Sunday, May 7, 2017

Queenscliff Literary Festival 2017

Vertical concertina books, 2013, one-of-a-kind, ink
and acrylic on Khadi paper, cloth bound.
Each book: 20 x 15 cm (open)

The artist's books pictured above are currently on view at Queenscliff Gallery and Workshop in the exhibition, Queenscliffe Literary Festival & Great Authors Print Exchange. The show is part of the 2017 Queenscliffe Literary Festival.

The books relate to the literary classification of 'The Maiden in the Tower'. The primary point of reference for A Tall Tale and Castles in the Hair is the German fairy tale, Rapunzel, famously collected by the brothers Grimm and first published by them in 1812. The story has its basis in earlier tales dating back as far as the 11th century. 

The third book, Bats in the Belfry, draws its primary inspiration from the character Bertha Mason, the madwoman in the attic in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. The same character is the protagonist of the Jean Rhys novel, Wide Sargasso Sea, in which Bertha's real name is revealed to be Antoinette Cosway and much of the story told from her point of view.

The Queenscliffe Literary Festival & Great Authors Print Exchange runs from 3 May - June 12. For full details, visit QG&W's website HERE.