CLAUDE JONES / ARTIST NEWS

Claude Jones_Bent on Destruction_2013_glazed ceramic and polymer clay, acrylic_120x70x28cm (figure) and 30x35x15cm (rabbit)

Claude Jones ceramic work Bent on Destruction is currently in the exhibition Wildlife Art @ Discovery held at the CSIRO Discovery Centre in Canberra. Wildlife Art @ Discovery is held in conjunction with a 4-day symposium covering wildlife art, science and conservation. The exhibition runs from May 16th until May 31st.

In focusing on endangered species, Wildlife Art @ Discovery, correlates with Jones' focus on the cruelty of hunting - in particular the controversial 'culling' of kangaroos in Australia. In this work she aims to anthropomorphise the kangaroo; arming him with a bent rifle alongside a hunting rabbit. "For it is not the innocent animals that are 'bent on destruction', but the humans."

Claude Jones_Deering Defense_2012_mixed media on canvas_25x25cm

Claude Jones work Deering Defense has been selected as a finalist in the Scope Galleries Art Prize, Victoria. This exhibition aims to raise awareness of environmental issues. It will run from 8 June until 20 July 2014. 

This work is one of Claude Jones' recent series in which anthropomorphised animals are depicted in fight or flight mode - sentient beings responding to humanity's enrichment of their land, their habitat, and their lives.

Claude Jones_Rabbits Revenge_2014_acrylic, watercolour, pencil, collage and screen print on paper_109x103cm

Claude Jones' work Rabbits Revenge has been selected as a finalist in the Cliftons Art Prize, Sydney.

Rabbit's Revenge suggests animal exploitation in which, ironically, it is the animals themselves that are the protagonists. The soft colours and decorative elements of this work perpetuate this sinister narrative content.

'MIRAGE' BY SVETLANA BAILEY

13/11, 2013, c-type print, 120x150cm, edition of 8.

Svetlana Bailey is currently exhibiting her photographic work entitled 'Mirage' at the Queensland Centre of Photography. The work will be on display until October 20th 2013, bringing with it an investigation of the paradoxical desire for freedom and belonging by examining empty interiors and vast, somewhat other-worldly landscapes.

The interiors were photographed during the artists recent residency in Chongqing, China and are that of the studio in which Svetlana Baily worked with artist Li Junyi to study the medium of the 19th century process of daquerreotype photography. The subject of  interiors and the process of the daguerreotype is linked by the intimacy one experiences within their surroundings and the intimacy that the viewing of a daguerreotype demands, as one traditionally holds it in their hands, touching it and looking closely at the image to see the fine negative and positive details. However, this intimacy is contradicted by the artist as she enlarges the daquerreotypes, changing the way we see the image and revealing the imperfections of the hand made process. The silence of the interiors are combined with large colour prints of Chongqing's fog-encased landscapes, forming a relationship of  limitlessness and fragile environments. The artist considers one's experience of the surroundings and the interaction between the inner experience and external environment.

Svetlana Bailey is also currently exhibiting 'Mirage' at Artereal Gallery until October 26th, acting as her second solo exhibition with the gallery. 

Come along to Artereal Gallery this Saturday 19th at 3pm for Svetlana Bailey's artist talk where she will discuss and answer questions on her current work. The talk is free and all are welcome.

HYUN-HEE LEE IN BRIDE MAGAZINE

Hyun-Hee Lee One Thousand Wishes, paper installation, 2011

Hyun-Hee Lee's mesmerising 'One Thousand Wishes' featured as the back drop to a stunning Old World Glamour fashion shoot held in Sydney's National Art School on page 45 of this months Bride Magazine. The artwork plays with light, shadows and spacial elements to create a backdrop fit for the most important day in a woman's life. The installation subjectively captures the essence and nostalgia of the cultural traditions Lee's describes as very personal in her Korean background.

'The work in its physical sense consists of one thousand written wishes cut out of white paper, each measuring two or three metres long. This work parodies many of the religious and cultural rituals which still exist in Korea today" - Hyun-Hee Lee.

Click here to see more of Hyun-Hee Lee's work and exhibition 'Confessions'.