Coming soon: ARTIST BOOKS & PORTFOLIOS

SAVE THE DATE

I’m very much looking forward to exhibiting with renowned book artists Elizabeth Banfield and Theo Strasser in Artist Books & Folios at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery in September. Further details will follow shortly.

Excited as I am to be part of this show, my attendance will be merely in spirit, alas, as I will be in London for its entire duration. 

Image on invitation: Homo Insecta Portfolio,  2013, unbound artist book, hand-coloured linocuts, inkjet-printed text, 29.5 x 21 cm. 

Click on invitation for an enlarged view.

The National Gallery of Australia acquires LEAVES OF ABSENCE

With the gradual winding down of 2018 comes some happy news. Our artist book LEAVES OF ABSENCE has been acquired by the National Gallery of Australia.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE poses a question that may be unanswerable: what became of the women who remained in China when their menfolk came to seek their fortunes during the Australian gold rushes? 

Pictured above and below: cover and selected pages from LEAVES OF ABSENCE, 2017, unbound artist book, 32.5 (H) x 25.5 (W) x 4 cm (D). Edition: 10 plus 1 artist proof. Printed by Luke Ingram at Arten.

Homo-insecta: An unnatural history portfolio

The unbound artist book Homo-insecta: An unnatural history portfolio (2013, hand coloured linocuts with text, ed: 10) was originally created for the group show Wonder Room, a contemporary take on the Wunderkammer, at Maroondah Art Gallery back in 2013

From 30 June - 7 July the book will be exhibited at Melbourne Athenaeum Library during my residency for Melbourne Rare Book Week.

It's no coincidence that the re-emergence of Homo-insecta: An unnatural history portfolio corresponds with the bicentenary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This significant anniversary is commemorated on a grand scale in My Monster at RMIT Gallery (29 June - 18 August). Three of my 'unnatural history' watercolours are part of that show. A plethora of rare Homo-insecta specimens can also be viewed in PATTERNS OF COLLECTING: From the Bower at The Johnston Collection, current until 18 September.

I’ll be setting up the exhibition at Melbourne Athenaeum Library next Friday, 29 June. My residency commences the following day, Saturday, 30 June and concludes on Saturday, July 7. If you're planning to sample some of the many delights of Melbourne Rare Book Week, do drop in and say hello.

Library hours: 
Saturday: 10 am - 2 pm
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: 10 am - 6 pm
Wednesday: 10 am - 8 pm
Friday: 10 am - 4 pm

Artist talk: Wednesday, 4 July  6 -7 pm

FROM THE BOWER: final day

As of last Sunday, September 17, From the bower: patterns of collecting, the exhibition that has been such a big part of my life this year, is all over - bar the ginormous job of deinstalling that awaits fellow artists Carole Wilson, Loris Button, Louise Saxton and I first thing tomorrow morning. 

Shane and I called into the Art Gallery of Ballarat on the final day and it was enormously gratifying to see the gallery swarming with visitors. To my delight, among them was master printer Luke Ingram, Director of Visual Heritage, with whom I've been working closely for the past year, initially on the unbound artist book, Leaves of Absence (see above) and more recently on an ongoing series of phemographs, including Doppelgänger (see directly below) which Luke (who is an equally skilled framer) also framed. 

Yesterday I was briefly back in Melbourne and met with Luke for a marathon printing session. It was another productive stage in the ongoing preparation for an upcoming solo exhibition at Tacit contemporary art later this year (further details to follow shortly).

LEAVES OF ABSENCE at the Art Gallery of Ballarat

Last Saturday, July 29, the second leg of From the bower - patterns of collecting, featuring specially chosen objects and artworks from the 'bowers' of Loris Button, Louise Saxton, Carole Wilson and myself, opened at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

Extra wall space, combined with an elegant exhibition design by the AGB's Brenda Wellman, has enabled the inclusion of a number of additional artworks and collection objects. Despite the initial impression of familiarity that may be experienced by those who saw From the bower at its previous venue, Warrnambool Art Gallery, in many ways it's a very different show.

For example, this time around, Leaves of Absence, 2017, my unbound artist book, is displayed in a stand-alone cabinet, along with a selection of the hand painted eucalyptus leaves that were the basis for the artwork and the antique flower presses in which the leaves were initially pressed, and in which they are now housed. I'm indebted to my fellow artists Carole Wilson and Loris Button (who also assisted with the installation of the show) for the considerable care and thought they put into its presentation.

Leaves of Absence installation detail #1

Leaves of Absence installation detail #2

The following is a slightly extended version of the label accompanying Leaves of Absence at the AGB.

Collection items: antique flower/tie presses and eucalyptus leaves.

For several years I’ve employed silhouettes in my work, primarily as a metaphor for marginalization or invisibility. In what is a fairly recent development, the silhouettes are hand-painted onto pressed eucalyptus leaves, of which I have amassed a substantial collection. The embellished leaves form the basis for an ongoing series of archival pigment prints. The leaves are housed in my modest collection of antique tie/flower presses, most of which were discovered in the Victorian Goldfields region, including Creswick and Ballarat.

Two years ago I made my first foray into digital prints in Not Born Digital, a Goldfields Printmakers portfolio that explored the historic connection of the Victorian Goldfields with China during the gold rushes, a period of Australian history from which Chinese women were conspicuously absent. The portfolio was presented at IMPACT 9, the international printmaking conference at Hangzhou, China in September 2015. Selected images from this ongoing body of work were subsequently collected together in the artist book, Leaves of Absence (2017).

During the Australian gold rushes, thousands of Chinese men came to Australia to seek their fortunes. In 1861 Chinese immigrants made up 3.3 per cent of the Australian population. The vast majority (38,337) were men, compared to only eleven women. For many Chinese men, separation from their families was a source of abiding sadness. The harsh treatment of Chinese miners is well documented, but almost nothing is known about the women who remained in China.

In the tiny Victorian town of Newstead there were over 3000 Chinese miners. The forest floor is still pockmarked with holes, enduring evidence of its gold mining history. All of the eucalyptus leaves in my collection were sourced in Newstead, not only because of its significance to this project, but also due to their remarkably singular shapes, in part the result of interventions by my insect ‘collaborators’, the Eucalyptus tip bugs that inhabit the undersides of the leaves.

My initial research included a study of historic Chinese women’s hairstyles. Reduced to shadow forms, however, these unknown women could equally be from any place or time, including the present. 

From the bower - patterns of collecting runs until 17 September. 

For extensive installation views of the show, visit Deborah Klein's Art Blog HERE.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE shortlisted for FAC Print Award and acquired by Monash University Library

Leaves of Absence, 2017, artist book, archival inkjet prints, 
cloth cover, ed: 10, 32.5 x 25.5 x 4.0 cm (closed) 
32.5 x 55.0 x 4 cm (open) 

Closely following the announcement that our unbound artist book, Leaves of Absence, has been shortlisted for the 2017 Geelong acquisitive print awards (see previous post) comes the news that the book is a finalist in the 2017 Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award.

In other exciting news, Leaves of Absence has been acquired for the permanent collection of Monash University Library. Pictured below are some page views of the book, photographed during the recent run of Between the Sheets - International artists' books 2017 at Australian Galleries Melbourne by Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison, and reproduced with their kind permission.

Title page of Leaves of Absence in Between the Sheets - International artists books 
2017 at Australian Galleries Melbourne. Photo by Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison

Leaves of Absence pages #2. Photo credit: Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison

Leaves of Absence page view #3. Photo credit: Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison

Leaves of Absence page view #4. Photo credit: Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison

LEAVES OF ABSENCE shortlisted for Geelong acquisitive print award

Leaves of absence, 2017, artist book, archival inkjet prints, cloth cover; ed. 5/10,
32.5 x 25.5 x 4.0 cm (closed) 32.5 x 55.0 x 4 cm (open). Printer: Luke Ingram 

Further to recent posts, my artist book, Leaves of Absence, has just been shortlisted for the prestigious 2017 Geelong acquisitive print awards. 

The acquisitive awards and biennial exhibition will comprise 38 works by 39 established and emerging Australian artists. 

Shortlisted artists are: Benjamin Armstrong, Rosalind Atkins, Elizabeth Banfield, G.W Bot, Laura Castell, Jock Clutterbuck, Marian Crawford, Ben Fennessy, Dianne Fogwell, Peter Garnick, Kaye Green, Sue Grossman, Andrew Gunnell, Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison, Robert Hague, Rew Hanks, Carolyn Hawkins, Clare Humphries, Anita Iacovella, Michael Kempson, Deborah Klein, Jo Langley, Marion Manifold, Megan McPherson, David Nixon, Jiri Tibor Novak, Sharron Okines, Glenda Orr, Janet Parker-Smith, Jim Pavlidis, Stieg Persson, Ben Rak, Brian Robinson, Kati Thamo, Bridgit Thomas, Vanessa Wallace, Halina Wolski and Joel Wolter. 

The Geelong acquisitive print awards will run from 2 August - 8 October. 

Meanwhile, Leaves of Absence can be viewed in Between the sheets: international artists' books 2017 at Australian Galleries Melbourne until 2 July. (See previous two posts).

Leaves of Absence, page view 1

Leaves of Absence, page view 2

Between the Sheets at Australian Galleries Melbourne

The snapshots above and below were taken on Tuesday night, 13 June, at the lively opening of Between the sheets: artists' books 2017 at Australian Galleries Melbourne.

It was great to catch up with several old friends, including fellow Ballarat artist, Debbie Hill (see below) who had two stunning altered books in the show

The evening was not without its upsets, however. The first happened quite early in the evening. I was about to show my unbound artist book, Leaves of Absence, to two curators, when I noticed to my horror that someone had gotten there first. The pages were no longer in their correct order - so much so that the colophon page, which is traditionally placed at the end of a book, was near the beginning. Janis Nedela, the exhibition curator, suggested I retire to the back gallery where there was a large table on which I could spread out the numbered pages and carefully restore them to their intended order.

Later in the evening, an artist friend told me of a woman she spotted paging through my beleaguered book with one hand, whilst enthusiastically gesticulating with the other - in which she clutched a glass of wine. My friend looked on in disbelief as the wine splashed ever closer to my book. The horrified artist (to whom I'm forever in debt) marched over and firmly told the woman to put the glass aside until she had finished examining the book.

It was my decision that the book sit on an open plinth. In the exhibition's previous venue, it was displayed under a perspex cover, which meant that only a very limited number of pages could be viewed. I'm hoping it isn't a decision I'll live to regret.

Janis was extremely apologetic, but none of this is his fault. He is not a policeman and neither am I. We can't be there patrolling the exhibition every minute of its opening hours. We simply have to trust gallery visitors to do the right thing. For the most part they do, but it only takes one careless, thoughtless person to damage or even destroy an artist's work.

Having said that, it's a terrific exhibition - a must see, in fact - and the overwhelming majority of opening night visitors were respectful of the artist books.

The exhibition runs until 2 July. For full details, go HERE.

Photo credit for top and middle photos: Shane Jones.

BETWEEN THE SHEETS: ARTISTS' BOOKS 2017 at Australian Galleries Melbourne

Australian Galleries Melbourne in association with Gallery East present:

Between the Sheets: Artists' Books 2017
An exhibition of national and international artists accompanied by a selection of Australian Galleries represented artists.

The show is curated by David Forrest and Janis Nedela, Directors of Gallery East, WA.

Opening night: Tuesday 13 June 2017 6 pm - 8 pm

Australian Galleries Melbourne
28 and 35 Derby Street
Collingwood Vic 3066
T: 03 9417 2422
Open 7 days 10 am - 6 pm

Current until Sunday 2 July 2017

The exhibition includes my unbound artist book, Leaves of Absence (2017) and is accompanied by the catalogue pictured below. For selected views of Leaves of Absence, go HERE.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE in Warrnambool and Perth

Pictured here are installation views of my artist book, Leaves of Absence (2017) in From the Bower - patterns of collecting at Warrnambool Art Gallery.

Selected page views of the book are paired with the original artwork - hand painted Eucalyptus leaves - and the antique flower presses in which the leaves were pressed and dried. The exhibition also features the works and private collections of Carole Wilson, Loris Button and Louise Saxton, some of which can be glimpsed in these photos. It opened yesterday, 18 March, and runs until 12 June.

From the Bower can also be seen at the Art Gallery of Ballarat from 29 July - 17 September.

Coincidentally, Leaves of Absence is part of another show that also opened yesterday: Between the Sheets: Artists' Books 2017. An international artists’ book exhibition, it is presented by Gallery East in conjunction with Gallery Central, Aberdeen Street, Perth, Western Australia, and runs until 8 April.

Between the Sheets will also be shown at Australian Galleries, Melbourne, from 13 June - 2 July. 

Dates for the Melbourne launch of Leaves of Absence TBA.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE: sorting, signing and sending

Yesterday's task: arranging, numbering, titling and signing individual pages of the complete edition of Leaves of Absence (ten, plus one artist proof) before the first copy of the book ventured out into the great wide world.

By mid-afternoon, edition no. 2/10 was on its way to Perth for:

Between the Sheets: Artists’ Books Exhibition 2017

Gallery Central, 
Aberdeen Street, 

Perth, Western Australia

18 March – 8 April 2017

The exhibition will feature artists' books from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Italy, Lithuania, Scotland, the UK and USA.

Australia:

ACT:

Nan Morphett; Joy Tonkin

New South Wales:

Lee Bethel; Julie Bookless; Caelli Jo Brooker; Anne-Maree Hunter; Yvette Sullivan.

Queensland:

Lorraine Lamothe; Helen Malone; Jack Oudyn; Stephen Spurrier

South Australia:

Beth Evans

Victoria:

Barb Adams; Debbie Hill; Deborah Klein; Lesley O'Gorman

Western Australia:

Eve Arnold; Zoe Barry; Bina Butcher-Monsees; Helen Clarke; Claire Davenhall; Martin Dickie; Sandra Dunbar; Tania Ferrier; Caroline Goodlet; Jane Grierson; Penny Hudson; Brontë Jones; Shana James; Rebecca Jensen & Sophie La Maitre; Mari Katayama; Daniel Kristjansson; Pam Langdon; Lesley Le Grove; Eden Lennox; Elisa Markes-Young; Clyde McGill; Shona McGregor; Janis Nedela; Annette Nykiel; Matthew Pope; Adele Price; Layli Rakhsha; Jennifer Sadler; Cim Sears; Annette Seeman; John Teschendorff; Paul Uhlmann; Vanessa Wallace; Rebecca Westlund; Gera Woltjer

Brazil:

Jussara Pires

Canada:

Lorraine Kwan

Chile:

Magdalena Cordero

England:

Thurle Wright

Italy:

Virginia Milici

Lithunania:

Kęstutis Vasiliūnas

Scotland:

Su Grierson

United States of America:

Cristina de Almeida; Timothy Frerichs