The exhibition was opened on a balmy Tuesday evening and guests enjoyed a glass of fine wine along with fine food as they perused the collection.
This exhibition was both curated and opened by the President of CAS, Robert Lee, who is tireless in the promotion of 'Art for art's sake' as well as CAS members' and guest artists' work.
What a wonderful collection of Contemporary artwork, reflecting the diversity of background and skills of each entrant. Seventy artists, many from interstate, were represented by their works, works of an eclectic nature in a variety of mediums and styles. Painting, collage, mixed media, sculpture, work on paper, ink and coloured pencil were all represented in this collection.
As the reviewer, I took the president's advice and allowed my senses and mind to focus in depth on works that first caught my eye. Of particular interest were the works of Emma Borland, two pieces of cast glass; His Companion and Mr. Jean D's Head. These pieces reflected the artist's fascination with people and a subsequent search for the meaning behind the fear of this fascination. Being intuitive pieces, I was drawn to them as they resonated with me due to the use of medium and the artist's drawing upon the human face for her inspiration.
Tapping another level of feeling is the work by Van Phu Le, both sculptures serenely beautiful, reflecting the most joyous and precious moments of the human condition.
I gazed upon the influence of the spiritual in the pleasing work of Rosemary Mangiamele in both her works on paper, Impermanence and Seeking the Essence. Reflecting the state of every human being, perhaps unknowingly, these pieces seem to capture that search for the 'essence' or meaning which at some level we all seek to find in a world of impermanence.
Of particular interest was a work by Mary Stylianou, The Power of Three; a work executed in coloured pencil on paper, a piece which kept me standing before it as I searched for suitable words in which to describe this work adequately. The light captured streaming onto and distorting the obviously human faces created a particularly beautiful and yet disconcerting distortion, one that will long be remembered by each viewer. Both angelic and bizarre this work presents a dilemma for the viewer. Just what is the mystery behind these faces?
Environment, either psychological or physical, impacts greatly upon each artist as he/she works. Evidence of the impact of physical environment is to be found in Outback Textures, a textural work painted by Deirdre Edwards using acrylic and mixed media, one which reflects the connection between Deirdre's work and the outback areas of Australia to which she is exposed and to which the city dweller is seldom privy.
Texture and Gesture are of paramount importance to the work of Theo Petrie. Both pieces, Meaning In and The Magician using mixed media were engaging and challenging to the viewer. Strong pieces, each of which inexorably draw the viewer's eye across their textured surface as each viewer searches for their own meaning in the textures and gestures of this artist. The conceptualisation which Theo uses as part of his art practice manages to transport the viewer to another level of reality and one which is particularly their own.
Conscious of the immensity of talent which I am reviewing in this exhibition and due to space restrictions, I have chosen a small but broad number to mention individually. This by no means reflects that others are less worthy of mention. The work represented in this exhibition is diverse and many are breathtaking in either their beauty or in the intellectual challenge offered to each viewer. Congratulations to all exhibitors. Dinner following the opening of The Collectors' Exhibition was a great end to a wonderful opening. Attended by 43 members and their friends and partners it proved to be a pleasant and relaxed evening.
(Extracted from the
Contemporary Art Society Newsletter March - April
2004)
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updated 1 April 2004
