Compiler

Marion Borgelt, Bloodlight strip: figure 4, 2006, canvas, acrylic, pigment, pins, perspex box. In her exhibition 360° at Turner Galleries, 470 William Street, Northbridge, Perth, until 21 April.

Taking charge

The Central Tafe Art Gallery has saltwaterfreshwater running through April. Curated by new Gallery Manager, Thelma John (previously Fremantle Arts Centre), this topical exhibition looks at the way we talk about water. The show includes aerial photography by Richard Woldendorp, cloudscapes by Penny Bovell, underwater dreamings by Jo Darbyshire, photographs of salt-affected wheatbelt landscapes by Grant Currall, sea sculpture by Jon Tarry, Wendy Robertson, Pip McManus, Susie Marwick and Joyce Tasma, and new paintings by Indigenous artists Wakartu Cory Surprise, Judy Mengyl and Peter Newry, as well as highlights from the TAFE Collection depicting waterholes of the Kimberley. Thelma hopes to invigorate the TAFE precinct with continuous shows there and around the corner in their shopfront/residency. Interested artists can contact her on thelma.john@central.wa.edu.au

Echoes of home

Echoes of home: Memory and mobility in recent Austral-Asian art continues its Visions-supported national tour at Fremantle Arts Centre (until 15 April) and then Geraldton Regional Art Gallery. The exhibition presents the work of fourteen Australian artists, craftspeople and designers with an Asian background and includes historical and experimental approaches to media such as ceramics, textiles, paper, jewellery, sculpture and painting. Developed by the Museum of Brisbane, it has been curated by Christine Clark who worked on the Asia-Pacific Triennial for ten years at the Queensland Art Gallery and is now at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Discussions hosted at the FAC by the Asian Australian Studies Research Network will consider the show’s curatorial framework and further highlight these artists’ contribution to contemporary understandings of cross-cultural experience. 

Graduate shows

More from the graduates
From 20 April to 1 June, John Curtin Gallery present dOFa07, an exhibition of works by graduating doctoral and masters students from the Department of Art, Curtin University of Technology. This exhibition showcases a diverse range of artistic backgrounds and interests, including performance, painting, jewellery, large-scale audio-visual installations and digital art.
Also at the John Curtin Gallery from 20 April to 11 May is Neither here nor there: Milan Milojevic and Olga Sankey. Both artists have a background in printmaking, use traditional and digital printmaking techniques and are first generation Australians. Milojevic’s images are digitally constructed from fragments of historical engravings documenting the natural world and explore issues of cultural identity. Sankey is interested in the relationship between image and text and the subjective nature of the reading of both words and images, with the framing glass becoming an integral part of the work of art.

It’s that time again – HATCHED @ PICA
In April the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) presents its sixteenth HATCHED National Graduate Show, the most prestigious and comprehensive survey of new emerging artists in Australia today. The Hatched 07 exhibition will present the work of sixty-four graduates from twenty-one tertiary art schools. The exhibition has been a springboard for the professional careers of many contemporary Australian artists, including Shaun Gladwell (1997), Monika Tichacek (2000), Sean Cordeiro (2002), and Nicholas Folland (1999). The accompanying Symposium Series and Schools Program form a vital supporting role in encouraging the exploration and discussion of new ideas and the establishment of a national network. Registration and inquiries can be made with PICA on 08 9228 6300.

More youth and ambition
The Art Gallery of Western Australia presents its annual Year 12 Perspectives in April, an exhibition celebrating the talents and creativity of the next generation of artists from across Western Australia. Part of a cultural exchange, the exhibition also features a selection of works by Japanese students. The works in this exhibition include a variety of media ranging from paintings, textiles, to drawing to sculpture.