Sunday, September 18, 2011

setting up a group show

Toward the end of 2010, I attended a group show in Balmain, Sydney Australia to have a look at Edwina Wrobel's work.  Of the more than a dozen works she presented, a number featured images influenced by Thomas Keneally's story, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith.

Such a brutal story, I thought and it occurred to me that I'd like to see what she would come up with another of Thomas Keneally's books called A Dutiful Daughter.  This novel, published in 1971 I'd read over 25 years ago & liked it so much that I've kept it in my library, ready to lend it to anyone I thought would find it as good as I did.

Maybe, I thought, Edwina would be interested in creating some paintings to do with A Dutiful Daughter.  I mentioned the novel it but she hadn't read it and seemed a little distracted; it was, after all, her group show opening and her birthday.  So I put the thought to one side.
I then thought of another good friend, Megan Yeo, an artist who works across a number of mediums and when I lent her some DVDs to watch, I included the book as well.  She gave it back, saying she couldn't get into it.  This is often the case when someone foists a book on you so I was a little disappointed but didn't mind.
Still thinking about the marvelous & perverse images an artist could come up with, I decided I would do something myself.
At the beginning of May 2011 I attended "Showdown" - a group show curated by Peter Fay at Sheffer Gallery and I think it was here that I experienced a subconscious notion to organise a group show myself and that way I could get both Edwina and Megan to participate (knowing they would find it hard to say no to me if asked).

That was it then, I visited Andrew Purvis at Sheffer Galelry one Friday afternoon and discussed my idea - I had already put idea to Edwina & Megan and had their verbal support along with a friendly okay from Mr Keneally himself.
I couldn't ask for a better incentive than that!

links:
Edwina Wrobel: http://artzinephotography.blogspot.com/2010/10/edwina-wrobel-artist-in-group-show.html
Megan Yeo: http://meggsyeo-art.blogspot.com/
Peter Fay: http://peterfaygalleries.com/
Sheffer Gallery: http://www.sheffergallery.com/menu.html
Thomas Keneally: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Keneally
A Dutiful Daughter: http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/keneally/daughter.html

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