Finally after nearly 6 months of research, and studio work I am preparing my solo exhibition of the body of work I have done while on my artist residency in western australia.
The work consists of 15 bronze sculptures inspired by the maritime history and tragedy of the western australian coasts.
Here is my artist's statement for the show:
Being in Fremantle on a 6 month ArtSource residency I have had time to take in the culture, history, and environment of western Australia. Being displaced out of my normal life and studio practice I have been drawn to stories of others washing up on these shores; for better or worse.
I have spent months diving deep into the Western Australia's rich and sometimes tragic maritime past as well as spending significant time free-diving off the coast of Fremantle. These immersions have inspired a body of work that seeks to address displacement in our lives, the intervention of fate, and the processes of time.
Today, as hundreds of years ago, we are willing to put our lives in the hands of others and the fates to travel across worlds to seek our fortunes and connect with others. We rarely connect the idea of shipwreck with our own time and fate. The metaphors of displacement and shipwreck can also extend to our inner lives, careers, relationships, and bodies as much as to our mortal outcomes.
The creation of fantasy wreck artifacts has allowed me to study not only the history of the incidents but also the unique visual language of the ocean and its processes over time. Within this body of work I have used sand abrasion, natural seaweed and sea-salt patinas among other techniques to replicate and celebrate the oceans work of reclamation.
It is my hope that these cryptic artifacts can partially stand in for lost stories of the countless vessels that have ventured intentionally or accidentally around these wild shores and were never seen again.
This body of work is truely of this place and doing to research and work has been one of the best experiences I have had as an artist.
The week of the exhibition will be a full one.
On tuesday the 20th I am giving a talk as part of the 6x6artist talks sponsored by ArtSource.
Wednesday there will be a concert of soundscapes that I have commissioned from W.A. composer Rupert Guenther. The soundscapes are based on my sculptural works and the stories they represent. The show starts at 7pm at kidogo and is free.
Thursday I will give a artist talk at the gallery showing other work and discussing my experiences with "displacement"
The show will run until the 25th of april.
The exhibition opens on Sunday the 18th of April, 3-6 pm at the Kidogo Arthouse Gallery on Bathers beach in Fremantle. The official opening and comments will be given by Mack McCarthy, the curator of the Maritime Archeology at the Western Australian Maritime Museum at 4 pm.
Huge extra credit for any north americans who come for the show!!!
Click on the below images for bigger view.
