.

Georgia O’Keefe inspired Kusama back in the day and today, it’s Kusama who’s an inspiration to many including me.

Hany Armanious /  by Claudia Phares

Untitled snake oil (1998) dimensions variable hotmelt, glass

The Australian-based Egyptian born Hany Armanious created these sculptures by filling the empty space of each glass with coloured melted compounds. Each glass was then used as a pedestal for the cast sculptures. I love the colours and the resulting shapes. Armanious represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 2011.


Steilneset - A Memorial for those convicted of sorcery /  by Claudia Phares

Last week in my ‘sex & subjectivation’ seminar, I was introduced to Louise Bourgeois’ last major installation: ‘Steilneset’, a memorial for the ones who were victims of the 17th century witch hunt in Norway. The architect Peter Zumthor was also involved in this impressive installation. There was an article featured in Wallpaper about the project.

Continuing on the topic of witches, we watched the movie ‘Day of Wrath' (1943) by the Danish director Carl Theodor Dryer. The film is adapted on an actual Norwegian witch hunt case in the sixteenth century. I was familiar with the story of the Salem witches trial, but not with what had happened in Norway. The movie is far from uplifting but is definitely worth watching for its cinematography and its controversial topic.

Alec Soth, Broken Manual @Kelly: A Review Conversation with Richard B. Woodward /  by Claudia Phares

I saw Alec Soth’s exhibition Broken Manual in Berlin in July 2011 at Loock Gallery. Here’s a review of the conversation DLK had with the Wall Street Journal arts critic, Richard B. Woodward.