James Dorahy Project Space - Sherna Teperson

I’m a little late putting this post up, this year has been so hectic and it’s not over yet.

‘Future Perfect’ was best viewed on a dark and stormy day to bring out the rich blue of the black light, if only it had been a stormy day on the opening but it wasn’t and I tried to get back and film it when it was stormy just to experience it.

Really loved these works, really wanted to pick them up and feel them in my hands. Truncated octahedron's constructed in watercolour paper, painted and folded and stacked together to build towers of fantastical wonder.

go clicky here http://www.shernateperson.com to look at past works if you don’t already know of Sherna Terperson. Her past work will amaze you and her newest work will awaken you.

Fleur MacDonald

1st November - 27th November 2011
www.jamesdorahy.com.au

Damien Minton Gallery - China De La Vega & Peter Gardiner

With those fantastically fiery works by Peter Gardiner hanging in the project room, fire breathing and bursting off the canvas and as I was filming a walked past them and I could feel the heat, truly amazing I kid you not. This man is a genius and I finally got to meet him, how cool is that.

There is loads of references to Chinese Arts and crafts throughout the exhibition of China de la Vega, China has been a huge influence on China. This is a really lovely show. You can see in all of the works that each piece has been lovingly pummeled, pulled, torn, thrown against a wall, forced apart and turned inside out to create beauty from rumble. To stroke these works was an honor, one in particular which was purchased by a friend. It felt soft and smooth like a new born baby.

So now I wait with bated breath for the next solo of China’s.

Fleur MacDonald

8th November - 26th November 2011
www.damienmintongallery.com.au

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery - Fiona Hall

I have to be honest but I’m not 100% sure what to make of the creatures hanging from the walls, I do however get the fact that they are listed as ‘critically endangered’ so I guess Fiona is trying to bring their plight to our attention by bringing their size to a larger scale and their look by showing them in a beautifully made light.

I really loved ‘Line in the Sand’, glass, wire and neon, it doesn’t make me nauseous it’s just too beautiful to make anyone feel ill.

‘Nerve Endings’, glass, wire and video is so beautiful, it’s a reminder of how hard Fiona’s work must be but at the same time it’s another reminder to a world endangered.

And the 3 tinned works, ‘Breathing in the Afterlife’, ‘love me Tender’ and ‘Shoot the Breeze’ all made out of tin and with a video, these are really strong works, each one evokes a sense of sadness of losing a living and breathing world. They are just so overwhelmingly beautiful.

‘21st Century Man’, US dollars is a pretty wild work and hope Fiona hasn’t gotten into too much trouble over that one.

I remember a show Fiona had with my sister Fiona MacDonald at the UTS Gallery back in 2005, ‘Strangely Familiar’, entailed a collection of bird nests made out of US dollars set up in a beautiful wooden and glass standing cabinet, there was also a carpet on the floor with botanical specimens weaved all the way through it. That was a fantastic show! And I also remember Fiona’s beautiful bank notes with painted leaves and I am still kicking myself for not buying one of those works.

Fiona Hall is a true artist, a hard working artist and an Artist’s Artist, one that goes from strength to strength and one that we all love and follow.

Fleur MacDonald

3rd November - 26th November 2011
www.roslynoxley9.com.au

Friends of The National Art School - Plate Auction 2011

A first for me to do a plate, couldn’t for the life of me think of anything to do so I did ‘Steak and 3 vege’ paint tubes on a plate with a knife and fork, I kinda liked it but it was no way near as good as some of the others.

I shared a board with a lovely one from Eric Niebuhr, a green version of one of his paintings. John Di Stefano drilled a hole into the middle of his plate to make it look like a record, good one John. 

Todd Fuller with his signature faceless bunny or is that just a body suit, cute though. Alice Stokes has a love of drawing shiny objects and knows how to do it. Euan Macleod can do no wrong. 

A gnome by the lovely Amanda Penrose Hart, well you cant have a fundraiser without a cycling gnome can you. Dark and mysterious from Maria Gorton and finally up close and personal with an Anthony Cahill, I like his work, think he’ll stay on my radar for awhile.

It’s a great idea this plate auction, so hoping I get to do another one next year.

Fleur MacDonald

Tuesday 15th November 2011 - One night only
www.fonas.com.au

Gallery 9 - David Lawrey, Jaki Middleton & Simon Kennedy

Went to the opening on the same night as Alaska, so two great shows that blew my mind in one night, would I be able to cope. Yes!

Simon Kennedy with his world ‘The Preserved’ gives us a haunting adventure of extraordinarily beautiful charcoal drawings of WW11 spies. ‘The Preserver’, charcoal on paper also looks a bit like a spy, but not, as he is The Preserver of all stuffed animals. ‘Pointy Mountain’, charcoal on paper is a stunning piece, it’s mesmerising in it’s panorama. ‘Rabbit’, oil on linen, looks a little spooked with it’s ears up and it’s glazed black eyes.

I still have the invite from his 2007 show stuck on my door. What is it about his work I find so fascinating.

Running away from themselves or running away from something, ‘Nobody else comes through’, I love how these two artists, David Lawrey & Jaki Middleton have captured a moment in time, be it a split second, extended the perspective and made this piece come alive, well actually love all the works, got excited and yes goose bumps appeared on both arms!

Fantastically interesting, playing with mirrors, wood, polyurethane, paint, polymer clay, copper, pumice, wire, glass lens, LED’s, glue, timber and video.

You step away from the view and realize it’s just a small hand tooled box, but lovingly made. You look in and see another world, just a fraction of that world but it changes everything, just like the euphoria you get after seeing a fantastic movie, you have experienced something wonderful.

Fleur MacDonald

2nd November - 26th November 2011
www.gallery9.com.au

Alaska Projects - Kut

Alaska, Alaska you blow my mind, this is the second wonderful installment of this wonderful new space in the Kings Cross Parking Station. Alaska Projects is well on it’s way to making an impact on the Sydney Art scene.

I know what I love and I love the way the Artist’s mind works, how they can make beautiful works of art from anything they can lay their hands on be it old or new.

Rachel Forbes has made some beautiful work for this show, creating stories within the folded pages of old books and offering a subtle reminder that books maybe a thing of the past, well I hope not.
Maz Dixon has a nice way of looking at the world, through exploring destinations via postcards and old maps, I like the colours they used back then when making these maps, they give off a more worldly appeal and Maz has made them even better!

I grazed past the works by J D Reforma and I sensed a de-stylized approach to his work, sort of fighting off the will to promote ‘fashion’, but to repel the way we all perceive all things fashionable trying to re-educate us. These works are wonderful, really giving us something to think about.

Can we have works by Marilyn Schneider all the way through Westfield Shopping Centres please, especially the newest one in the centre of Sydney, it’s alittle bit boring and needs this maze like work to help it to be too kool for skool, besides I like something other than fashion to look at when I go shopping. ‘Piece by Piece’ by Kate Scardifield, really loved that piece too, with it’s attention to detail, it’s precise construction and it’s successful attempt at manipulating the human profile.

It looks to me that Aesha Henderson has a deep understanding of how the physical world behaves in creating these ‘Mountains’ of pleasure on the eyes, really loved this too, this work is quite intense but enjoyable to look at the same time. Not to forget ‘Conversation: 20 songs about us (past tense)’ by Siouxzi Mernagh & Sebastian Goldspink in the stairwell, that’s another work to give you something to think about.

Oh how I love Alaska and look forward to the next installment.

Fleur MacDonald

2nd November - 20th November 2011
www.alaskaprojects.com

Performance Space - Carriage Works - John A Douglas: Body Fluid II

Nothing less than monumental.

A living breathing, wearing a gold body suit while attached to a Dialysis machine genius. The 10 hour performance installation successfully propels his illness out of the closed off room and breaking the stigma which is attached in the process.

This is a mind boggling performance of a man going without the use of his eyes, completely covered from head to toe in a gold body suit feeling his way through the motions of this staggering performance, which blew my mind.

If I ever have to go on Dialysis I would be demanding a gold body suit for the duration.

This man is a Genius!

Fleur MacDonald

4th November 2011
1 performance only
www.chalkhorse.com.au

The Cross Art Projects - Adiafa/Diyafa: Gifts of Exchange

Nicole Barakat and Paula do Prado have brought together a collection of textile works through collecting ideas and communicating via them. This collection is quite lovely, expressive through emotion, travel, companionship and heritage. Like collecting delicate flowers and pressing them. A wide diverse of mediums were used and laid out in all there glory across the walls at Cross Art.

I missed the beginning of the artists introduction to the show but I sensed an exuberance in what they were portraying in this exhibition. If you get a chance to see this show, then take your time looking at the work as each piece tells it’s own story and there is an enormous amount of work to take in.

And it’s definitely a show to see.

Fleur MacDonald

15th October - 10th November 2011
www.crossart.com.au