COLLABORATEURS / KARINA WIKAMTO

Karina Wikamto_Family Tree Project_2013_mixed media installation

Every day throughout the Collaborateurs exhibition, we will be sharing an interview with one of the exhibiting artists...

KARINA WIKAMTO

How did you and Michael first meet?

Michael is my older brother and my only sibling. Iʼve known him my entire life.

Why did you choose to collaborate with Michael?

I thought it would be only right, given the concept of the work, that I choose to collaborate with a member of my family. My brother and I are close siblings. We have a shared experience that informs my art practice, familial values and beliefs.

What is it about collaboration as a process that appeals to you as a contemporary artist?

This is my very first collaborative project. I find the process to be artistically appealing as I often utilise the understandings and advice of my peers as guidance for the direction of my work. In the past, such given tasks as group work has always been a frustrating process. However, when given the opportunity to choose your team members and the components of the task at hand, the outcomes of or the experience gained from the process could prove to be rewarding.

What is it that you hope to realise through this collaborative project?

I hope that I come out of this process realising the benefits of having two minds work towards a common goal. Hopefully the outcomes will encourage me to consider doing more collaborative projects in the future.

Karina Wikamto will be exhibiting today, Wednesday 10 July, from 3pm-9pm.

Click here to learn more about the Collaborateurs exhibition.

COLLABORATEURS / ELLA BARCLAY

Every day throughout the Collaborateurs exhibition, we will be sharing an interview with one of the exhibiting artists...

ELLA BARCLAY

How did you and your collaborators first meet? Why did you choose to collaborate with them for Collaborateurs?

I met Lachlan Lewis MacColl (Oper8or) whilst studying for my MSc in Edinburgh. I spent the best part of 24 months bleary-eyed with opened ears to the world, which seemed suddenly audible. We formed a small pack of collaborators who helped each other with various creative enterprises, listened, watched, discussed and occasionally filmed each other waxing lyrical about life whilst vomiting from inebriation. I met YujunYe, Hei Wen Hsu and Meng Ping Chou whilst on AsiaLink residency in Taipei. Initially, this was a forced collaborative relationship, I was buried in my studio doing all the loner things artists actually love doing on residencies because they never get a chance to do them any other time but was always interrupted with "Hellooo? Ella? You Sleep? Maybe we drink the beer." I would somewhat reluctantly lug onto the back of her scooter (then comically back-heavy) and schlep across town to meet actually quite amazing artists doing great things. 

What is it about collaboration as a process that appeals to you as a contemporary artist? 

I had never worked with dancers before but was really taken by their spontaneous and persistent energy to try out lots of different things. Our initial project was a performance called 'About a Girl' in Taipei Artist Village that involved duck-masks, oscillators, laundry, rolling around on the ground and, in their case, yelling mixtures of French and Mandarin into various microphones. The work drew a crowd of about 75 people. I remember asking Hei Wen actually during the Q&A afterwards, why it was called 'About a Girl' and she explained, in a heady mix of broken english and mime, that it was about genital mutilation among West African women. 

I played them Lewis' song, they instantly recognised the samples of a basketball and discussed a basketball themed-work. I was hesitant as I know the song more explicitly discusses passive aggression towards lovers falling out of love and failed attempts to reignite youth's energy with drugs. But in framing the theme in such a way, especially when there are large language gaps, actually provided a crucial hook in making this video exceptionally weird. 

What is it that you hope to realise through this collaborative project?

I think collaboration in the era of travelling artists holds a real importance for sustaining histories and development. Through contributing to each other's work, we are maintaining tenuous links to formative locations and moments in time.

Ella Barclay will be exhibiting today, Tuesday 9 July, from 3pm-9pm.

Click here to learn more about the Collaborateurs exhibition.

COLLABORATEURS / LIAM BENSON

Liam Benson_VB Sticker_2004

Every day throughout the Collaborateurs exhibition, we will be sharing an interview with one of the exhibiting artists...

LIAM BENSON

How did you and Nick Atkins first meet?

Nick and I met in 2012 through working together on the production UnBard, a contemporary movement piece that celebrated a group of people living with disabillities from with Sunnyfield.

Why did you choose to collaborate with Nick for Collaborateurs?

I chose to collaborate with Nick because of his innate ability to draw out the beauty of a subject and find a way to help them tell their story through movement.

What is it about collaboration as a process that appeals to you as a contemporary artist?

Collaboration is an integral part of my creative process because it allows my to step outside of the comfort zone of my solo practice. I love sharing and absorbing ideas with other artists and seeing where a negotiation of thoughts can take us.

What is it that you hope to realise through this collaborative project?

I hope to realise a new physicality and sense of movement in relation to the ideas, thoughts and feelings I have about men and the culture of masculinity.

Liam Benson will be exhibiting today, Monday 8 July, from 3pm-9pm.

Click here to learn more about the Collaborateurs exhibition.

COLLABORATEURS / SYLVIA SCHWENK INTERVIEW

Sylvia Schwenk_A shared space (video still)_2012_single channel DVD with sound, colour_duration 7:05 min

Every day throughout the Collaborateurs exhibition, we will be sharing an interview with one of the exhibiting artists...

SYLVIA SCHWENK

How did you and The Gravedigger first meet?

I was working on an art commission in Europe and most days I would ride my bike past a cemetery close to where I lived. One day I got off my bike and went for a walk in the cemetery. It was such a beautiful tranquil space with green grass and blossoming flowers.

I sat on a bench in the cemetery listening to the quietness of the space, watching people tending graves, watering plants and spending time with their loved ones.

I was transported while sitting there and felt I needed to do a work of art about death - so I approached the Director of the graveyard and talked about my ideas of making a short film about what happens in preparing a grave for a burial.

Why did you choose to collaborate with The Gravedigger?

Death is such an important part of life and for many people it is a part of their everyday lives. Yet as a society we generally feel uncomfortable talking about death, funerals and grief.

I thought it would be good to make a work that looked at all these things in an accessible way and so I worked with two gravediggers, filming them as they prepared a grave for a burial.

What is it about collaboration as a process that appeals to you as a contemporary artist?

Sharing experiences, ideas and time with people.

What is it that you hope to realise through this collaborative project?

I wanted to make death more accessible. However, when I filmed the gravediggers an unusual thing happened, which changed the nature of the work.

I was unsure what to do with what transpired, but ended up presenting what I filmed, because this too is a part of life. 

Sylvia Schwenk will be exhibiting today, Sunday 7 July, from 3pm-9pm. 

Click here to learn more about the Collaborateurs exhibition.

COLLABORATEURS / IN THE MEDIA

Inner West Courier_July 2013_photograph featuring artists Liam Benson and Ella Barclay

The Collaborateurs program has begun, and has been featured in various online publications, including Art Almanac, Concrete Playground, Two Thousand, The Daily Telegraph and Something You Said.

Our nine day exhibition was also featured in print, in the Inner West Courier... 

COLLABORATEURS PROGRAM:

Wednesday 3rd July - David Capra and the Wizard of Oz

Thursday 4th July - Leahlani Johnson and Brook Morgan

Friday 5th July - Bridie Connell and Brian Chase

Saturday 6th July - Tully Arnot & Charles Dennington

Sunday 7th July - Sylvia Schwenk with the Grave Digger

Monday 8th July - Liam Benson and Nick Atkins

Tuesday 9th July - Ella Barclay and Yujunye, Meng Ping Chou, Hai Wen Hsu and Oper8or

Wednesday 10th July - Karina Wikamto and Michael Wikamto

Thursday 11th July - Nola Diamantopoulos with Psychotherapists

To follow the Collaborateurs exhibition, visit our website for daily photos.

COLLABORATEURS / BRIDIE CONNELL & BRIAN CHASE INTERVIEW

Bridie Connell_St Teresa Swoon (video still)_2013_single channel DVD with sound, colour

Every day throughout the Collaborateurs exhibition, we will be sharing an interview with one of the exhibiting artists...

BRIDIE CONNELL & BRIAN CHASE

How did you first meet?

Brian: We met cuz we were there at the same place at the same time. She stood out from most of the rest and I knew she knew what others didn't. I wanted to talk.

Bridie: So we ditched the party and went to the 24 hour screening of The Clock.

Why did you choose to collaborate?

Brian: I’m a fan of her work.

Bridie: Ditto. I’m a fan of his work.

What is it about collaboration as a process that appeals to you as a contemporary artist?

Brian: I have me but, there is only so much of me I can know without the help/guidance/challenge from someone else.

Bridie: I’m stubborn and independent and more than a little shy about collaborating but I’ve found opening up to the right people is often the push I need to keep moving forward.

What is it that you hope to realise through this collaborative project?

Brian: That if you throw it up in the air someone else will catch it.

Bridie: I wanted a challenge and this project fell into my hands. I originally assumed we’d do a sound/installation split (best of both talents) but this track took me in a different direction… Hopefully it translates to an audience.

Bridie Connell will be exhibiting today, Friday 5 July, from 3pm-9pm.

Click here to learn more about the Collaborateurs exhibition.

COLLABORATEURS / LEAHLANI JOHNSON INTERVIEW

Leahlani Johnson_Collaboration with Brook Morgan_installation at Artereal Gallery

Throughout the Collaborateurs exhibition, we will be sharing an interview with one of the exhibiting artists...

LEAHLANI JOHNSON

How did you and Brook Morgan first meet?

I first met Brook in 2005 as we were both undertaking our honours year in Fine Arts at the College of Fine Arts (COFA), UNSW, Paddington. We have not met up again until this year when I started my Masters, also at COFA, and attended a weaving class that Brook was teaching.

Why did you choose to collaborate with Brook Morgan?

I thought the exhibition at Artereal would be a good opportunity to undertake a project that explores ephemeral gestures and materials in the gallery space, because it would be contained within a brief one-day time frame itself. Brook and I both work with natural occurring materials in our practices, such as flora and fauna, in different ways. Collaborating with Brook on this project will allow diverse responses to the same material of paper and flowers within a new context for both of us.

What is it about collaboration as a process that appeals to you as a contemporary artist?

I find it really interesting that a group of people could be viewing the same thing, yet each respond differently. So I think in collaborating as an artist you can have just that, another perception and perspective that could potentially broaden and bring clarity to your own work.

What is it that you hope to realise through this collaborative project?

Through this one-day project I hope we are able to have a conversation around value systems, exploring the materiality and passing nature of flowers in relation to other mediums.

Leahlani Johnson will be exhibiting today, Thursday 4 July, from 3pm-9pm.

Click here to learn more about the Collaborateurs exhibition.

COLLABORATEURS / DAVID CAPRA INTERVIEW

David Capra_Lion of Judea dressing room_2013_glazed ceramic, wire_19 x 28 x 10cm

Every day throughout the Collaborateurs exhibition, we will be sharing an interview with one of the exhibiting artists...

DAVID CAPRA

How did you and The Wizard of Oz first meet? 

When I was 5, I set myself down in front of my grandma's television.

Why did you choose to collaborate with The Wizard of Oz? 

It has become more than a film. It is now part of my own prophetic language.

What is it about collaboration as a process that appeals to you as a contemporary artist?

These pieces have been created whilst on residency at the Gymea Tafe ceramics department, as part of an a visiting artist program developed by ceramicist Lynda Draper. The works were a big help when creating the space for my work Throne Room (Wizard of Oz Intercession) as part of performance program Workout.

What is it that you hope to realise through this collaborative project?

I hope to gain a better understanding of the prophetic language inlaid in the Wizard of Oz.

David Capra will be exhibiting today, Wednesday 3 July, from 3pm-9pm. 

Click here to learn more about the Collaborateurs exhibition.

COLLABORATEURS: NINE EXHIBITION OPENINGS. NINE DAYS. NINE COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS...

Bridie Connell_Free Fall performance shot_2012

Nine artists. Nine collaborative projects. Nine days. Nine consecutive exhibition openings... 

For nine consecutive days from the 3-11 July, within the confines of a 3 metre x 3 metre white cube contained within the gallery space, Artereal Gallery will present a series of collaborations as a platform for initiating new ideas and objects, sometimes unpredictable encounters, and for developing critical social and artistic relationships. 

Acknowledging that collaboration has moved into the mainstream of visual arts practice in the past decade, Collaborateurs offers an insight into the variety of ways in which artists collaborate with others: be it their peers, family, mentors, a musician, dancer, film-maker, with machines and technology, or simply with their audience.

FEATURING:  ELLA BARCLAY, LIAM BENSON, DAVID CAPRA, BRIDIE CONNELL, TULLY ARNOT & CHARLES DENNINGTON, NOLA DIAMANTOPOULOS, LEAHLANI JOHNSON, SYLVIA SCHWENK AND KARINA WIKAMTO 

The personal and professional ties that bind artist and artist, artist and mentors, friends, colleagues and collectors will be expressed and interpreted as intervention, as performance or installation, or serendipitous outcome; others may simply present a collaborative work produced before or on the day. 

The diverse program opens with an installation of David Capra’s Wizard of Oz Intercession series of ceramic sculptures he produced in association with his constant muse the 1939 film ‘The Wizard of Oz’. The marquettes are re-imagined sets from his recent performance pieces for the Workout program at The Museum of Contemporary Art. Sylvia Schwenk presents 'A shared space' recording an unexpected encounter for two grave diggers at work in a German cemetery. Michael and Karina Wikamto, a brother and sister pair from a family whose father’s given name and cultural identity were outlawed by the militant Suharto regime, create simultaneous versions of their family tree; Michael’s is computer generated while Katrina’s sculptural collage integrates objects and images to symbolize family members. 

Dance is an element common to several collaborations. Liam Benson in association with choreographer Nick Atkins develops, rehearses and presents a dance routine, Pas de deux for a noble savage exploring gender and masculinity. Bridie Connell’s St Theresa Swoon creates an image and immersive environment of religious ecstasy through repetitive dance moves that are curiously based on a seductive classic burlesque fan dance performed to a mediative single drum tone sound-scape by American musician Brian Chase (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). 

Long term artistic duo Tully Arnot & Charles Dennington will collaborate with each other and instructions found on the internet for Adam “Myth Buster” Savage’s instructions for DIY personal hovercrafts. They will employ their idiosyncratic sensibilities and skills to produce two ‘Hoverchairs’, which in the end become portraits of their collaborative peculiarities. Artist Nola Diamantopoulos will conclude the program with Quest, an endurance performance of a continuous questions only dialogue with a succession of psychotherapy students ‘in search of the soul’.

Exhibition Program: