Compiler

Study of a Peacock, Pavo cristatus, Pavo cristatus, 2007, Lambda print. Veasey is showing with Johnston Gallery, Perth, from 6 to 27 July. www.johnstongallery.com.au 

WA Nien Schwarz

j.schwarz@ecu.edu.au

Wonderful wanderings

The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) has brought to the front of the house a veritable feast of works in Wonderlust, a multi-thematic and new presentation of the State Art Collection, featuring Indigenous / Australian and international art, craft and design acquired since the Gallery’s inception in 1895. The exhibition brings together a range of works from various periods and media such as one of the earliest Western Australian works in the collection, Frederick Garling’s 1827 views of the Swan River, to recent works such as Julie Dowling’s painting of Indigenous resistance fighter Yagan, contemporary sculpture by James Angus, and Pru Venables’s ceramics. Well worth several sojourns, and don’t miss Peep: Glimpses of the last 4 decades from the Kerry Stokes Collection and Circle of Friends featuring David Rosetzky and James Lynch: www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/exhibitions/index.asp

Below the Southern Cross

At the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) there are three new exhibitions. Curated by PICA’s Melissa Keys, An Ever Expanding Universe is a small constellation of 10 painters that explores diverse traditions and cultural histories in contemporary Australia. This interstellar group journeys into painted miniatures, images of the cosmos and contemporary abstraction, and Indigenous and Buddhist traditions. Artists: Maria Cruz (NSW/GER), Tim Johnson (NSW), Lara Merrett (VIC), Viv Miller (VIC), Pip & Pop (Nicole Andrijevic & Tanya Schultz) (WA), Ben Pushman (WA), Nusra Latif Qureshi (VIC), Noël Skrzypczak (VIC), Gulumbu Yunupingu (NT).

Old country, new media

Known for her paintings, Badimaya artist Julie Dowling forays into multi-media. Oottheroongoo (Your Country) is an installation that is simultaneously a self-portrait and a wider history. Through film and photography, a physical and spiritual reconnection with her ancestral country is shared.

Tie me kangaroo down, Goth

Early European mapmakers frequently depicted a southern landmass occupied by bizarre and threatening species. Much later, settlers to this country described their experiences as disorienting, eerie, frightening, and the land as hostile. Embedded in the collective consciousness and expressed through the arts, these ‘gothic traditions and unsettling imaginings’ are explored in Australian Gothic: Video Art Now. Curated by Dr Shaun Wilson and featuring: Alex Avzoglou (VIC), Marsha Berry (VIC), John A Douglas (VIC), Robert Hecimovic (NSW), Larissa Hjorth (VIC), Tammy Honey (VIC), Sam Keene (VIC), Brendan Le (VIC), David McDowell (VIC), Aaron McLoughlin (VIC), Krystal Shultheiss (VIC), Brie Trenerry (VIC), Shaun Wilson (VIC), and Marco Kin Ming Wong (VIC). All exhibitions until 3 August: www.pica.org.au/exhibitions_current/

Avon calling

Northam on the Avon River, long renowned for milling the harvests of the West’s breadbasket, this month features the annual Northam Art Prize Awards. Organised by the Avon Valley Arts Society, the exhibition is located at Northam Art Centre. Word has it that the prize sponsorships are one of the widest in the state, with all prize monies going directly to the winning artists. 6 to 30 July.

Batting and boiling

Stitched and bound and A Dying Art are part of a series of juried exhibitions established by the West Australian Quilters’ Association. This year marks the 7th biennial and showcases adventurous interpretations of traditional patchwork and quilting techniques, innovative designs, intricate patterns, and fungi dyed cloth. Selected artists including Bernadette Aitken, Ruth de Vos, Michele Eastwood, Julie Clampett, Donna Franklin, Margery Goodall, Stephanie Knudsen, Wendy Lugg, Marianne Penberthy, Emerald Springs and Katrina Syme. At Mundaring Arts Centre, 4 July to 3 August: www.mundatingartscentre.com

All in the family

The Printmakers Association of WA Awards at the Moores Building highlights different printmaking developments and encourages both emerging and established artists to exhibit their work. This is an open competition with awards for the most outstanding prints in several categories. From 12 to 20 July. Also at the Moores, Shadow Me Home, an exhibition by three artists from one family – Kati Thamo, Raku Pitt and Freya Pitt – whose shadow-rich works evoke a heightened sense of drama in relation to everyday life. 14 to 20 July.

Nine months

Cluster at Heathcote Museum and Gallery is the outcome of FORM’s 9-month Jewellery Cluster Program. Helena Bogucki, Claire Brookes, Kim Christian, Carolyn Gorman, Jessica Jubb, Beth Linton, Carrie McDowell, Claire Moody, Leah Tarlo, and Fern Valess were encouraged to explore the boundaries of their design skills and visit areas outside their familiar territories. The exhibition is the final outcome of the process and reflects the participants’ experience. Until 10 August.

Special attention

Perth Centre for Photography (PCP) hosted the first annual Contemporary Landscapes in Photography CLIP Award. CLIP is a national prize recognising contemporary landscapes in photo-based media and which challenges the traditional notion of landscape photography. The winners were WA artists Juha Tolenen, Bo Wong and Leon Bird.

Masterfully Mid-year

The John Curtin Gallery presents dOFa08, featuring works by graduating Master of Creative Arts and Master of Arts students from Curtin University of Technology. The exhibition showcases a range of artistic backgrounds and interests, from painting to large-scale audio-visual installations and digital artworks. Participating artists: Dragica, Mark Parfitt, Keumio, Beth Kirkland and Julian Stadon. 20 June to 1 August.

Funding for Country Arts

Country Arts WA is keen to see as many people as possible from regional WA participate in the Regional Arts Australia national conference, art at the heart, in Alice Springs, 3 to 5 October. As a result, Country Arts WA is offering funding to subsidise the cost of attending the conference for West Australian regionally-based arts volunteers. Any regional Western Australian working in a volunteer capacity for a community-based organisation may apply for art at the heart volunteer assistance. Applications must be received by 5pm, Friday 11 July 2008. www.countryartswa.asn.au.