Winning art honours ecosystems
ANNUAL and biennial art exhibitions carry with them historical imperatives that reflect changing interests and subject treatment as well as the introduction of new technologies.
However, for many participants the big issues of climate change, environmental vulnerabilities, the recycling of negative materials into works of beauty and adornment remain a crucial focus.
The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery is hosting Contemporary Wearables ‘21 – its biennial jewellery award and exhibition.
This prestigious event is open to artist designers throughout the country.
Jewellery is wearable art, adornment and embellishment for the human form which becomes the stage, or theatre, of presentation.
Body adornment carries many messages: of spirituality, ritual symbolism, power, and prestige.
Most importantly, it tells a story and, in many cases, sends a message.
In this year’s exhibition, entries illustrate their maker’s concerns for nature and the environment.
The winning work, Florilegium, a collaborative installation of forty-two brooches in porcelain and sterling silver by Sophie Carnell and Sarah Rayner, is an exquisitely detailed opus that honours nature’s delicate ecosystems.
Superspreaders series 2020-2021 is a topical and playful group of brooches by Elfrun Lach that mirror the shapes of the COVID 19 virus.
Issues of social justice underpin works by Bin DixonWard, Penny Gillespie, and Katharine Grocott.
The intrinsic value of materials is less significant than aesthetic function in Elizabeth Curry’s shoulder piece of copper mandalas, Maddison Bygrave’s possum pelt brooches, and the clever SIM card necklace and earrings by Alison McDonald.
The atrium of the gallery is presenting the annual Carnival of Flowers Ikebana display.
Toowoomba Sogetsu School artists Margaret Eiser, Dorothy Herrmann, and Netta Obst have created a series of meditative and sparingly elegant arrangements.
These poetic essays in harmony and balance offer moments of stillness and tranquillity in which the vessels of containment and sculptural elements of support are as articulate as the thoughtful choice of flowers.
The Arts Gallery at the University of Southern Queensland is featuring the annual Heritage Bank Photographic Award Exhibition.
Attracting entrants from across Australia, Asia, and the Pacific, the exhibition celebrates the role of photography as documentation, fine art, a vehicle for narrative, and the creative interpretation of technologies.
The overall winner of the open section is Afternoon tea in lockdown by Netal Lucas.
The themed winner is Lucia Staykov’s Helping hands, and the new illustrative category was won by Colleen Price for Bush clothes drying.
The local Alwyn Kucks Memorial Award was won by Westbrook artist, Margaret Kebble for her visually arresting photomontage.
The popular annual Downlands Art Exhibition (open daily 10am-4pm, Saturday, September 18 to Saturday, September 25) is an eagerly awaited event attracting local, regional, and interstate artists.
Popular culture, traditional landscapes, decorative pieces, ceramics, sculpture, as well as investment opportunities offer a scintillating range that caters to a broad spectrum of artistic taste.