It has certainly been a grand
year for the Churchie Emerging Art Exhibition, with 2012 marking not only the
25th year of the prestigious prize, but also aligning with the founding school’s
100th anniversary. The
Churchie stands as one of the longest running prizes of its kind in Australia
and, with $15, 000 up for grabs, this year’s finalists haven’t pulled any
stops. The exhibition, on display at Griffith University Art Gallery (GUAG),
provides a holistic and thought-provoking glimpse into the ever evolving
Australian contemporary art scene – through the eyes of our young emerging
artists. A pleasing diversity of mediums, styles and approaches make for an
engaging display. Courtney Coombs’ stimulating Speak Up captures the viewer upon entrance to the exhibition,
displaying a question of eternal open-endedness, “What do you want from me?”,
on a lurid vinyl banner. Coombs’ work
stirs a certain discomfort, mingled with empathy, within – before all sense is
arrested by the inescapable bombardment that is Heath Franco’s Your Door.
Franco’s gaudy yet mesmerising
video installation proves deserving as the winner of this year’s Churchie
prize. The repetitive, insistent audio track is the first element one notices,
drawing the viewer into a psychotic world of Franco’s devising. Themes often
considered banal and commonplace are stretched beyond the viewer’s imagination
through the outlet of a suburban home. Garish colours and recurrent phrases
shift the normality of suburbia into an otherworld – guiding the viewer to consider
what really occurs behind closed doors. Entrancing and estranging at the same
time, Your Door is a kaleidoscopic adventure
through a world of obscurity and familiarity. Franco’s piece clearly sets the
standard for the remainder of the exhibition, which proves as rewarding as
previous years – a result of the fine quality and diversity of the entrants, as
well as the keen eye of GUAG Director Simon Wright.
Next in view is Alison Hill’s spirited
and thoroughly dominating painting The
Aardvark in the Room. Hill’s work conveys quaint domesticity and is of a
more traditional composition, yet throws the viewer a curveball with the absurd
inclusion of the relatively plaintive anteater.
Hill delicately provokes contemplation of the nature of conventional
thought – subtly hinted through her twist on the proverbial elephant. The Aardvark in the Room segues nicely
from Franco’s abstract video installation into a flowing exemplar of the
exhibition’s sheer diversity. There are two sculptural pieces to observe, the
eerie A Shine for Algernon: Instance #2 by
Svenja Kratz and Nathan Corum’s The Sixth
Threshold, before one is consumed by the exquisite drawings of Robbie
Karmel and High Commendation winner Sam Cranstoun. Executed with
precision, Karmel’s series of four free flowing portraits is an impressive display of ambidexterity,
where Cranstoun’s Coronation (in two
parts), presents a playful and humorous insight into the relational
tensions between high and low culture. Within the context of the Churchie Prize,
where so often new media technologies are referenced, it is refreshing to see
young artists exploring the inherent beauty within fine graphite work.
A series of abstract paintings the
likes of Adam Lee’s Strange Fire and Dord
Burrough’s dissonant Your own imaginary
death lead the viewer into the cleverly positioned audio-visual section of
the exhibition, featuring Ray Harris’, Liam O’Brian’s and Claire Robertson’s
respective video installations – each working interdependently. Particular
mention must be made to the adjacent piece by Brown Council. The group deliver
again, in a similar fashion to their recent work Performance Fee displayed the Gallery of Modern Art, with their
video installation Remembering Barbara Cleveland:
Act 1. Cleveland, a late Australian performance artist, is paid homage
through the re-enactment of an original text. Brown Council explore the very
nature of performance and existence itself – offering provoking statements
which make hyperaware the viewer of his or her own body and existence.
The placement of Kenzee
Patterson’s Macarthur Square, a cast
Styrofoam box, between O’Brian’s and Robertson’s video pieces creates a
humorous dialogue amidst the works. One
can almost believe that Patterson’s sculpture consists of the packaging of a
misplaced television screen. This sense of humour is carried on through the
untitled works entered by Greatest Hits, and finally Bob Singh’s intriguing
sculptural entry I should have asked for
a stunt double. Singh, who takes the famous final words of celebrity
personalities and has them transformed into a material object, challenges the
notion of ephemerality of the spoken word.
Wright has presented a
commendable show, conquering the task of curating a group exhibition with
expert precision. A balance of sound and light provides comfortable viewing of
each finalist’s piece, while still maintaining a sense of fluidity and unity.
The inclusion of didactic essays offers invaluable insight into the mindset of
these young emerging artists, allowing the viewer to feel connected and
informed.
The 25th Churchie
Emerging Art Exhibition will be open at Griffith University Art Gallery until 8
September 2012, Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 4pm. Don’t miss this insightful
glimpse into the future of the Australian art scene.
Lauren Ryan
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