For what it’s worth, something Stupid is happening in Melbourne's Gertrude Contemporary, and it has the gallery in stitches. Frozen in the parody of neoliberal disbelief, ‘Stupid As’, curated by SCA Associate Professor Dr. Alex Gawronski, has opened its doors, and there is no looking back. Demonstrating the long-established and well-documented way ‘artists see stupidity as an affective force, embrace failure, mistakes, elisions, satire, parody, slapstick, mimicry, and the absurd as part of a much wider assault on (common) 'sense’, the exhibition features works by some of Australia’s cleverest and darkly funny artists. ‘Stupid As’ has us questioning the status quo of institutions at large as we come to terms with the current predicaments and deplorable absurdity of late capitalist hypocrisy and perhaps the final collapse of contemporary art.
In the words of Gawronski regarding the exhibition text, ‘This essay does not speak to individual artworks or the intentions of the artists in the exhibition. Instead, it focuses on the paradoxically serious but stupid macro-structures that frame art today. These structures condition the knowing or unknowing stupidity of contemporary artists: the stupidity endemic to the global domination of capital, and the current accelerated stupidity and bankruptcy of Western global geopolitics. These wider interlinked lenses affect us all, whether we acknowledge it or not’.
Read more at https://gertrude.org.au/exhibition/stupid-as-curated-by-alex-gawronski
Some people may still ask, ‘What ever happened to Video Art?’ And well, it’s a fair enough question, but Video Art didn’t go anywhere; it just had its name changed and got put behind the curtain at the back of your local Video Ezy. While commodity art forms came back into the spotlight to wreak havoc on post-graduate art careers from the 2010s twothousandandteens until the 2020s twothousandandtwenties, Video Art became something that accompanied a body of work. Not only that, but the term ‘Video Art’ itself began to dwindle and lose the avant-gardist atmosphere that had characterized its predominance in the late post-modernist years. Another factor perhaps is that ‘Video Works’ seemed to suit the newer generation of emerging artists in a way that enabled them to be more flexible materially and conceptually and escape the medium-specific categorization and confinement of the former term ‘Video Artist’.
Today, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary artists simply use video and forms of moving image or moviemaking to suit their performative drive and circumstances. The specifics of ‘Video Art’ for the most part have evaporated in the sea of TikTok, video reels, and YouTube. Despite this, the last thing differentiating ‘Video’ as a medium in Fine Arts could be the notion of the ‘low-fidelity image, the limited equipment available to artists, the infrastructure delivering art to audiences in the small-to-medium, artist-run sphere, and the culture of critical thought historically associated with experimental practices and spaces’. Perhaps the artists selected by Sebastian Henry Jones could lead us towards a more expanded understanding as Basic Unit of Display at SCA seeks to establish connections that underscore the dynamic, inventive, DIY ethos, and collaborative nature of contemporary ARIs. The original home of the work formally known as ‘Video Art’.
1301SW – Lewis Fidock & Joshua Petherick and Roland Topor / Exposable mines and the impious canto Assembled as a mini retrospective on Lewis Fidock & Joshua Petherick’s 8-year collaborative practice, Exposable mines and the impious at 1301SW delivers the kind of strict accumulative overview of two artists' work that just gives enough to keep us wanting more. With works from each previous exhibition coming together for the first time, the hang is cleverly punctuated with the works of seminal French artist Roland Topor. Fidock & Petherick have been working in this paired-back maximalist troupe for some time now, blurring the lines between puppetry and prop to the point that, at least under technical analysis, leaves us with something hard to unpick.
The sculptures defy easy categorization, hovering somewhere in between adult folktale and grotesque minimalism. It is in this tension of form and subject that the maximalist language of technique and textuality comes not undone, but tightly packaged. Set and curated generously within the slick industrial frame of the 1301SW artspace – Gallery Director Jack Willet describes it as ‘Sitting between two pillars of surrealism’. “Within this exhibition, Topor plays the role of the literal pillar, presenting three drawings from the early 70s, while the collaborative work of Fidock and Petherick occupies the role of objects “sitting between”, that of analyticity and artifice – Objects typical of grey zones, are here brought into the light."
Sarah Cottier Gallery is going out in style – Pulling the plug– Throwing in the towel (So to say) – & letting it be. After an outstanding program of exhibitions spanning some 30 years plus, 3 locations, and representing more than 30 artists' careers across several generations, Sarah Cottier has decided to close its doors & hang up the keys with one last definitive exhibition titled, ‘Back when tigers used to smoke’.
In Korean mythology, it is believed that when a tiger has been through many obstacles and eventually comes to understand the true meaning of life, the fur turns white and the tiger becomes a sacred spirit. When Koreans say "back when tigers smoked," it is kind of the equivalent of Americans saying "long ago, when dinosaurs used to roam the Earth" except that dinosaurs actually existed and we're not sure if tigers ever smoked. It just means to say; it was a long time ago.
Considering today’s current stifling art market and global political tensions dividing the cultural sector, it is not surprising that the gallery has decided to not exactly call it quits but end gracefully. This knowing when to say goodbye is endearing to a Gallery – as with ageing musicians, it’s better ‘to end on a good note’ than to ‘flog a dying horse’.
It is also no wonder that the works in this last display seem to solemnly signify the end and a sense of closure. Many of the selected pieces consist predominantly of grey, black, and white monochromatic palettes. Understandably, this works well for the last show sentiment presented by Cottier, in that not only does it suit the mood of goodbye but also the general mood of the Sydney art landscape right now. Capitalist intentions expressed by artists and galleries alike are not particularly fashionable despite individual artists' needs to economically survive.
One of the highlights of the show wedged in-between the front windows of the gallery is a 2007 text piece by Tony Schwensen repeated 8 times vertically: … ART IS NOT ENTERTAINMENT ALTHOUGH ENTERTAINING… While there is no doubt that SCG will be glad to see other Sydney spaces achieve a similar history of success and are happy to pass the torch to younger galleries emerging on the fringes; We are left with the question? What now for the stable of some of Sydney’s best artists, and what’s next for Sydney’s Commercial Fine Arts?
Wandering the through the minds of musicians through sound.three sets of contemplative sonic paintings to get us through the evening.
AFTERGLOW opens Thursday 6 JuneFrom 6 June - 30 June, four artists experiment with light as an inscription of the invisible at DRAW Space.
AFTERGLOW features the work of Aidan Gageler, Yvette Hamilton, Sam James and Justine Roche.The artists delve into hidden energies and vibrations to image time, the cosmos, sensory experience and spirit of place.
Curated by Amanda Solomons and Gary Warner, this show focuses on contemporary approaches to using light as a way to capture and retrace ethereal phenomena.
Each reverts photography to its etymological foundation of the experimentation of ‘drawing with light’ and through this, revive and extend esoteric and anachronistic processes. The artists expand upon the hard-won effects of traditional drawing media - shimmer, glow, incandescence, lustre and radiance - through different techniques and technologies to create fascinating still and moving imagery that pictures the entanglements of light, existence and mind.
Opening night from 6pm, Thursday 6 June
Exhibit with Verge 2024-26At Verge, we lead in dynamic, innovative arts programming. As a vital part of the USU, we curate engaging content, fostering a safe, inclusive space that supports artists and amplifies diverse voices.
VERGE ARTISTIC PROGRAM
Verge is currently seeking expressions of interest (EOI) to participate in our 2025/26 Artistic Program.
The callout for EOIs is for applicants who wish to participate in our exhibition program and/or public programs at Verge. Verge warmly accepts applications from all artists, curators, writers and creative producers.
We encourage applicants to consider the space as a landscape, an immersive environment that platforms current cultural, social, scientific and/or artistic discourse.
Expressions of interest due Sunday 30 June 2024, 11:59 PM.
FIND OUT MORE: https://www.verge-gallery.net/whats-on/exhibit-with-verge-2024-26
Image: 'Entangled Me', 2023. Installation view. Photography by Jessica Maurer.
Made From Rain - Rhys John KayeRhys John Kaye is a self-taught artist based in Naarm/Melbourne. He was born in Queensland but now resides in Melbourne. Rhys is a multidisciplinary artist who has a strong focus on oil painting. He adopts a guerrilla/street-art approach in his work, while also being trained in ceramics and drawing. In an interview with Fred Perry, he described his artistic direction as "Honest, Instinctive, and Expressive." These three pillars of self-expression are evident in his painting genre and personal style. His unique style spans across subcultures in hip-hop, punk, graffiti, and skateboarding. Although some are more apparent than others, they all overlap to some extent, and this is a defining feature of his practice.
The exhibition showcased 37 pieces of art by Rhys that explored different mediums such as oil on canvas, mixed media sculptures, and porcelain ceramics. The venue, No Vacancy Gallery, had an industrial aesthetic that complemented Rhys' style and inspiration. Visitors, who were dressed in unique clothes and carrying skateboards, added to the immersive representation of Rhys' inspiration.
The atmosphere at the exhibition was lively, with music that created an energizing vibe and visitors taking pictures and chatting with one another. The exhibition challenged the traditional notion of quiet viewing spaces, with loud experimental and hip-hop music playing in the background.
Overall, the exhibition represented Rhys' unique lifestyle in art in a chaotic yet stylish way. It was a must-see for anyone who enjoys art that breaks the mould and challenges traditional notions.
Out of the 37 works of art, number 26 caught my full attention initially. River City 2024 was vibrant in the foreground and impossible to ignore. The orange outline of the cool tones of greys and blues in the graffiti-inspired piece contrasted so well with the background display of what I interpreted as the outside of a train carriage during heavy rain. I gained an understanding that I was the viewer on the outside looking in. However, as I tried to focus beyond the rain droplets, I had trouble making out the figure through the glass. Rhys's paintings depict this hazy, muddy effect of not being able to identify things confidently beyond the rain, proving how certain details of his memories or experiences become less clear as time passes. This results in losing specific details from the past.