Tag Archives: Sculpture

May/June 2013 Exhibitions

To facilitate easy parking, we are moving our events
from Saturday afternoons to Wednesday evenings.
Please join us for our first evening, drinks with the Artists,
on Wednesday 29 May, 5:30-7:30pm

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▶ HELENA LESLIE
“My practice conflates drawing and painting with the act of remembering and hence, my works are records, and traces of that which has been discarded and forgotten. As I unite my subjects with small offerings of humble ground: quilted landscapes, small planets, bright stars; I seek to reposition these narratives as contemporary portraits of the universal human condition.”

▶ BENJAMIN STORCH
“The sculptures I create often embody mathematical principles related to dynamics and topology, as this provides a means of visualising their complexity via CAD. Gravity makes it difficult to use softer mediums, so there is an interesting tension between the ethereal, fluid intention and the often tedious manipulation of rigid metal.”

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“This series of work reflects a continuing preoccupation with place and landscape. I am particularly interested in photographing those places in city environments where human culture and the natural world intersect.”

Catherine Cloran, ‘Mangroves Cooks River’ 2012
pigment print on archival paper, 53.5 x 80cm

Senden Blackwood + Helen Mueller – Closing 23 March

blackwood_mueller_installsEmploying the diminishing art of stone carving through his sensuous and seamless forms, SENDEN BLACKWOOD tirelessly labours upon his hand-carved and polished pieces, building a relationship between his aesthetic ideas and the physical attributes of the stone. Within his current exhibition, kaiu, Blackwood has worked in a range of scale and materials, showcasing his diverse technical ability. He creates stone pieces that evoke a visceral admiration through their impressive display of skill, and encourages a simple engagement with cast bronze works that sit comfortably in the hand.

blackwood_mueller_selections1Though contemplative and in subdued shades of black, white and grey, HELEN MUELLER’s current exhibition, Forest requiem, has elicited excited and perceptive responses from viewers. The restricted palette allows the complex layered forms of the branches to create alluring imagery, thoughtfully paired with areas of blank space to accentuate certain shapes and configurations.

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March 2013 Exhibitions

▶ SENDEN BLACKWOOD
“I feel like everything I want to say is written in the lines and planes of each piece. The repetitive physical process of carving translates my decisions and ideas into a subtle language, inherent in the finished form.”

▶ HELEN MUELLER
“This melaleuca forest formed the starting point for the woodblock prints in this exhibition. In the working process I discovered that struggle can result in rich complexity, in elegance and grace.”

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On Friday 8 March, Art Month Sydney will be hosting the Waterloo precinct Art Bar at 2 Danks Street. All the Galleries will be open till 8pm, with the Art Bar kicking off at BMG from 8 till late. We hope you can join us for drinks and and some TGIF fun!

sdcBrenda May Gallery is pleased to present the first exhibition in our project space, Brenda May Annex, by the text-based artist >[sdc]<. Of his work, the Artist writes, “The surface of these paintings, their slowly constructed skins by way of layering and collage techniques, marries the technological space from which their realm of dialogue is drawn and the physical act of painting as a means of interpersonal negotiation.”

Josh Raymond, Kelly-Ann Lees, Judy Watson – Opening 12 February

Josh Raymond’s exhibition #atwar “sifts and presents personal wars, cultural wars, militarised wars and the history wars to map a collusion of ideas where men are firmly at the centre”.

This sculptures by Kelly-Ann Lees are part of her continued exploration of geometric forms and the interplay between positive and negative space. She is also playing with the appearance of weightlessness, whilst continuing to use dense, industrial materials.

In addition, grahame galleries + editions presents Judy Watson’s experimental beds at Brenda May Gallery. The suite of six etchings features imagery courtesy of the Jefferson Papers and the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, both at the University of Virginia.

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Sculpture 2013 – Closing 9 February

The New Year, commencing with an exciting and challenging Sculpture show continues in 2013. This year’s exhibition, unfettered by theme and drawn from around Australia, displays a collection of very diverse works.

After being enticed down the hall by Will Coles’ compelling sculpture ‘Might is Right’, (that also caused a stir in our booth at Art Stage Singapore), the crowds of people present at the 2 Danks Street Gala Opening were reaching for their smart phones upon seeing Arun Sharma’s evocative performance piece. In ‘(de)composition: Untitled (2 pairs of feet)’, four perfectly formed ceramic legs were transformed into underwater relics as fine white powder cascaded down their sides to eventually become a layer of dust.

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Sharing a common space are Greer Taylor’s installation centred on nature’s place in politics, Senden Blackwood’s ‘baku’, a powerful hand-carved stone work, and Angela McHarrie’s quirky structure of ascending bright red tables that appear be defying gravity by balancing on an oversized ball-bearing. All three pieces are very different in their construction and affect, displaying the varying nature of sculpture itself.

Other highlights include Barbara Licha’s unconventional use of chicken wire in the captivating wall-mounted tableau ‘Runners’, Ken + Julia Yonetani’s modern take on a classical motif with ‘Still Life: The Food Bowl’, a sculpture formed from Murray River Salt, and Walter Brecely’s ‘The Walkers’, small objects with leg-like prongs that provoke one’s imagination to animate these clustering creatures.

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If you haven’t already wandered into the 2 Danks Street complex this year, you still have time to catch Sculpture 2013 before it closes on Saturday 9 February.

Sculpture 2013 – Opening 23 January

Pushing preconceptions, this year’s annual sculpture show presents a diverse and stimulating line-up. The 2013 edition features an interesting selection of wall-works including Greer Taylor’s 380cm long installation of upstanding sticks and Lyndal Hargrave’s geometric optical illusion. A dominating freestanding work is Angela McHarrie’s ‘Red Alert’ – an unstable stack of bright red tables that appear to be relying on a large ball bearing for balance.

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These works, amongst many other exemplary pieces of sculpture, will be on show from Wednesday 23 January when the 2 Danks Steet complex will reopen with the combined galleries Gala Night.

Also, this year Brenda May Gallery will be exhibiting at Art Stage Singapore, Asia’s premier international art fair. As well as increasing their local focus, the Fair aims to further nurture a platform for Australian Art to speak to the global market that it attracts. With over 100 galleries exhibiting, Art Stage Singapore states that it will best reflect the contemporary Australasian art market. The Gallery is proud to present three represented artists: Will Coles, Waratah Lahy and Mylyn Nguyen. Art Stage Singapore 2013 runs from 24 to 27 January at the Marina Bay Sands Exhibition and Convention Centre in Singapore.

Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen – Closing 1 December

The current exhibitions by TODD FULLER and MYLYN NGUYEN will be on view until Saturday 1 December.

Filling the Gallery with pensive and joyful sounds are Todd Fuller’s hand drawn films. Both ‘somewhere in between’ and ‘adrift’ can be viewed in a darkened theatrette, specially built for the exhibition. Conveying the emotions of the films in three dimensions are sculptural incarnations of both films’ protagonists. Surrounding the sculptures are Fuller’s works on paper, which are essentially stills from the films. Their worked surface alludes to a narrative far beyond what is present, due to visible lines of addition and erasure.

Extending her previous use of trees in unassuming and curious circumstances – whether that was sprouting from books or preserved in jars – Mylyn Nguyen in her latest exhibition leads the viewer’s fascination to what lies beneath the tree. These often rock perched growths are balanced atop dirt formed animals, toy cars, kitchen implements and other creatures and items of familiarity that have been cast into intriguing scenarios. Nguyen’s works evoke a fore longed sense of childhood wonder.

BMG at Art Stage Singapore 2013

Will Coles ‘Might is Right’ 2012 (work in progress) fibre glass resin with gold leaf, 130 x 80 x 50cm

In January next year Brenda May Gallery will be exhibiting three of our represented artists at Art Stage Singapore. We look forward to extending our international reach by showcasing the works of Will Coles, Waratah Lahy and Mylyn Nguyen.

Will Coles is essentially a street- artist who uses quotidian objects that incorporate humorous but deceptively serious messages to provoke social commentary. Coles continues to use the streets as his canvas and his works appear in many ‘art laneways’ around the world.

Waratah Lahy, ‘Nightlife (Ping Pong)’ 2012, oil on glass, 11 x 7 x 7cm

Waratah Lahy is concerned with the overlooked moments of the everyday and the Australian obsession with ‘big’ tourist icons. The artist’s works, created in miniature, examine the act of looking – whether through a window at dusk, at the seemingly mundane or at the ‘Mona Lisa’. Lahy translates these observations into tiny paintings on canvas, perspex, crushed aluminum cans or into found drinking glasses.

Mylyn Nguyen says her work evolved from the fertile imagination of a child at just three. Born in Australia of Vietnamese parents, she received her Masters of Visual Arts in 2006 at Sydney College of the Arts, where she spent her time in the glass studio making works combining blown glass with various unlikely materials.

Mylyn Nguyen, ‘Dirt (Octopus)’ 2012, clay, Coir-Peat, pebble, twig, fibre, watercolour + ink on paper, 14 x 30 x 25cm variable

Nguyen’s exhibition ‘An owl flew into my office and told me to look for Bear’ is currently on show in the Gallery, featuring whimsical and quirky creations. Join Nguyen and Todd Fuller this Saturday 17th for their Drinks with the Artists, 4-6pm.

Art Stage Singapore runs from 24 – 27 Jan 2013 at the iconic Marina Bay Sands Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen – Opening 13 November

Todd Fuller’s new exhibition Somewhere In Between brings together sculpture, hand-drawn films and collage to construct a struggle of binary opposites. Fuller’s works are simultaneously personal and about the ‘everyman’, conveying emotions that are often difficult to verbalise. Having just won the Fishers Ghost Sculpture Prize and as the recipient of the William Fletcher Travelling Fellowship to Rome, Fuller’s works have demonstrated their ability to connect with a broad audience.

 

As well as being a featured Gallery artist at Art Stage Singapore in January next year, Mylyn Nguyen’s enchantingly titled An owl flew into my office and told me to look for Bear is her first solo exhibition since becoming a represented artist. Her fanciful pieces show an amazingly creative imagination, unbelievable intricacy and fantastical narratives. As the artist explains, “This is a journey through the everyday in the hope of finding the little magic that I used to carry with me on the train, in my backpack and in the reserved special spot on my desk…”

Todd Fuller, Winner in the sculpture category of Fishers Ghost Art Prize 2012

Congratulations Todd Fuller!

Todd won the sculpture category of the 2012 Fishers Ghost Art Prize at Campbelltown Arts Centre with his work ‘morning minutes’.

The sculpture was first exhibited at BMG in the February 2012 exhibition Major Artists, Major Works. The sculpture depicts the character from his hand-drawn animation ‘somewhere in between‘. The film plays on an iPod within the briefcase displayed alongside the figure.

Todd Fuller, ‘morning minutes‘ 2012, oil + pigment on white earthenware, stool, iPod showing hand drawn animation ‘somewhere in between’, 6:10, 102 x 46 x 42cm