A
Very Public Affair
Made specifically for the National Sculpture Prize Exhibition, National
Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
‘A Very Public Affair’ is my latest variation in ‘honey-comb’ paper
objects, which have been the focus of my investigation for the past two
years.
In the elaboration of this series, I have followed a fascination with
the seductive quality inherent in collapsible sculptural forms and have
been experimenting with different sets of decorative elements. With the
‘Lustgarten’ exhibition, achieved during my one-year residency at Künstlerhaus
Bethanien, Berlin, I perfected the ‘honey-comb’ technique, pushing its
limits in size and weight to construct whimsical yet disturbing and intimidating
environments.
In two of my recent solo exhibitions, ‘Heart-On’ and ‘Outback Heat’,
I combined paper sculptures with ready made objects, in these instances
semi-erotic‚ ‘girlie’ beach towels and text borrowed from Mills and Boons
romantic novels which were embroidered onto the towels. The works joined
ephemeral, cheap, vulgar and garish elements into a referential ensemble
where each component consolidated the others’ position to create an associative
frame where the viewer was confronted with formal stereotypes on eroticism.
The present work entitled ‘A Very Public Affair’ consists of a ceiling-to-floor
compilation, a physically complex structure designed to both seduce and
unnerve the viewer through its peculiar spatial positioning. While at
first glance the piece presents a highly controlled architecture, its
formal contradictions foreground a disturbing, hidden dimension. The
predominant use of black, for instance, constitutes a specific attempt
to subvert the festive associations generally attached to party decorations,
by implanting an unsuspected emotive and reflective level into the reading
of the object.
The title of this work is of equal importance, as it reflects
the current direction of my practice – that of the seductive nature found
in borrowed words and imagery, which I aim to transpose into the sculptural
realm.
A Very Public Affair was included in the group exhibitions, Cut-Out,
at Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand in 2004 and Mix Tape, Art Gallery
of Western Australia, 2005.
A Very Public Affair is owned by the Art Gallery of Western Australia.