The New Republics (aka, New Worlds)
OVA has produced an extraordinary exhibition charting the relationships fostered by Great Britain with the great land mass states Australia, Canada and South Africa as the culmination of two and a half years of research that was initially funded by the Arts Council of England. The exhibition draws connections between diverse experiences held together by an English heritage that is being challenged in the late 20th C as represented by the works of fourteen artists.
The artists: Rebecca and Kenny Baird (Toronto), Richard Bell (Brisbane), Gordon Bennett (Brisbane), Willie Bester (Cape Town), Dominique Blain (Montréal), Elizabeth Gertsakis (Melbourne), Trevor Gould (Montréal), Fiona Hall (Adelaide), Moshekwa Langa (Johannesburg), Brett Murray (Cape Town), Leila Sujir (Calgary), Clive Van Den Berg (Johannesburg), Sue Williamson (Cape Town), Jin-me Yoon (Vancouver).
Rebecca and Kenny Baird have produced a set of monotype screen prints that relate to their position as First Peoples in Canada and are interested in the "ownership" of land. Richard Bell has produced a large painting as a set of panels depicting the strained relationships between race and gender in Australia. Gordon Bennet's works are four paintings that illustrate his concerns as an Aboriginal artist. Willie Bester who makes assemblages on canvas says, "my whole interest now is with history". His piece is called Transition and refers to the period when Nelson Mandela was coming into power. Dominique Blain is showing two pieces that refer to the colonial period. Elizabeth Gertsakis has recently been working in the Philatelic Museum in Melbourne, she has reworked some stamp images that articulate past positions of colonial power. Trevor Gould's work watercolours and installation reflect his ongoing interest in the movement of plants in the colonial era. Fiona Hall, an accomplished artist and photographer is showing a new set of her sardine cans that depict the giving of birth to natural plants. Moshekwa Langa belongs to the new generation x and is showing a fragment of his work, "My Life as a Disco Queen", the whole of which was shown at the last Sao Paolo Biennale. Brett Murray's iron works are about truth and reconciliation in the New South Africa. Leila Sujir has made a videotape that dwells upon the fantasies of night cleaners at Calgary airport. They are largely of South Asian origin. Clive Van Den Berg has made two videotapes that come from a series titled "Memorials Without Facts" exploring those parts of a nation's memory that are left out of official accounts. Sue Willia'son is showing three interactive pieces from the series "Truth Games". Jin-me Yoon’s "Regard" using images she made of East Asian Canadians confronting the Canadian landscape as painted by the "Group of 7."
Through exploring the cultural abilities of each of the countries the artists reside in, amalgamating both modern ideas and multiple cultural heritages, both indigenous and brought in by the immigrants who settled there, the artists also raise the question about what can be considered acceptable ethically and aesthetically in the making of art. The artists have been raising these issues in local international settings.
The project has been funded by London Arts Board, the Australia Council, the Arts Council of South Africa.
The artists: Rebecca and Kenny Baird (Toronto), Richard Bell (Brisbane), Gordon Bennett (Brisbane), Willie Bester (Cape Town), Dominique Blain (Montréal), Elizabeth Gertsakis (Melbourne), Trevor Gould (Montréal), Fiona Hall (Adelaide), Moshekwa Langa (Johannesburg), Brett Murray (Cape Town), Leila Sujir (Calgary), Clive Van Den Berg (Johannesburg), Sue Williamson (Cape Town), Jin-me Yoon (Vancouver).
Rebecca and Kenny Baird have produced a set of monotype screen prints that relate to their position as First Peoples in Canada and are interested in the "ownership" of land. Richard Bell has produced a large painting as a set of panels depicting the strained relationships between race and gender in Australia. Gordon Bennet's works are four paintings that illustrate his concerns as an Aboriginal artist. Willie Bester who makes assemblages on canvas says, "my whole interest now is with history". His piece is called Transition and refers to the period when Nelson Mandela was coming into power. Dominique Blain is showing two pieces that refer to the colonial period. Elizabeth Gertsakis has recently been working in the Philatelic Museum in Melbourne, she has reworked some stamp images that articulate past positions of colonial power. Trevor Gould's work watercolours and installation reflect his ongoing interest in the movement of plants in the colonial era. Fiona Hall, an accomplished artist and photographer is showing a new set of her sardine cans that depict the giving of birth to natural plants. Moshekwa Langa belongs to the new generation x and is showing a fragment of his work, "My Life as a Disco Queen", the whole of which was shown at the last Sao Paolo Biennale. Brett Murray's iron works are about truth and reconciliation in the New South Africa. Leila Sujir has made a videotape that dwells upon the fantasies of night cleaners at Calgary airport. They are largely of South Asian origin. Clive Van Den Berg has made two videotapes that come from a series titled "Memorials Without Facts" exploring those parts of a nation's memory that are left out of official accounts. Sue Willia'son is showing three interactive pieces from the series "Truth Games". Jin-me Yoon’s "Regard" using images she made of East Asian Canadians confronting the Canadian landscape as painted by the "Group of 7."
Through exploring the cultural abilities of each of the countries the artists reside in, amalgamating both modern ideas and multiple cultural heritages, both indigenous and brought in by the immigrants who settled there, the artists also raise the question about what can be considered acceptable ethically and aesthetically in the making of art. The artists have been raising these issues in local international settings.
The project has been funded by London Arts Board, the Australia Council, the Arts Council of South Africa.