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| Pictured above L - R: Carole Wilson, Loris Button, myself, Louise Saxton, Jason Smith and Gordon Morrison at last Saturday's opening event. (Photo credit: Shane Jones) |
On Saturday 29 July, Louise Saxton, Carole Wilson, Loris Button and I saw our collective vision for From the bower - patterns of collecting come to full flower in its latest incarnation at the Art Gallery of Ballarat - due in no small measure to the expertise of the AGB's inestimable Exhibitions and Graphic Designer, Brenda Wellman. Brenda (who is also responsible for the beautiful catalogue that accompanies the show) has shared our vision from the outset. With invaluable input from Carole Wilson and Loris Button, she has seamlessly incorporated numerous artworks and collection items that were not included in the exhibition’s previous run at Warrnambool Art Gallery. We are indebted to Brenda and her amazing team, to Director Gordon Morrison, to the staff at the AGB and to the many people who came along on Saturday afternoon to join in the celebrations.
A highlight of the launch was the opening address by Jason Smith, Director, Geelong Gallery, who understands our aims and ideas so completely and communicated them so eloquently to a captivated audience. We can't thank him - and all of those mentioned above - enough.
The exhibition runs until 17 September.
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| L - R: Carole Wilson, myself and Loris Button, preparing to meet the local press on the day before the exhibition opening. (Photo credit: Peter Freund) |
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| L - R: Carole Wilson and Brenda Wellman, pictured during the final stages of the installation of From the Bower |
Following are selected views of From the bower. This is a mere taster - more photos, including those of individual artworks, will be posted in the near future.
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| Cabinet of curiosities (detail #1) with selected objects from our private collections, assembled by Carole Wilson and Loris Button |
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| Installation view looking towards the exhibition entrance, featuring artworks by all four artists, including Porcelain Garden, 2015, by Louise Saxton (foreground) |
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| L - R: artworks by Loris Button, Deborah Klein, Louise Saxton and Carole Wilson |
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| Side view of the cabinet of curiosities looking towards the combined collections wall |
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| Left (foreground): Porcelain Garden by Louise Saxton, background: the combined collections wall, second from right: Leaves of Absence artist book by Deborah Klein, far right: Urn 2 by Carole Wilson |
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| Detail of combined collections wall |
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| Left and third from left: Museum Poppy, Bumblebee, and Vondelpark Stork, Grunsfoort Threshold, 2015, drawings by Loris Button. Second from left: Urn 2, 2013, hand cut maps on paper by Carole Wilson. Far right: vintage children's furniture from the collection of Loris Button |
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| L - R: artworks by Deborah Klein, Carole Wilson, Loris Button and Deborah Klein |
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| Pictured with my archival pigment print, Doppelgänger, 2017 (photo credit: Shane Jones) |
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| Deborah Klein: homo-insecta watercolours, 2014 |
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| Installation view of left hand wall in gallery 1 |
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| Deborah Klein, Leaves of Absence artist book with selected pages, hand painted eucalyptus leaves and antique flower presses. Cabinet arranged by Carole Wilson and Loris Button. |
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| Leaves of Absence installation detail #1 |
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| Leaves of Absence installation detail #2 |
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| Foreground includes (L - R): two World War II recognition and identification model planes and medical replica human skull, all from the collection of Loris Button |
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| Gallery 2 installation view. L - R: Marianne's clianthus by Louise Saxton, Memento of M & Q by Loris Button, installation of combined collection objects, collages with hand-stitching by Carole Wilson, shadow box containing collection items of Loris Button and vintage hand embroidered linens from the collection of Louise Saxton |
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| Left (top) Memento of M & Q by Loris Button; left (bottom) combined collections objects, Right: Field Notes Inland 2 and Field Notes Glacial 2, 2016, hand cut and stitched maps on paper by Carole Wilson |
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| Top: Loris Button's multi-panelled work, Memento of M & Q, 1996, acrylic on cotton rag paper Bottom: Combined collection objects from the collections all four artists |
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| Combined collections detail #1 |
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| Combined collections detail #2 |
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| Installation view of gallery 2 |
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| Loris Button, Travelling Tales, 2014-17, linocuts and stencils on reclaimed abaca paper |
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| L - R: Loris Button, Travelling Tales, Louise Saxton, Major Tom, 2010 (after John and Elizabeth Gould, c.1848), reclaimed needlework and lace, and Loris Button, collection objects (see below) |
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| L - R: Loris Button, collection objects including Swiss SABA clown doll, circa 1921, Carole Wilson, Lebuh Armenian and Deborah Klein, Tattooed Faces Sampler |
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| Carole Wilson, Lebuh Armenian, 2016, hand cut atlas maps |
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| L - R: Deborah Klein, Tattooed Faces Sampler, 1997, linocuts hand-stitched on oriental paper and calico, A cabinet of Moth Masks, and Vignette Vitrine (see following two images) |
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| Deborah Klein, A Cabinet of Moth Masks, 2010-13, hand painted plaster masks in antique cabinet |
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| Foreground: Deborah Klein, Vignette Vitrine, 2012, acrylic on miniature canvases in display case |
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| Collections and artworks, including Vantias #3 - The Storyteller, 2015 by Louise Saxton, reclaimed needlework, lace, beading pins and silk on museum board (far right) |
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| L - R: Loris Button, Regarding the Passage of Time, 2012, colour pencil on Hanji paper, Deborah Klein, Iron Butterflies, 2007, cut-out linocuts |