Exhibition:OverHere,anintegratedresponsetoplaceCuratedbyAnnaSabadiniArtists:KateCampbell-Pope,ElizabethRiley,AnnaSabadini,KatiThamo,AnneWalmsley.

OpeningnightSaturday2ndApril2016,6.00pmwithspecialguestspeakerNaldaSearles.ArtistsfloortalkonSaturday16thAprilat6.00–7.30pm.Exhibitioncloses1stMay2016.AtNyisztorStudio,391CanningHighway,Melville(entryandparkingviaStockRoad)Galleryhours:Wed–Sat11–5,Sun2–5.FreeadmissionM0414459503nyisztor.com.au rnyisztor@westnet.com.au

AnneWalmsley,2016,Rocks,componentdetailofLandscape.FoundAlbanyWoollenMillblanketsandquiltingthread,150x150cm.Photo:BoWong.

Shortblurb

Imaginesustainingameaningfulconversationbetweenyourself,JacksonPollockandyourmother.ThisisthefirststatementofthebriefputtofiveartistsfromAlbany,WA:KateCampbell-Pope,ElizabethRiley,AnnaSabadini,KatiThamo,andAnneWalmsley.Aswomen,wewereaskedtorespondtoamaleModernistartist,artwork,ormovement,usingdomesticcraftmediaand/ortechniques–butnotinanadversarialway.Eachartistimaginedherworkasabridge.Wealsorespondedtothephysicalplaceinwhichwelive–theGreatSouthernregionofWA.Thecontemporarytextileswe’vemadeconsiderhowbeingaself‘inplace’ismorethanarelationshipwithphysicalplace;italsoinvolvesculturalplacements.Theseculturalplacementsareimportanttoidentityandbelonging.Fornon-indigenousAustraliansthisoftenmeansidentifyingwithplaceselsewheretowhere

welive,e.g.,ModernistNewYork,oraparent’shomelandoverseas.Sometimes,theseculturalplacementsfeelseparatedfromeachother–andfromtheplacewherewephysicallylive.Beingawoman,adaughter,anartistwithaModernisteducation,aswellascontemporaryandregionalatthesametimeisoftentricky–howdoyougetaconversationgoingbetweenpeoplewhocomefromdifferentworldsandspeakdifferentlanguages?CouldourmothersandJacksonPollocktalkto-andunderstand-eachother?We’veexploredhowthelanguageofcraftmightenableconversationandintegratetheseplaces.

ElizabethRiley,2016,Silhouette.Tapestrywoolandembroiderythreadoncanvas,150x75cm.Photo:BoWong

Longerblurb:CuratorialstatementbyAnnaSabadini

Imaginesustainingameaningfulconversationbetweenyourself,JacksonPollock,andyourmother.Thisisthefirststatementofthebriefputtoartistsinthecuratedexhibition,OverHere.TheywereaskedtorespondtoamaleModernistartist,artwork,ormovement,usingdomesticcraft-basedmediaand/ortechniques–butnotinanadversarialway.Eachartistwasaskedtoimagineherself-andherwork-asabridge.InadditiontoModernismandmother,eachartistwasaskedtorespondtothephysicalplaceinwhichwelive–Albany,WA.Theoverallpremiseofthebriefistoconsiderhowplace,place-making,andplaced-ness,ismorethanarelationshipwiththephysicallandscapewemightoccupy.Itisamulti-layeredandculturedexperience.Itisalsomulti-centred,andtherecanbeseparationbetweencentressothattheyareexperiencedasdistant

fromeachother.Thesefeelingsofconnectednessordistancehaveimplicationsforidentityformationandasharedsenseofbelonging.We,thewomeninthisexhibition,areofacertainage;wegrewupbeforesocialmedia.InourarteducationsModernismwascentral.WecameofageduringPostmodernism,andcurrentlypracticeascontemporaryartists.Ourmothersandgrandmothersgrewupinadifferentparadigmagain;expressingthemselvesinadomesticworldthroughtraditionalcrafts,passingtheseskillsontous.Weliveregionally,butparticipateintheartcommunitynationally.Iwantedtoworkwiththeseartists,includingmyselfasanartist,becausewehavethisincommon.Iwantedtoexploretherelationshipofallthesecentrestoeachother;femininity,mother,Modernism,contemporaryart,craft,theartworld,Albany,Perth,Sydney,London,beingover40,now,then.SothebriefinvitesexploringModernismasaplace,oneaspotentiallyinfluentialintheformationofidentityandbelongingasanyphysicalplace.Particularlyforartists.But,perhaps,forafemaleartistofacertaingeneration,thesenseofbelongingtoModernismasanartmovementiscomplicated.Beingwomen,wemayhavehadissueswiththeheavymaleModernismofhistoryandpublicationweencountered.So,althoughinfluencedbyModernismanditsbeliefsandaesthetics,wemayalsohavefeltexcludedfromit.Orrebelled.Ormaybe,wehadagoodexperienceofit,but,oncebeyondthefirstflushofartisticpractice,questionsarose–wasIundulyinfluenced?DidIunquestionablyimbibemaletenetsandbecomesomehowmaleinmyaestheticsandartisticdecisions?Isthereasenseofmyselfthatfeelswrongbecauseofthis;afemininevisionsuppressed?

KateCampbell-Pope,2016,ProtectionI.Digitalphotograph,dimensionsvariable.Photo:BoWong.

Withregardtowomeninart,NewYorkartcritic,PeterSchjeldahlrecentlysaid:‘Leadingartistsarestillmostlymaleandoverwhelminglywhite.’Hesummarisedwhatfeministshavealreadyaddressed,namelythat‘avant-gardism[is]alegacyofboy’sclubsinwhichwomenandminorities,toregister,havebeenexpectedtoenterapleafortheirspecialidentities.’Hewentontotouchonalegacyinwomen’sartthathasbeencrucialtomyenvisioningofthisproject:‘Concernforidentityismurderonartists.Art,GertrudeSteinobserved,isthepursuitofentitythatsucceedswhileidentityisnot.Thatchangesfornobody.’Modernismtherefore,isaplacethatcreatedoffemineityanon-place,orahyperfeminineplaceinrebellionagainstit.Advocacybynatureisanexaggerationandthistoohasimplicationsforidentity.Itcanbecometheworsttypeofnationalism,andbeequallyrestrictive.Responsestotheworkandtheideasbehinditthusfarindicatethat,forsomewomenatleast,thesearenotresolvedissues.Thereisstillanxietyorself-consciousnesspresentaroundfeminineidentityinthepublicsphere–witnessforexample,thetractionthatJuliaGillard’smisogynyspeechgained,andtheresponsetowomenontheinternetbytrolls.Thesecontroversies,andmyownexperiencesinart,ledmetoaskthequestion–canalivingcontemporarywomanartistconductanon-politicisedconversationwithadeadModernismormaleModernist?Orisitadeadissuetomost?

ThefactthatModernismisperceivedasbeingdeadandburied,andthatfemaleengagementwithmaleModernismmightbeanoldhatissue,revealsanotherinterestingconstructionofitasplace–asatimeinplace,or,aplaceintime.AccordingtoWesternbeliefinlineartimeandprogress,thepastisaplaceyouleavebehind.ThisisimplicitintheverymeaningofContemporaryArt;itisofthenow,andassuchrejectsPostmodernism,whichinturn,rejectedModernism,whichinitstime,alsorejectedwhatcamebefore.Howdoesaconsiderationoftradition,orofthepastbeingaregenerativesite,fitintoanartworldemphasisingtechnologyandyouthculture?Whataretheimplicationsforartists(andtheirsenseofbelonging)whoaredigitalmigrants,womentoboot,hittingthatperiodintheirliveswhentheyandwhattheydobecomesmagicallyinvisible?Abeliefinlineartime,thepracticalityofit,comeswithabuilt-insenseofirrelevance.Thenotionofbeingsituated,isolated,inthepast,

conservative,isalsoinherentinpopularideasofthecountry.L.P.HartleyfamouslybeganTheGo-Betweenwith,‘Thepastisadifferentcountry.Theydothingsdifferentlythere.’Sometimesit’shardtocommunicatetoourmothers,ortonon-arteducatedmembersoftheregionalcommunityinwhichwelive,whatitiswedoasartists.

KatiThamo,UndergrowthI,2016.Redstitchondyedblanket,155x114cm.Photo:BoWong

Differenteducationlevelsandspecialisationsenactaformofseparation.It’sdifficulttoliveinmanyworldsatonce–theyoftenspeakdifferentlanguages.Sotheseconnectionsarecompartmentalisedorsegregated.Thishasramificationsforhowidentityandbelongingareexpressed.Forexample,howdoesanartist,wantingtoexpressspecificplacementoutsideofaperceivedcentre,fitin?Beyondrebellion?Muchcontemporaryartspeakstheglobalisedlanguageofnon-place,describedbycriticJerrySaltzas‘thevoguishtrioofblack,white,andsilver,’with‘imagesmechanicallytakenfromnewspapers,theinternet,orothermedia.’AndModernismitself,asidefrombeingsituatedinthepast,was,literally,situatedelsewhere;Paris,London,NewYork.Inourgroup,someofourfamiliesemigratedfromelsewhere.Twoimportantpointsthisshowaimstomakeare:1)thatfornon-indigenousAustralians,asenseofbeing‘in-place’invariablyinvolveselsewhere;placesotherthanthosewephysicallylivein.And,2):expressionsofselfareoftencompartmentalised,segregated,supressed,displacedorforcedintoinhabitingnon-places.Bothshapehowweseeandbelongtothiscountry,andtoourselves.IsitpossibleforaCWAladyfromapreviousgenerationwithnoart-speak,JacksonPollockwithhistesticlesaggrandisedbyarthistory,andanartspractitionerfromPerthtositdownandexchangemeaningfulconversation?IsitpossibletoincludemyItalianmotherwhodoesn’tspeakEnglishwell,letaloneart-speak…?HowwouldtheconversationberedrawnifLizzie’smother,wifeofaToodyayfarmer,joined?OrKate’sdoctorfather?OrifJuddreplacedPollock?OranartspractitionerfromSydney?HowdoesthisrelatetoAlbany,wherewe,butnotyou,live?Howmightthelanguageandprocessesofcraftenablethisexchange?Isitpossibleforus,thefemaleartists,tomediatethesedifferentterritoriesweliveacross?Tointegratethem?Whatarethepossibilitiesandtheimpossibilitiesandwhatimplicationsdoesthishaveforasituatedself?Thisexhibitionasksthesequestionsinordertoteaseoutnuancedunderstandingsofplace-makingandhowitaffectsus.

AnnaSabadini,Continents,2016.Pine,plywood,andthreadonfabrichand-wovenfromGenistafibresinsouthernItaly,c.1950,175x175cm.Photo:BoWong