(Image credit – Cal Power, ‘Art school protest’) |
SOLIDARITY
EXHIBITION DATES: Saturday 27th May - Sunday 18th June
OPENING HOURS: Fri/Sat/Sun
– 11am-5pm
PLEASE NOTE: There will not be an opening on the first Friday as normal.
See program of events instead.
PLEASE NOTE: There will not be an opening on the first Friday as normal.
See program of events instead.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Curated by Akil Ahamat, Sarah Fitzgerald, Delilah Lyses-sApo and Alexandra Mitchell, Solidarity will show the work of sixteen current and recent students of Sydney College of the Arts, National Art School, UNSW Art & Design and UTS. The exhibition will demonstrate the need to secure the diversity of art education in Sydney. Throughout the duration of the exhibition sixteen artists will use the project space as their studio space, working in sixteen mini studio spaces. The studios will be open to the public who are invited in to see the process of art making, to talk with the artists and to see the final work at the Closing Party on Saturday 17th June from 6-8pm.
PROGRAM OF EVENTS
FRIDAY - SUNDAY
11-5pm – OPEN STUDIOS
The audience is invited to come and visit throughout the duration of the exhibition to see the process of each artist and how their work transforms over the four week period. There will also be an opportunity for the audience to make written statements regarding the importance of the diversity of art education in Sydney, sharing their thoughts.
The audience is invited to come and visit throughout the duration of the exhibition to see the process of each artist and how their work transforms over the four week period. There will also be an opportunity for the audience to make written statements regarding the importance of the diversity of art education in Sydney, sharing their thoughts.
SATURDAY 10th JUNE
1 – 2pm: Panel Discussion – Solidarity = Stability:
This panel
discussion will meditate on the need to maintain the diversity of art school’s
in Sydney as well as the notion that with solidarity between the art schools
there may be stability.
2-3:30pm: Performance: Stella Chen
3:30-4:30pm: Solidarity Artist Talks: artists will discuss their work, artistic process, what it has been like working in the project space and own thoughts on the current uncertainty surrounding Sydney’s art schools.
SATURDAY 17th JUNE
3-6pm: Performance: Stella Chen
5:30-5:45pm: Performance: Marta Ferracin, Kim Cunio, Heather Lee
6-8pm: CLOSING PARTY
THE
ARTISTS PARTICIPATING:2-3:30pm: Performance: Stella Chen
3:30-4:30pm: Solidarity Artist Talks: artists will discuss their work, artistic process, what it has been like working in the project space and own thoughts on the current uncertainty surrounding Sydney’s art schools.
SATURDAY 17th JUNE
3-6pm: Performance: Stella Chen
5:30-5:45pm: Performance: Marta Ferracin, Kim Cunio, Heather Lee
6-8pm: CLOSING PARTY
SCA - Kalanjay Dhir,
Marta Ferracin, Delilah Lyses-sApo, Sophie Suttonberg
NAS -
Dominic Byrne, Sarah Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Hogan, Elizabeth Rankin
UNSW
A&D - Stella Chen, Alexandra Mitchell, Caoife Power, Douglas
Schofield
UTS
- Akil Ahamat, Ayesha Wasique, Kristina Savic, Rathai Manivannan
EXHIBITION EXPLANATION
EXHIBITION EXPLANATION
There is no stability without solidarity and no solidarity without stability.
-Jose Manuel Barroso (2010)
There has been much disruptive rumour and speculation about the future of the art schools in Sydney and this has resulted in an overwhelming feeling that an arts education is undervalued and unsupported by current governments. Threats of closures and mergers have led to an atmosphere of uncertainty that makes it almost impossible for both academics and students to function let alone thrive as they should.
Studios are a vital part of an art education and
the community of an art school. The studio is a place where creative freedom is
supported within a challenging, academically critical environment and this is
where an arts community, that continues beyond art school, is established.
Throughout the duration of Solidarity,
Articulate project space downstairs gallery will be converted into sixteen
studio spaces. Tape will be used to divide the gallery
into studio spaces. How each studio space is inhabited will be up to the
discretion of each artist and collective. Some artists may choose to use the
space as a studio, some as an exhibition space and others may simply leave
their space empty.
By focusing on the studio, Solidarity seeks
to address what is lost amidst the current rumour and speculation about the
future of the art schools of Sydney. What is lost? It is time. Time
in the studio to think and contemplate. Time to make mistakes. Time to have
breakthroughs. And ultimately – time to focus on art and the creation of
art.
In conjunction with the exhibition there will be will
be a program of events including a talk (that will focus on the current
uncertainty and instability of Sydney's art schools and meditate on what needs
to be done in order to ensure the security and diversity of art education in
Sydney for the future) and a day of performance art. Program details will be
released shortly.
It is hoped that this exhibition will be the start
of fruitful collaboration between current and past art school students of
Sydney and that future exhibitions will occur, Solidarity simply
the first of many to come.