Arts SA has approved my Independent Makers and Presenters Professional Development grant to fund a 12 month long mentorship with George Popperwell. George is a very well respected Adelaide-based conceptual artist and retired art teacher. I’m very much looking forward to working with George over the next 12 months, and appreciate the support given me by Arts SA.
As written earlier, my entry for the 2012 Palmer Biennial was ‘In case of emergency, break glass’.
What is art? Is it the concept or the execution of the work? What’s more important, the idea or the object? Is it simply that anything produced by an ‘artist’ is ‘art’? What is good art and what is important art? Why do some artists become ‘collectable’ while the rest can only wish to be? Why do some artists go in and out of favour? Does their art become more, then less important as a result? If a painting is well made but, without paint drips running down it, does that make it second rate when compared with the work of our superstars? If a five year old could make it is it still art?
It’s simply overwhelming! Give me the answers!
Exhibited at [5] Palmer Sculpture Biennial – 2012. For more information about the Palmer Sculpture Biennial see: http://palmersculpturebiennial.org/
From 26 February until 29 April 2012 fifty-five artists will be exhibiting sculptures at the Heysen Sculpture Biennial in the Adelaide Hills. The works range from representative figurative works, to ephemeral, abstract, and conceptual pieces.
My sculpture, ‘The Agonising Paralysis of Choice’ is one of the works:
From my website: Do I choose the safe, known option? Or risk the consequences of the unfamiliar and uncertain? What if I choose wrongly? Of could I have made a better choice?
For this same exhibition I had the great honour of being entrusted to complete the multi-part sculpture for my good friend and collaborator James Martin, who passed-away from cancer in October last year. While he was sick, but still had the strength to work, James cast the 5 heads using glass-reinforced cement. We think he planned on making 30 to 50 of the heads, but wasn’t able to make more than 5 due to his illness.
James had been the Head of Sculpture at Adelaide Central School of Art. He was my teacher there, and in the past couple years we collaborated on several public art projects, but always came second. I’m sure that we would have won the next project!
James was an incredibly talented and well-respected figurative sculptor and teacher. He created the 13 story tall Merlion at Singapore’s Sentosa Island, and was the sculptor for the larger-than-life size cast bronze Vietnam Veterans’ War Memorial at Adelaide’s Torrens Parade Ground, to name just two of his many successes. He was somewhat shy about the Giant Prawn that he made as a tourist attraction at Ballina, NSW. I also thank Karen and Neville and Clifford for their contributions and suggestions about completing the works; and Tim and David for their excellent critical contributions and their strong backs, during the installation process at The Cedars.
The Heysen Sculpture Biennial will be opened at 6:30pm on Sunday 26 February by Nick Mitzevich, Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Vale James Martin.
From 262 entries 37 finalists were selected for the 2011 Deakin University Contemporary Sculpture Award, with my small cast bronze sculpture, ‘I is for I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag‘, being one of them.
The exhibition runs from Wednesday 2 November to 10 December 2011 at the Deakin University in Melbourne, with the opening and awards presentation on Wednesday 2 November from 6pm to 8pm. I hope you can visit.
I appreciate feedback about my website and I’ve now updated the images for Current Works | 2010 – My Formative Vowels. Some of the images of my small cast bronze pieces had problems, which have now been resolved.
Enjoy!