Future Memorials

TarraWarra Museum of Art is nestled up in the serene and picturesque Yarra Valley. The museum was set up 10 years ago and runs as a not–for–profit initiative showcasing post–1950s Australian contemporary art. Future Memorials is a fascinating cross–cultural ensemble featuring some of Australia‘s leading indigenous and non–indigenous artists, who have collaborated in producing the works. The exhibition was commissioned by TWMA and features Tom Nicholson, Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy & Jonathan Jones and is the first exhibition in a continuing series.
As the museum is located in close proximity to Coranderrk, the former Aboriginal Station, this site features heavily in the context of the works and coincides with the 150ᵗʰ anniversary of the station. Coranderrk was the first land commisioned by the Colony of Victoria in 1863 and remains crucial in both epitomising the dispossession of Aboriginals from their land and also their subsequent struggle for self–determination. It is at Coranderrk that the ramifications of Batman‘s treaty (or the invasion of Wurundjeri land) in 1835 were most directly felt. It is a site that galvanised Aborigines in Victoria to fight against ethnic cleanising, brutal colonial treatment and the survival of their race and culture; and of the Wurundjeri people in particular.

Future Memorials runs at TWMA between 19 October 2013 and 9 February 2014

On The Sanctity of Western Democracy

“Those who tell the stories rule society“–Plato

Cleisthenes

Winston Churchill bastardised this advice; an observation that questions the historical role of governmental process following the end of the World War Two through contemporary times. It is proudly that history, in good conscience, vilifies Nazi Fascism and Russian Communism [sic]. The bias, though, declines to admit that during the life of these ‘evil‘ regimes there was, of course, similar policy at play in the World–at–large. That which channeled through Eurocentrism begot by subjugation of foreign nations, resources, and power structures. Domestic policies in the US and Australia (of the ‘civilised‘ nations) were geared toward social segregation; not to mention the ‘endemic racial & civil persecution of the citizenry in South Africa, East Asia and South America. Political opponents surveilled and apprehended. Deplorable conditions in ‘correctional‘ facilities. Heterogenous cultural dogma.
And in this way we might visit Modernist political thought with relevance to the appreciation in policy reform that applies a high standard of personal empowerment in the legislatures of purportedly ‘liberal‘ ‘democracies‘.
Because it is true that those of us in the West have stronger legal apparatus available and can therefore afford to mount challenges to the state. In utilising these means we might imagine revisiting some of the political conventions of the Modern era such as Fascism, Communism, Socialism, Anarchism and Capitalism –all through the lense of a society where the multilateral term ‘democracy‘ is bandied about like some form of patriotism.

Bivouac 2013 – Artist Call Out

CALL OUT FOR VIDEO WORKS – BIVOUAC 2013

Submissions are now being sought for the 2013 instalment of the Bivouac exhibition of Video Art. This is an exhibition that explores temporality in site and place. The show is staged in a different venue each year and the curatorial focus is upon video works that have a direct relevance to site & place whilst not being confined to works that are explicitly site-specific. The preferred format is 3-Channel works although all submissions will be considered.

Bivouac 2013 will show new works by 10 selected artists at Horse Bazaar; a Melbourne City venue that is selected for its’ ambience and proximity to prospective target audiences. The venue has a strong repuatation for exhibiting contemporary Audio-Visual works.

The exhibition opens Wednesday 30^th October and will screen until November 20^thfrom Monday through Thursday (with extra exposure Friday & Saturdays).

Submissions must be between 2 and 9 minutes in length, with or without audio. The exhibition allows for single, two & three channel works. Works submitted for curatorial consideration may be supplied as a DVD, Blu-Ray, or .MOV format –with all channels published in one video (or file).

Works may be posted to:

Bivouac 2013

P.O.Box 177

Chewton

VIC 3451

Australia

Applications will be received until 5pm on Monday the 2^nd of September and all successful artists will be notified on Monday 16^th of September. A $30 staging fee will be required from the successful applicants.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/694839890541436/

Please contact curators and organisers for more information:

Jessica Litsas

jesslitsas@hotmail.com

Mark Walker

infx@email.com

Late Video

The Melbourne Video Art Society prepares you for two late nights of curated video art and our friends below at Shanghai Master provide dumplings.

Notice the late times:
JUNE 27th 6pm – 2am JUNE 28th 9pm – 2am.

Featuring video–based artwork by Polly Stanton, Georgina Criddle, David Berka, Diego Ramirez (co–curator) and Matthew Berka (co–curator).

Polly Stanton – The Last Valley

The Melbourne Video Art Society [seeks] to present various art works via screenings and events based on several thematic frameworks that provide a context and overview of the works, exploring the lineage the works may have in a broader video art narrative. Promoting and advocating a video art culture network for emerging video art practitioners, a forum to discuss, receive critical feedback on work, promote exhibitions and share ideas.

The Melbourne Video Art Society and Kings Artist Run would like to acknowledge the support of the City of Melbourne.

Renew Docklands Community Arts Space

James Wright, Matt Leaf, Polly Stanton and Nico Reddaway are contemporary Melbourne artists, curators, and events organisers that have rallied to the aid of the dismal state of social and cultural activity at that ghetto–by–design: Melbourne‘s Docklands.
The group have begun to establish an arts space and studio at Waterfront City after having gained the support of the City of Melbourne to commandeer a defunct foodcourt that sits smack bang in the centre of this failed shopping and tourism mecca. But these guys are only just beginning their battle to inject some long–overdue and desperately needed joie de vivre. And as such, they‘re hoping to attain a modest amount of donations, through pozible of course, to purchase some AV equipment and to dress the space out. It is also crucial to gain interest in their activities: this is an opportunity for artists and like–minded people to assert themselves at Docklands; the payoff being that the larger the patronage, the bigger the shift in the aesthetics and environment of the area. We look at Docklands today as a dystopian abyss. However, there is always the opportunity for change. And that change begins now.

http://www.pozible.com/project/22560

The Arts Space is located on the piazza by the water & and can be accessed by catching the 86 Tram to its‘ terminus at Waterfront City.

Econasia: Maritime

Maritime contains video and photographic works that form parts four & five of the Econasia series. The videos Irredentist and Affirm were filmed on the Yangtze River in China and the Inland Sea in Japan, respectively. Incorporating political science text and passages from Albert Camus‘ The Plague these works hope to offer an evocative consideration of contemporary political tensions in East Asia. The videos feature sound by Sarah Phelan & Byron Dean, with vox by Yanxin Li & Jihyun Lee.

This show is perhaps the most poignant representation of the Econasia series to date and will run at Kings Gallery from May 29 until June 22 on Level 1 / 171 King Street.

www.facebook.com/events/308034985996181/

…ABOVE: STILL FROM ‘IRREDENTIST‘

Artbox

Artbox is the creation of Alex Gibson and Michael Menegetti. It is a compact–sized media player that is tailored to use by video artists. It allows the video artist a plug–and–play mode of exhibiting moving images. The Artbox campaign is being run with Pozible to achieve $10,000 to realise the project. It will be an open–source technology; meaning that one can purchase the electronic circuitry for the media player and build it yourself. This is an amazing development; all more when you consider that the Artbox will be surrendered into the public domain. I implore you to give a little coin –or a lot!

Honey is Flowing in all Directions

This Saturday, 4th May Monash University hosts Honey is Flowing in all Directions at their MUMA gallery at the Clayton Campus. This exhibition brings to the fore works created by the Monash Fine Arts cohort. By title alone; one is left to reflect upon Joseph Beuys and the actual–political art practice. Perhaps we might expect some minimalist creative activity; a study of text & object in the vein of reductionist or essentialist principles championed by Beuys. The show also coincides alongside Direct Democracy (at Caulfield) and will certainly provide food–for–thought on the activities at Monash School of Art. Details below:

CLASS at Seventh Gallery

Opens Wednesday: 17th April – Show runs until 4th May

Seventh Gallery, 155 Gertrude Street Fitzroy, from 6pm

This video installation is a representation of the confines of class in society; the footage from beneath freeway junctions typifies a perceived structure (or mechanism) of authority and labour. It is also analogous to the notion of a ‘glass ceiling‘ or typical confines that are prevalent between the status quo and those emanating from lower socio–political groups.
The video offers a visually appealing set of moving images that are complimented by ambient sound.

Sound and Video: M T WALKER

Vicissitude

During the Second World War Japan invaded the Netherlands colony of the Dutch East Indies (the Indoneisan archipelago). Following the Japanese surrender to the Dutch at the end of the war, some 3000 Japanese soldiers remained in Indonesia and went underground to fight with anti–colonial revoultionaries. These Japanese mercenaries assisted in the rebellion against the Dutch and are still celebrated in the Revolutionary Martyr‘s Cemetary in Jakarta (where this video is shot). Most of the Japanese remained in their adopted state and their families continue to contribute to the national diaspora. At times this Japanese influence often undermined the repressive Suharto regime that wrestled power from the original architects of the revolution (i.e. Soekarno) and imposed a nationalistic fervour that brought death and decay to the nation.

Econasia 6: Vicissitude
M T WALKER
Video 4‘30“ 2012
Japanese with English subtitles
Sound: Jonathon Nokes | Vox: Jun Miyagi | Text: Soekarno 1967

Isobel Knowles on Amsterdam

Isobel Knowles is a mixed–media artist that often incorporates animations and interactive systems into her works. She is highly prolific and well regarded in the arts & design circles alike. We recently caught up with Isobel to talk about her latest trip to Europe; during which time she was practicing and installing some of her works. We wish Isobel all the best in her upcoming exhibition at West Space towards the end of the year and give many thanks for her musings on this UNESCO World Heritage city.

Fallow

“It is during [the] fallow time of ruin that these buildings can assume a hidden life, a zone accomodating the often marginalised in our society –squatters, vandals, thieves and addicts. This art project explores this hidden life. It takes the building in its ruinous state, with its vandalised fabric, graffiti covered walls and squatter digs and invites three artists to create interventions to and with the building‘s fabric and content, to serve as a commentary on this idea“ –Charles Justin

Open to the public every weekend during March.

Surge (Lucy Knox)

Surge posits captured subjects in a darkened cave, surging forward amidst transitional tensions, connected through their uncertainty. Contrasting portraits present the next stage and a glimpse of certainty, as the still life concludes the work by representing the cyclical, inevitable nature of life as it slowly revolves. Lucy Knox is a graduate of the Fine Arts program at Sydney‘s COFA Art School (part of the University of New South Wales). She was a finalist at both 2012 Kudos Emerging Artist Awards and in the Gosford Art Prize. Her works reference the “painterly understandings of chiaroscuro… incorporating installation, photography and performance“. Melbourne born and bred, Lucy currently lives and works in Sydney, Australia.

Surge runs at Seventh Gallery on their Night Screen until 2nd March at 155 Gertrude St, Fitzroy.

Blank Vandals

Featured below is one of Melbourne‘s classic skate videos that came out in 2001. Vandals is the work of Chris Middlebrook & Rafael Rashid and is one of 3 Blank Skate vids. It features the talents of Will Stoyles, Jason Ridgway, Matt Hill, Luke Curtis, Jason Echazar, and Spencer Eagles plus many more; gnashing it up during Melbourne‘s skater heyday. Midds has since gone on to produce skate videos for Volcom, Habitat, Alien Workshop and has recently head up Nike SB; while Raph, founder of Blank (and current incarnation BKTM), kicked off the Melbourne food van scene with his Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Trucks. The pair have also championed Eddy Current Suppression Ring (drummer Danny Young was producer of the Blank skate videos).

Graffiti: SE Asia 3

Last year, I visited Indonesia and Malaysia. During my incredible visit, I was impressed by the ever–increasing writing on the wall throughout my trip; with particular focus on the scene in Jogjakarta. Indonesia‘s second city is remarkably chill in comparison to the big durian that is Jakarta and their thriving arts scene is testament to this. I met some wonderful people there, kicked back at the city‘s newly opened, boho chic, Oxen Free bar and the next day I trekked up to the magnificent Borobudur stupa for a spectacular sunrise. Jogja is also home to some talented musicians –from electro through hardcore and hiphop. Sydney MC Rima Le Drifter was able to point me in the direction of some of the local rap talent and I have included 2 fresh tracks in the video below by Rotra and Dumbstah respectively:

Summer Studio

Blindside Gallery, housed as it is in the imposing Nicholas Building, is always such a pleasure to visit. And on Thursday the wind–swept corridors of this Modern enclave hosts a much–anticipated event. Shae Rooke and Lizzy Sampson, along with Santina Amato have studiously been hankering down to present the fruits of the Summer Studio initiative. They‘ve previously commandeered the space with the aim of blurring “the lines between the creation, installation and exhibition process” and the public are finally invited to view the results in person. It is worth noting that they will also sport their collective stripes in these artistic endeavours or outcomes too. The Grand Opening is from 6pm on January 31^st with an Artist Talk on Saturday, February 7^th, from 2.30pm at Blindside on Level 7 off the corner of Swanston and Flinders Lane.

The Jerk

I‘ve just had the pleasure of viewing the Carl Reiner film The Jerk. Starring Steve Martin, this 1979 comedy charts the life of lovable fool Navin R. Johnson from his poor black family‘s roots in the deep South to power and riches in California. I found the below scene absolutely hilarious and so have edited it out of the film so that you might enjoy it too.

M T Walker

Author: MTW