In this show artists Shannon Slee, Britt Salt and Helvi Apted challenged their distinct studio methodologies by working closely with one another. The result is a suite of new works that collapse the boundaries between the artists’ textile practices - stitches are repeated, forms replicated, and materials shared. The artists gathered material scraps from this process and reassembled them as collaborative works, stretching them over repurposed timber frames that were found in the storeroom of the Handweavers and Spinners Guild, and hard rubbish.
Alcoves and alter
Exploring the forms of alcoves for meditation and reflection. Photo Tobias Titz
"Thread of my Body, Thread of my Bed", Unassigned Gallery, Brunswick
Curator Phoebe Greaves brought together a textile immersion bedroom experience in her first show “Thread of my Body, Thread of my Bed”. I included two of my soft sculptures, Pink Baby (2013), and Arms and Legs (2023). Here is what Phoeber wrote about the project:
Having recently experienced housing instability, I found myself daydreaming about having my bedroom again, a space that could be mine alone. I spent hours browsing through luxurious linens and decorations, creating moodboards and sketches of the private space I was longing for. I grew to appreciate the intimacy of domestic space, and the way that such a space could be curated and cared for, almost taking on a life of its own.
I aim to extrapolate that idea with this exhibition into a physical manifestation of my “dream space”, equal parts aspirational and surreal, and imbued with the stark intimacy of walking into someone's personal space.
There is a certain feeling you get when you attend a party at the house of someone you barely know, and, in search of a bathroom or kitchen, you accidentally stumble into the host’s bedroom. That is the feeling I aim to replicate with this exhibition. The physical white cube of the gallery transforms into a life laid bare, and, by extension, a psyche laid bare. The intimacy will be confronting, yet, as the viewer moves through the space, this discomfort should morph into something more familiar. The space created by these artists is subjective, and I invite you to reflect upon the following -
Can the body exterior and the domestic interior merge into one?
-Phoebe Greaves, 2024
2023 VCA Grad Show - Coat of Arms
I’m almost* finished the Masters of Contemporary Art degree at VCA… I’ve come to the end of two years of work which has culminated in a series of felt sculptures ‘Coat of Arms’… here are some shots taken during installation, and prior to the final instal lighting
55th Finnish Festival
Exhibition at George Paton Gallery
Helvi Apted | Britt Salt | Shannon Slee
From With(in)
13 - 23 March 2023
From With(in) presents the work of three artists whose practices are connected by a shared workspace and language of materials, using textile methodologies as a springboard for broader research. The artists invite visitors to take part in textile actions alongside them as they expand, transform and multiply artworks in the gallery over the course of the exhibition.
Curators Izzy Baker and Mia Palmer-Verevis have written a poetic essay together to accompany this exhibition, speaking about the strength and potential that can be achieved when collaborating with others.
Read the full text here.
This exhibition is free to attend and we welcome all skill levels.
13 - 24 March 2023
Monday - Friday, 11am - 5pm
George Paton Gallery
Closing Event
Come and join us!
Thursday 23 March, 5 - 7pm, George Paton Gallery
Join the artists and contributors of the current exhibitions From With(in) and Shared Storiesin a closing celebration at the gallery.
This is a free event and all are welcome.
Coat of Arms
My current project takes the Finnish Coat of Arms as a starting point, and works across print, costume and video, working within Australian-Finnish community settings.
Mother art - Work Day
Work in development. June 2022. Screen printed nappies, paper, ladders. Dimensions various.
Mother art
Work in development. May 2022. Materials: Cotton terry towel and cotton nappies, sign, crayon, masking tape, thumb tacks, foam. Noise generated from embedded breast pump.
Mother art - floor plan
Work in development, May 2022, Terry towel cloth nappies, tape.