Exhibition – Kerrie Warren and Dragi Jankovic

In the West Gippsland art centre at Warragul Vic, two Contemporary Artists came together to produce a stunning show recently, I was fortunate enough to interview Kerrie Warren about the exhibition she shares with Dragi Jankovic. Enjoy…

Kerrie this exhibition is awesome… what was the inspiration for it?
A couple of things came together to create this opportunity, our Arts and Cultural Officer Karen Whitaker-Taylor moved into the West Gippsland Arts Centre to manage incoming exhibitions. When I heard that she was calling for proposals, I quickly put one in as it has been a number of years since exhibiting major works in my own region. Later in the year I’ll be busy with Art Sydney, so the timing worked beautifully!

Due to the open space, I asked ceramic artist Dragi Jankovic to exhibit with me in a joint show. Dragi was just about to take off to Korea on a ceramic arts project and the timing worked well for him too.

You and Dragi go a long way back is this the first time you have exhibited together on this scale (or any scale for that matter.)
Many years ago (approx 17) Dragi was my teacher when I studied for my Diploma of Art in Ceramics but we connected again a few years ago when I invited Dragi to share a space at Art Melbourne with me. We could clearly see a harmony between our pieces and so did the public. We received so many positive comments about how it worked together.

Is the work interconnected in some obvious way the viewer will pick up?
No. Dragi and myself didn’t sit down and plan the concept of the show. We are both dedicated passionate artists however and I think it connects on that level. When we installed the work it was truly an amazing experience and we had onlookers…. I would hang a painting and Dragi would place a plinth and a piece of his work…. it seemed every piece had been planned to sit beside my work and vice versa!

The pieces actually sing in ‘harmony’ and the staff at the Arts Centre stood back quite amazed. To be honest I think we were too, it really appears to be carefully ‘thought out’! It is a very powerful experience to walk into.

You have done Ceramics yourself, I hear you are getting back into it is that right?
Yes! I’ve just finished renovating my studio and now I have another area where I’ve set up ceramics. I wondered if after more than 10 years I could still ‘throw a pot’ and I can! Years ago as a young artist I had to make a decision to go one way or the other as I had a lack of space and money. I was becoming quite engrossed in my works on canvas and decided to sell my kiln and clear the space in order to expand my ideas. I’ve missed ceramics and sculpture being a part of my life and now I am in a position where I can integrate them back into my practise.

Your style has altered a bit over the years from strict borders and masking taped lines to what I will call a “fully organic” open slather approach. Within that, have you seen an evolution of your style?
Yes, I had to grow to where I am now through experience. I began life as a ‘traditional’ artist and therefore had many blocks to break through to ‘abstract expressionism’. I followed instincts and felt the pull over time. Thus there was my geometric period (approx 2001 – 2004) where I explored straight lines and ‘abstract expressionism’ contained within lines (blocks). It was as if I would allow myself to play within a designated area only.

Well playing within the blocks became the most interesting and fascinating experience, originally seeded by my previous studies in Transpersonal Art Therapy where we would work on the floor. In early 2005 I looked back at my work and vowed I would never put another straight line on my canvas again, I was ready to indulge myself completely! It was only through other people referring to my work as ‘Pollock’ style did I then begin to study him myself. I became intrigued because he had ‘grown’ to that place of abstract expressionism from his own roots, and I had experienced the same.

I have only seen your old studio, the new one you recently completed, does it make a difference to the way you work?
Oh yes! My new studio is just amazing! I have a separate ‘splatter studio’ which you can imagine is a necessity… I have a clean area where I stretch canvas, varnish, photograph etc… and a ceramic studio, kiln shed and carport for loading. It is like a promotion really! It allows me to operate in a more professional sense and is not connected to our home. The studio has a separate driveway and parking area and we are now landscaping and building paths… I think I have a fishpond on the way too!

Your energy and enthusiasm for your work and the promotion thereof is incredible, to me you are a shining light for very active marketing. Is there a reason for that? and does it come easily…

Steve, I’m really happy you feel that coming through. I suppose I feel absolutely ‘driven’, I always have. There is always so much to do and so little time… The energy and excitement is initiated through my work and extends through all things. While the paint is drying I’m busy with promotions because the energy is always there. That is partly why I’ve brought ceramics back into my practice, I simply have so much energy for my work and I experience the same in various materials. I don’t work with a preconceived idea and I think this creates an ongoing excitement for what I do. Every day is like Christmas in the studio. It must seem crazy I suppose but I’m always expecting the unexpected… and that is damn exciting!

Want to see more Artist Interviews the day they are posted? Subscribe and we automatically send you the latest post via email, it’s easy… click here to subscribe.

Follow me on twitter! http://twitter.com/stevegray58

Check out our other Art Site http://artstuff.net.au Loaded with creativity boosters, professional development strategies, investing/collecting art and activities for Artists and Students…

October 20, 2010 | Filed Under Around the Galleries, Artists at Work - Contemporary Visual Artist Interviews | 3 Comments

Exhibition – Net Work the TLF Exhibition

Net Work: the TLF Exhibition by Amanda van Gils – fundbreak.com.au

fundbreak.com.au

Net Work: the TLF exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat December 2010 / January 2011 One forum. Thirty-eight artists. Over 100 pieces of art. A museum exhibition with big impact. An exhibition of the work of 38 artists who…

A big show folks, with so many contemporary Artists on show it will be well worth getting to!

Here’s more vital information…

1. Many of the Artists have been interviewed here, on Steve Gray’s blog Art Re-Source! Take a look!

2. Net Work: the TLF exhibition

I am so pleased to be able to finally share with you the details of a truly exciting project, which is nearing it’s public presentation.

For well over a year Amanda van gils been working on developing a large and diverse exhibition of contemporary art. This is the first major exhibition she has curated and she has been fortunate enough to attract a number of very talented artists for the exhibition. “I feel especially blessed to have been offered the premium space at Australia’s oldest and largest regional gallery, the Art Gallery of Ballarat.“ Amanda said.

The exhibition Net Work: the TLF exhibition will be the feature exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat over Summer, opening on December 11th and continuing to 30th January.

Net Work will be a BIG exhibition……38 artists from 4 States, over 120 meters of wall space (plus a vast amount of floor space), over 100 works of art, all in the biggest regional gallery in Australia. Oh yes and an expected audience of 5000 visitors…. so you can imagine how excited Amanda is!

Supporting this exhibition…

How can you support it?

Naturally if you are near Ballarat between the 11th December and 30th January it is hoped you can make time to visit the exhibition. We hope too you will pass the word along to your friends and colleagues who you think might be interested. Having the exhibition viewed and sharing the artwork is really what it’s all about.

But an exhibition like this also requires a lot of time, energy and finances. Currently we’re trying to raise the funds to cover freighting 100 art works from 4 States to Ballarat for the exhibition, and printing a full colour catalogue which will be available in December. We have put together a couple of fundraising options to ensure any supporters get back something for their assistance… other than our gratitude and a wonderful warm feeling.

Firstly, we are able to accept tax deductible donations via the Australian Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) , so come tax time you can legally claim your support as a tax deduction and it costs you nothing. Donations over $2 are tax deductible (excluding family members of participating artists). More information is available from the abaf website.

Or if you’d like a more tangible reward, we are also listed on “Fundbreak” where you can choose an amount to donate and receive gifts in exchange for your support (not tax deductible). Our gifts include postcards, catalogue and even art works, depending on the level of support you choose. Fundbreak is fairly simple. We currently have 43 days to meet our goal. If we don’t achieve it, all money is returned to the donors.

If you are able to support us financially and/or by passing along information about this exhibition, The Curator and the Visual Artists in the exhibition, will be most grateful. Names of financial supporters can be added (with your permission) to a special Supporters page on our website.

You can find out all more about the exhibition on our website: http://www.networkexhibition.com The website includes a wonderful essay by writer and artist Robert Hollingworth. There is news, information about the show, our sponsors and opportunities for people to support the exhibition. And of course there is art. The website includes an artist page for each artist in the exhibition.

Kind Regards

Amanda