Claire Bridge, “Where clouds touch the earth”, 2016, oil on linen, 123×123 cms
“The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia is a serial property comprising the major remaining areas of rainforest in southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales. It represents outstanding examples of major stages of the Earth’s evolutionary history, ongoing geological and biological processes, and exceptional biological diversity. A wide range of plant and animal lineages and communities with ancient origins in Gondwana, many of which are restricted largely or entirely to the Gondwana Rainforests, survive in this collection of reserves. The Gondwana Rainforests also provides the principal habitat for many threatened species of plants and animals.
— Brief synthesis of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia as inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List”
In a tragic turn of events, the only other area that “is or was” the largest Gondwanan Rainforest was Tasmania’s Tarkine Wilderness. The Tarkine is of World Heritage significance but has yet to be listed as such by the Australian Government. This past week, the Tarkine Wilderness has been burning in a raging devastation of destruction as a result of fires that scientists see as a direct result of climate change. These forests do not use fire to regenerate. If burned, they die.
“Bowman says: “The implications of this are, of course, goodbye Gondwana. Because Gondwana can’t live in this sort of world.”
Tasmania’s wilderness is to Gondwana, which broke apart 180m years ago, what the Great Barrier Reef is to coral – the most magnificent example of a dwindling wonder. That is why Unesco put a vast swath of the island – 1.5m hectares – on its world heritage list in 1982. Once you account for its Aboriginal heritage, the property fulfills more world heritage criteria than any other site on Earth.” – Karl Mathieson, The Guardian, 27th Jan 2016
For Coastal #3, I have painted an enigmatic and precious part of Gondwana, precious because of what it is and because we have made it so.
9th – 27th February 2016
Flinders Lane Gallery
137 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC
Tues – Fri 11am to 6pm, Sat 11am to 5pm (except for 3pm on the last day of exhibition.)
info@flg.com.au, (03) 9654 3332
FREE ENTRY
Group exhibition featuring Claire Bridge, Susan Baird, William Breen, Annika Romeyn, Naomi White, Amber-Rose Hulme, Ken Smith, Peter James Smith, Thomas Bowman, Fiona Murphy
To purchase, inquire and view more of the works online:
http://www.flg.com.au/exhibition/coastal-3
2016 LUNAR NEW YEAR EXHIBITION
Celebration of Australia’s Multiculturalism – 40 profound Chinese-Australian Artists
NEW GALLERY IN MELBOURNE
WHAT: The First Australian National Lunar New Year Joint Exhibition for Profound Chinese-Australian Artists (2016)
WHAT: 15 February to 3 March 2016
WHERE: 204 Art Space, 204/10 Elizabeth Street, Kensington VIC 3031
OPENING NIGHT: Sunday 14 February 2016, 2:00 – 5:00pm, opened by Ms Kallie Blauhorn, Director of Monash Gallery of Art
To celebrate the 2016 Lunar New Year, newly established gallery 204 Art Space in Melbourne is hosting a grand debut exhibition showcasing 40 award-winning renowned Chinese artists residing in Australia. This will be the very first exhibition showing in Melbourne in which consists such large-scale of profound Chinese-Australian artists, 14 of which have been the well-known finalists from the Archibald Prize, including Jiawei Shen, Adam Chang, Xu Wang, Kordelya Zhansui, Zhong Chen and Huihai Xie.
This exhibition explores the artists’ depictions of their lives, feelings, thoughts and challenges that they face in Australia, along with their passion towards the arts and the celebration of their contributions to multiculturalism in Australia. Through this exhibition 204 Art Space aims to become a platform in promoting the stories of their cultural transition and to celebrate Chinese artistic talents within the Melbourne arts precinct.
“With a focus of Asian artists in this exhibition, our aim is to encourage and promote cultural awareness, and act as the central platform for strong cultural collaboration in building dynamic relationships for Asian artists in Australia.” — 204 Art Space
40 Participating Artists:
Xiao Yu Bai (白小予), Guohua Cai (蔡国华), Echo Chai (子轩), Adam Chang (张鸿俊), Ping Chen (陈平), Zhong Chen (陈中), Kordelya Zhansui Chi (池展穗), Hong Fu (傅红), Amy Fu (富中清), Guan Wei (关伟), Jimmy He (贺鑑铭), Pei Pei He (何佩佩), Lee Hong (李宏), Pin Hsun Hsiang (项秉勋), Zai Kuang (匡再), Graham Kuo, Pa La (帕拉), Guan Ting Li (李冠廷), Song Ling (宋陵), Yifang Lu (卢仪芳), Jin Sha (金沙), Jiawei Shen (沈嘉蔚), Shuhua (刘姝桦), Yifeng Tan (谈一峰), Hei Tong (黑同), Lan Wang (王兰), Xu Wang (王旭), Yi Wang (王毅), Paul Wu (伍子琦), Shu Chang Wu (吴树昌), Zhaoxi Wu (吴照熙), Meiyu Xiao (肖美玉), Huihai Xie (谢慧海), Chunrui Yang (杨春瑞), Shao Yi Yang (邵亦阳), Xifa Yang (杨喜发), Chi Jian Ye (叶炽坚), Apple Xiu Yin (尹晓燕), John Zhang (张仲衡), Qiang Zhang (张强)
For media and other enquiries, contact 204 Art Space:
Kathy Leung 0415 092 988 or
June Zhu 0401 000 899
About 204 Art Space: [http://www.204artspace.com]
204 Art Space specialises in contemporary art. We share our passion and commitment in showcasing both emerging and renowned Australian and Asian artists.
JamFactory Icon 2015—
Giles Bettison:
pattern and perception
20 February to 8 May 2016
Geelong Gallery is delighted to present the JamFactory solo exhibition Giles Bettison: pattern and perception, showcasing the internationally renowned Australian artist’s skills as a master of contemporary murrine glass. Bringing together 33 of Bettison’s works, and accompanied by the recently released monograph of the same name by Margot Osborne, Giles Bettison: pattern and perception is curated by Margaret Hancock Davis and is the third in the annual JamFactory Icon series of touring exhibitions, celebrating South Australia’s outstanding and influential craft and design practitioners.
Giles Bettison’s exquisitely detailed work transforms the ancient mosaic glass technique primarily associated with traditional Venetian glass-blowers on the island of Murano, with his kiln-worked and blown forms incorporating radically complex patterns in subtle chromatic registers. The artist’s works reference the intricate micro patterns of woven textiles, and in contrast, the macro patterns of aerial vistas of landscapes, exploring themes of connection, beauty, perception and place.
My work is an exploration of my movement through life manifest in colours, patterns and forms. — Giles Bettison (‘Giles Bettison: Pattern and Perception’ by Margot Osborne, Wakefield Press, 2015)
Bettison started experimenting with murrine as a student in the mid-1990s, and his technical and artistic innovations breathe new life into the traditional Venetian technique of making patterned glass, at that time rarely seen in contemporary studio glass. The esteemed British glass expert Dan Klein identified Bettison as “one of the great practitioners of today” and has commented that Bettison “more or less reinvented the ancient Venetian tradition of incorporating murrine into a glass vessel.”
During his studies at the Glass Workshop established by noted German glass artist Klaus Moje and under the enlightened direction of British glass artist Stephen Procter at the Canberra School of Art, Australian National University, Bettison learnt how to make murrine from sheet glass and pioneered a technique of using flat sheets of kiln-compatible coloured glass as the basis for creating a wondrous spectrum of modulated colour combinations and patterns. In murrine, Bettison uncovered an abstract glass language of intricate pattern, colour and complexity in which he could visualise his perceptions of beauty in everyday life.
Identified as the JamFactory Icon for 2015, Bettison has received a number of prestigious awards, and has work in leading collections including the Museum of Craft and Design in New York City; the National Gallery of Australia; the National Gallery of Victoria; the Powerhouse Museum; the Geelong Gallery; and numerous private collections.
JamFactory Icon 2015—Giles Bettison: pattern and perception will be exhibited at Geelong Gallery from Saturday 20 February to Sunday 8 May 2016.
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