rmit university school of art master of fine …mams.rmit.edu.au/j0duwymp3azuz.pdf · boris groys...
TRANSCRIPT
RMIT UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF ARTMASTER OF FINE ARTGRADUATE SHOW
Knowing not knowing
P. 06
Coordinating Staff 2012
P. 10
Postgraduate candidates 2012
P. 12
Graduate works
P. 14
Acknowledgements
P. 70
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KnowinG notKnowinG
“Art praxis is only recognized as such if it is paradoxical. If an artwork looks like art, then it is regarded not as art but as kitsch. If art looks like non-art, then it is simply non-art. In order to be recognized as art, art should look like art and simultaneously like non-art.” 1
This confounding observation by the German art critic and philosopher Boris Groys does little to encourage those who would like art to be a simple equation. How can something look like “art” and be simultaneously “non-art”? What are these elusive measures around artistic production? How does an artist decide what to make or when an artwork is finished? How do art audiences, art theorists, or indeed art critics deem certain artworks to be “successful” and others not?
For those that think art school might be a kind of free form, unpressured experience, consider the following scenario. A student enters the RMIT Master of Fine Art
program with a willingness to unpack everything that they think they know about their art practice. They begin to identify and perhaps become critical of their previous methodologies. What they used to enjoy doing might begin to feel unsatisfying. Perhaps they realize that they are stuck or limited in terms of particular skills. Perhaps they feel like they have nothing to say, whilst everyone around them seems to be overflowing with interesting ideas.
The student has to tolerate these uncomfortable feelings without giving up. He or she needs to reflect upon their personal content but at the same time remain open to new possibilities. Art students THINK a lot. They continuously analyse their decisions and take on board critical feedback. They participate in highly specialized discourse including historical and contemporary art, cultural theory, philosophy, sociology and psychoanalysis to name a few. The 2012 graduating
Knowing not Knowing
MFA students have worked incredibly hard to manifest complex histories, contexts and subjective experience within their MFA projects.
Boris Groys statement provides an interesting context for all this hard work, but what exactly does he mean when he says “art should look like art and simultaneously like non-art”? Perhaps he means that an artwork must not be too obvious, but at the same time it should be something that an audience can relate to. Art should be accessible and yet surprising enough to engage our attention. It should circumvent familiar thought processes and yet generate tangible experiences or insights.
This, as you can imagine, is not an easy task. The MFA graduating students have scrutinized their creative decisions throughout their time on the program in order to reach a desired equilibrium in their work. This process will continue–for all serious artists strive to revise methods of approach throughout their career.
It has been an absolute privilege to watch these MFA projects develop over the last two years and to get to know such a terrific group of people. The conversations have certainly been rich and no doubt they will continue, both through the making of the work and our viewing of them.
Dr Laresa KosloffMFA Program Director (acting) 2012
--------------------------------1 Groys, Boris. The Communist Postscript. Translated by Thomas H. Ford. London, Verso, 2009, p. 100.
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CoordinAtinG StAff2012
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ProGrAm direCtorSALLY MAnnALL (SEMEStER 1, 2012)
DR LARESA KoSLoFF (ACting, SEMEStER 2, 2012)
ACAdemiC AdviSorSSALLY MAnnALL
DR LARESA KoSLoFF
MiCHAEL gRAEVE
JAn nELSon
RonniE VAn HoUt
DR RUtH JoHnStonE
MARK EDgooSE
SALLY CLEARY
ASSoCiAtE PRoFESSoR KEVin wHitE
PRoFESSoR RoBERt BAinES, PHD
PEtER CRiPPS
niKoS PAntAZoPoULoS
AdminiStrAtive offiCerKAtHRYn wARDiLL
SeminAr ContributorSCHARLottE DAYtAi SnAitHPEnnY MoDRAMAtHEw SHAnnonULAnDA BLAiRALEXiE gLASS-KAntoRVERoniCA KEntJAKE wALKEREMiLY SEXtonwiLLoH S. wEiLAnDJASon MAiLingRAFAAt iSHAKgREAtESt HitSLYnDAL wALKERSUZiE AttiwiLLREBECCA CoAtESJEn BEREAnDR JUStin CLEMEnSHELEn JoHnSonMAX DELAnEYgEoFF nEwtonZARA StAnHoPEJon RiEtHMULLERLiSA RADFoRDHELEn HUgHES & niCK gRoggAn
viSitinG Air ArtiSt tAlKS JASon BAERgKoSUKE iKEDAYoUng-HAE CHAng AnD MARC HEAVY inDUStRiESwEnDY wooDSonSUH YongSUnJAFFA LAMKAtRin HoRnEK
iAM MiLLiSS
PoStGrAduAte teChniCiAn ALAn RoBERtS
mfA ProfeSSionAl PrACtiCe AdvAnCed SeminAr PHiP MURRAY
PoStGrAduAteCAndidAteS2012
12
DALi ABDUL AZiS 14
JACqUELinE BALL 16
SUn woong BAng 18
LEAnnE BARBARo 20
gEnèVRE BECKER 22
KARtini BELL 24
ALiçA BRYSon-HAYnES 26
CARoLYn CARDinEt 28
JoE CHAn 30
niCHoLAS CHiLVERS 32
MiCHELLE CHiM 34
CLARE CoLLinS 36
AnDREi DAViDoFF 38
oSCAR FERREiRo 40
CHAntELLE FERRi 42
MoJgAn HABiBi 44
nELE HoFFMAnn 46
SoEUn KiM 48
DAniELLE Lott 50
SioUXSAn-CLAiRE MAJoR 52
JEnniFER MARtin 54
SHAE RooKE 56
CLAiRE RoBERtSon 58
LiZZY SAMPSon 60
SiMon StUARt 62
CARoLinE tHEw 64
giLLiAn wARDEn 66
mASter of fine ArtGraduate candidates2012
My work explores the cross cultural experience of living in urban contemporary Melbourne city. I created a series of representational works that explore daily aspects of urban life and contemporary society using drawing, painting and collage. My aim is to capture the complexity of urban society; from architecture to consumerism and its significance toward culture, painted through a viewpoint with a sardonic twist.
CRoSS CULtURAL EXPERiEnCE, 2012
Pen ink And wood Varnish
www.minutspaceinit.blogspot.com
dali Abdul Azis
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My MFA project utilises high definition video to film small-scale sculptural sets. The forms are built from a wide variety of materials and casting processes and they often appear to be simultaneously natural and architectural in their construction. Scale is frequently unclear and depth of field is utilised to conceal information. Lighting is employed to emphasise form, manipulate surfaces, obscure detail and create atmosphere. This project investigates photography’s innate ability to be both illusive and evidential and I can utilise these contraries to promote ambiguity, uncertainty and unexpected relationships.
noRtH BY noRtHEASt, 2012
Medium: Video Still
Length: 6:16 (loop)
www.jacquelineball.com
Jacqueline ball
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Sun woong bang‘Broken Borders: latitude, longitude Series’ brings to mind interpretive processes with regards to cultural relics and familiar objects. Sun woong Bang alters, interprets and re-makes these forms so that they can be newly situated in time and culture. By focusing on the differences that occur as a result of these alterations, he explores the cross penetration of ideas, the spreading of culture, as well as issues of originality, interpretation and reproduction.
BRoKEn BoRDERS SERiES:
Latitude -37.768670, Longitude 144.961754 (object)
3-D Rapid Prototyped Sand Stone
75 x 156 x 75 mm
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leanne barbaroLeanne Barbaro’s work expresses a personal response to the physical and sensual qualities of landscape. She creates familiar, yet ambiguous sculptural forms that extend the boundaries of traditional wheel thrown ceramics and resonate with an inner spirit and energy. Linear patterns and the play of light on the surface of the work further accentuate her anthropomorphic forms and their allusion to the natural world.
SEntinEL 1 & 2, 2011
wheel thrown, Manipulated glazed Stoneware
Sentinel 1: 90 x 50
Sentinel 2: 85 x 60
CLoSEnESS: FAMiLY, 2011
wheel thrown, Manipulated glazed Stoneware
40 x 40 x 40
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Genèvre becker Genèvre’s artwork aims to evoke a sense of wonderment through the conflation of darkness and otherworldliness. It presents the harmless and imaginary in conjunction with threat and the unknown. This is supported by the invitation to suspend disbelief through playful use of the miniature and imagery relating to childhood, memories and dream states.
witHin, 2012
Pine, Plywood, Acrylic Paint, Cotton,
Plastic, Mdf, wire, Mirror, Led, Speaker
2.7mH x 1.4mw x 2.4mD
www.genevre.com.au
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Kartini bell
tHE SKin YoU’RE in (DEtAiL)
Cornstarch, Pigment, Papercut on Valorio Paper
200 x 65 cm
www.kartinibell.com
Kartini Bell’s practice seeks to examine how cultural identification is defined, using her personal experience as a Third Culture Kid as a catalyst.
Her work navigates the divide between socially and culturally inherited stereotypes, whilst drawing together a narrative that further investigates the notion of hybridity and multiculturalism and the interstitial space between displacement and belonging in this age of mass globalisation.
Drawing from Kartini’s cross-disciplinary background, her explorations are realised through a spectrum of mediums, creating multi-faceted displays that integrate installation, shadowgraphy and print based works.
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Aliça bryson-haynes Aliça Bryson-Haynes’ site responsive installations are an expanded form of ‘painting’. Materials such as paint, glitter, gold leaf, fruit and balloons are used to construct the work, which is situated both within a gallery context and the public domain. The ‘known’ qualities of these materials are altered through their unexpected placement, modification and repetition to elicit a sense of ‘wonder’ and surprise.
The work considers the liminal space between abstraction and figuration, and seeks to both concentrate the viewer’s awareness inwardly (psychologically) and externally (physically interacting with the space) in the sensory act of viewing, perceiving and interpreting.
FRUit PYRAMiD (tHE LoUVRE PYRAMiD)
From the on-going Series Fruition
nectarines, Apples, oranges And Lemons on Pavement
Dimensions Variable
Paris 2012
www.alicabrysonhaynes.com
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Carolyn CardinetAs an artist I take on the role of an urban archaeologist working within the parameter or the physical limitation of salvaged matter.
My intention is for the viewer to notice the banal and unnoticed discarded objects that proliferate our urban environment.
With minimum intervention these disregarded objects (single use packaging) are re-embodied and transformed into new imaginative configured assemblages.
By creating a visual poetic my intention is to provoke an emotional response (empathy, nostalgia, amusement) and raise questions about the way we perceive art.
gREAt MotHER goDDESS, 2012
Found objects, Plastic, thread And Bamboo
installation @ gossard Space 2012
300 x 140 cm
CitYSCAPE, 2012
Found Cardboard And Mistints Paints
wall installation @ Artland Sculpture Exhibition 2012
140 x 350 cm
http://carolyncardinet.blogspot.com.au
www.carolyncardinet.com
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Joe ChanJoe Chan examines the relationship between himself and his social environment. As a migrant from Hong Kong, he seeks to explore the connections between belief, identity, language, and multiculturalism, through sound and new media.
Chan’s interactive multimedia installations challenge the viewer to reflect on their own experiences of unfamiliar situations, encouraging a deeper questioning of human behaviour and learning.
Through the use of multi-channel sound, the artist forms an immersive space in which the audience becomes part of the work. Moreover, generative computer programming creates a constantly changing experience.
wHERE? HERE! , 2012
Sound installation
StoP! CoME HERE..., 2012
Sound installation
http://joechan.co.cc/
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nicholas ChilversPerformance begins when struggle to find a comfortable position. It ends when tragic fate meets comic misadventure.
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wHEn tRAgEDY MEEtS CoMiC MiSADVEntURE
Performance Seven gallery Fitzroy, 2012
michelle ChimArt is a doorway that links my interior self to the exterior world. My search for meaning through art has taken many different paths. The art process has allowed me to better explore and understand the mechanisms of self.
Through the study of synesthesia I have discovered a useful language. Each synesthete story that I have gathered has contributed to my interest in this mysterious phenomenon and expanded my understanding of consciousness.
My exploration continues, and I keep tracking, not knowing which special form, shape or limitation it will take.
gAtEwAY to SYnEStHESiA, 2012
wood, Led, Electronic Devices
L 247.5 Cm X H 165 Cm X w 82.5 Cm
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Clare CollinsClare Collins explores the feminine and vulnerability of the body within a framework of affect located within a personal narrative.
Employing documentary style photography and ornamentation, her work presents an inaccessible world that becomes detached and intimate. Exploring private boundaries within a public arena particularly in relation to the body draws attention to an underlying vulnerability.
The works evoke a domestic reference investigating an interchange between privacy and disclosure, intimacy and distance, providing experience that attempts to connect with the viewer through a psychological realm.
UntitLED (DEtAiL), 2011
Archival Pigment Print on Photo Rag
70 Cm X 43 Cm
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Andrei davidoffAndrei Davidoff is a sculptor and installation artist working with the architectonic relationships between the physical and indeterminate spaces which surround us. The depiction of spaces as solid objects develops a type of visual ‘subtraction’ where the viewer perceives the internal by visually subtracting the placed forms from the surrounding architecture. The minimalist forms both describe and frame – an area of tension between subjective and rational objectives.
nEgAtiVE SPACE, 2011
Medium: Mdf, wood, Acrylic Paint
Dimensions Variable
www.andreidavidoff.com
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oscar ferreiro At the moment Oscar is not sure about the content and meaning of his work.
oBJECt SELF, 2012
Laser Cut Mirror, wooden Rulers, Electronics,
Sensor, Leds, Battery, Medical notes, Corner
30 X 30 X 9 Cm
no-thing.com
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Chantelle ferriChantelle Ferri’s practice has been described as ‘visionary’, with strong esoteric and atmospheric influences. Her inspirations are drawn from psychedelia, fantasy and Surrealism.
Within her practice, Chantelle contemplates ideas of dreams and memories that reference both physical and psychological spaces. Her work celebrates life, self-discovery and the transformation of self in the world.
Utilising techniques of projection and mirrored reflections, Chantelle’s photographs enshroud the physical body with imagery from the subconscious. The projection onto the body acts as a veil between spiritual worlds seeking to transport the viewer to imaginary spaces.
gRowtH FRoM witHin (SELF PoRtRAit), 2012
Digital Print
Dimension Variable
www.behance.net/chantelleferri
Email: [email protected]
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mojgan habibiMojgan Habibi’s work explores notions of movement and change. She aims to express aspects of human spirituality through ceramic sculptures. Her practice examines elements of infinity in the movement of the spiral form to represent change, transformation and hope. The expression of movement is enhanced through grouped installations that play with illusions of movement and stillness.
Mojgan is inspired by the thirteenth century poet Rumi and the spiritual dance of the Whirling Dervishes.
“We came whirlingOut of nothingnessscattering starslike dust”
Rumi
SPiRitUAL tRAnSFoRMAtion, 2012
Porcelain Clay - oxidation Firing - High temperature glaze
Dimensions Variable
www.mojgan-habibi.com
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nele hoffmannNele Hoffmann’s work is a quest for emotional intensity through the medium of drawing. She is interested in subculture and small informal groups of people.
Nele´s work embraces youthfulness and vibrancy, as well as awkward moments and seeking. She uses the medium of ball point pen, diluted ink on paper and masking tape on wall. Drawing us closer through the small size of her work, touches of intimacy appear. MiCRoCoSMoS oF MinD, 2012
Ball Point Pen And ink on Paper
Dimensions Vary
www.nele-hoffmann.com
46
Soeun KimPainting and abstraction provide a way of mapping the geography of mind, heart and spirit. I believe the natural world can be a healing source for humans, as we are all part of nature in a spiritual and physical way. ‘Healing in nature’ is series of paintings that use mark making and intuition to explore the healing of inner wounds through an awareness and appreciation of nature.
HEALing in nAtURE, 2012
Mixed Media And Stitching on Cotton Voile
60 X 80 Cm
Email: [email protected]
48
danielle lottBe witness to the history and the beauty of the Australian landscape through contemporary jewellery. Danielle Lott contributes to the notion of transforming the natural, cultural and historic places, endemic and explored.
Exotic locals formalised silverware in the 19th century that conceptualised Australian themes. This exploration globalised the gathering and collecting process and Danielle has innovatively allured and recreated that sense and wonder.
Brooch:
BotAniCA in SHADow, 2012
Blackened Sterling Silver
85 X 85 X25 mm
neck Piece:
SUnBURnt gEM, 2012
Patina Sterling Silver
50 X90 X40 mm
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Siouxsan-Claire majorWorking in both the sculpture discipline and installation practice capacities, Siouxsan Major creates mixed-media sculptural forms and installation spaces that employ the excess of materials: using mass-produced items; kitsch and camp aesthetic; and the element of ‘over-the-top’.
The ability of installation to contain multiple elements in a visual narrative, allows her work to appear delightful and full of colour, however unpacking the layers the viewer may find a more sinister and critical underlying tone. A large proportion of Siouxsan’s work addresses ideas behind the relationship between human and animals.
SELF-PoRtRAit, 2012
Captured in Photography, 2012
210 X 297 Cm
PHotogRAPH oF ‘SHRinE to VAnitY HARE’, 2012
installation
210 X 297 Cm
Contact: [email protected]
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Jennifer martinJennifer Martin’s work explores transformation, concealment, containment, nature, nostalgia, mystery and illusion. She creates habitats with jewellery and objects that reference historical, mystical and personal narratives.
She invites the viewer to take a journey to an imagined world. To sip from the lace cup, don the rabbit’s foot necklace and quietly slip down the rabbit-hole. tHE RABBit AnD tHE tEACUP, 2011
teacup- Lace, Silk thread
40 x 65 mm
RABBit’S Foot nECKLACE, 2011
Fine Silver, Sterling Silver, Pyrite Beads
55 x 45 mm
www.jennifermartinjewellery.blogspot.com.au
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Shae rookeShae Rooke’s photographic work and video installations are records of small changes to familiar objects and sites. They are snapshots of oddities within the everyday. Juxtaposition and comparison between found objects, toys, art materials, landscapes and domestic spaces create a world where the line between reality and representation is blurred. These contrasts question how imagery is constructed and ways in which perception can be shifted through small gestures, humour and imagination. DoUBLE LAnDSCAPE
inkjet Print on Lustre Paper
80 X 22 Cm
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Claire robertsonThrough video and installation, my practice investigates the psychological dimensions of built spaces, exploring notions of architectural emptiness and ruination in a contemporary landscape. Working with different structures as a metaphor for representing the mind as a kind of space that also has walls, my work examines the physical and emotional spaces that we inhabit in order to question the fine line between interior and exterior and ‘real’ and ‘imagined’ spaces. SUitE 508, 2012
installation view:
two Channel Hd Video Projected on
to wooden Corner Structure
3.7m L x 1.3m H x 0.8m w
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Lizzy’s work promotes the questioning of established systems, structures and values. She works with words, found objects, currencies, signs, photographs, performance and installation.
Materials, notions and ideals are rearranged, modified, juxtaposed, questioned and substituted to suggest ‘an alternative’. Her work proposes a space where thought processes are ‘set in motion’ through the relationship between what is presented. The idea of work, the world of business and politics, the economy and consumerism feature as central themes within her work.
Dominant overarching systems, concepts and functions are approached with a quiet humour alongside an earnest intention.
PRoSPECtS, 2012
Readymade Metal Detector, wood, Phone
Charger, Coins, Foam Core, Plastic, nylon, tape,
Aluminium, wire, tree Branch, Rubber, Batteries,
Pen, Decal, Paper, Band-Aid, Blutac
Dimensions Variable
tHiS AnD tHAt, 2011
Paper, Pen
21 x 29 cm
www.lizzysampson.com.au
Email: [email protected]
lizzy Sampson
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Simon StuartMy work explores the 4th dimension in painting by proposing the past, present, and future simultaneously. This is achieved through a constant layering and reworking of the canvas that hides and censors old meanings but also leaves one aware of their existence. The work then comes full circle and is minimal and vacant, almost as if reverting back to the blank canvas. This sense of absence and vacancy synchronously references the infinite and particularly my interest in spatial dimensions. UntitLED, 2012
oil Paint, gesso, water Colour on Canvas
36 X 46 Cm
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Caroline thewThrough painting people and their objects of affection, Caroline Thew explores the role of nurturing in people’s lives. She focuses on people’s expressions and gestures to represent their subjectivity. By carefully arranging her multiple panel installations, she extends her project to include the complex, sensory nature of subjective experience. These scattered instants of experienced time give the viewer an intimate view of the inner world of the individual.
DEtAiL AnotHER PLACE, 2012
oil on Linen
40 X 30 Cm
DEtAiL MinD gARDEn, 2012
oil on Linen
40 X 30 Cm
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Gillian wardenMy current practice is vitalised by a ‘formless’ approach (Bataille) that works to open possibilities and de-stabilise habits from my figurative past. In exploring human subjectivity, I am interested in challenging the operations of categorical containers, and use abstract painting techniques to generate works that blur the boundaries between portrait, landscape and abstraction.
Mining #2, 2012
oil And ink on Board
23.5 X 33 Cm
www.gillianwarden.com.au
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PoStGrAduAteCAndidAteS2012
DALi ABDUL AZiS 14
JACqUELinE BALL 16
SUn woong BAng 18
LEAnnE BARBARo 20
gEnèVRE BECKER 22
KARtini BELL 24
ALiçA BRYSon-HAYnES 26
CARoLYn CARDinEt 28
JoE CHAn 30
niCHoLAS CHiLVERS 32
MiCHELLE CHiM 34
CLARE CoLLinS 36
AnDREi DAViDoFF 38
oSCAR FERREiRo 40
CHAntELLE FERRi 42
MoJgAn HABiBi 44
nELE HoFFMAnn 46
SoEUn KiM 48
DAniELLE Lott 50
SioUXSAn-CLAiRE MAJoR 52
JEnniFER MARtin 54
SHAE RooKE 56
CLAiRE RoBERtSon 58
LiZZY SAMPSon 60
SiMon StUARt 62
CARoLinE tHEw 64
giLLiAn wARDEn 66
mASter of fine ArtGraduate candidates2012
70
ACKnowledGementS
© RMIT University 2012, Copyright in the individual essays and artwork remains vested with the individual authors and artists. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise without the permission in writing from the publishers and authors. Neither may information be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. All opinions expressed in the material contained in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher.
ACKnowledGementS
Thank you to all who have contributed to the success of the Master of Fine Art Program in the RMIT School of Art: Program Director, Academic advisors, examiners, visiting lecturers, administrators, technicians, students and sponsors.
rmit univerSitYmASter of fine ArtGrAduAte eXhibition 2012 CAtAloGue
SChool of Artrmit univerSitYPo boX 2476vmelbourne viCtoriA 3001AuStrAliA
t. +61 3 9925 1947f. +61 3 9925 9776www.rmit.edu.Au
GrAPhiC deSiGn: ruShdi AnwArwww.ruShdi.net.Au
Printed in AuStrAliA: imPACt diGitAlwww.imPACtdiGitAl.Com.Au
little CreAtureSlittleCreAtureS.Com.Au
Studio SPACe PhotoGrAPhS: JACqueline bAll
