AMONGST US

European Wasp Woman, 2014, watercolour, 41.91 x 29.72, made during a
residency at The Art Vault, will shortly return there. It's one of six works from the
Homo insecta series included in AMONGST US at The Art Vault, Mildura,
running from 18 September - 7 October

I’m delighted to be showing with some of my favourite artists in

AMONGST US

A group exhibition of figurative works on paper

Curated by Rona Green

Rachel Derum

Philip Faulks  
Rona Green

Greg Harrison

Bill Hay and

Deborah Klein

Opening Saturday 21 September. Artist talk at 2.30 pm, followed by official launch from 3pm-4pm

AMONGST US

The Art Vault

43 Deakin Avenue

Mildura VIC 3500

(03)5022 0013

www.theartvault.com.au

The show runs from 18 September - 7 October 2019

My Monsters at RMIT Gallery

Shortly before My Monster: the Human-Animal Hybrid officially opened its doors (to a queue of 1,400 people, I'm reliably informed!) we were invited to a special curator's talk. During that relatively quiet time we seized the moment to take these photos. That's me above, pictured with two of my monstrous creations. (Photo credit: Shane Jones).

I'm delighted with the way my works are presented. Ordinarily I'm not a huge admirer of patterned walls in contemporary art exhibitions - they have a tendency to overpower the work - but in this case, I think it works brilliantly.

Actinus imperialis Beetle Woman, watercolour (installation view at RMIT Gallery)

Ladybird Woman, watercolour (installation view at RMIT Gallery)

There is a substantial article about the show in yesterday's Age newspaper (Saturday, June 30). My watercolour Actinus imperialis Beetle Woman (also pictured above, third from top) is reproduced, along with works by Kate Clark, Peter Ellis, Rona Green and a photographic portrait of My Monster curator Evelyn Tsitas.

MY MONSTER: THE HUMAN-ANIMAL HYBRID

European Wasp Woman, watercolour, 41.91 x 29.72
Photo credit: Tim Gresham

My Monster is an exhibition that celebrates the 200th anniversary year of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein and the enduring fascination with the human animal hybrid. Curator Evelyn Tsitas has selected three of my works for the show, including European Wasp Woman.

Exhibiting artists include Jane Alexander (South Africa), Rose Agnew, Janet Beckhouse, Peter Booth, Jazmina Cininas, Kate Clark (USA), Catherine Clover, Beth Croce, Julia deVille, Heri Dono (ID), Peter Ellis, Rona Green, Moira Finucane, Rayner Hoff, Ronnie van Hout, Sam Jinks, Deborah Kelly, Bharti  Kher (IND),  Deborah Klein, Oleg Kulik (Ukraine / Russia), Sam Leach, Norman Lindsay, Sidney Nolan,  Eko Nugroho (ID), Patricia Piccinini, Kira O’Reilly & Jennifer Willet (Ireland / Canada), Lisa Roet, Geoffrey Ricardo, Mithu Sen (IND) and Maja Smrekar (Slovenia).

My Monster: The Human-Animal Hybrid

29 June – 18 August 2018

RMIT Gallery

344 Swanston Street 

Melbourne VIC 3000 

Australia

Open Monday – Friday 11am – 5pm 
Thursday 11am – 7pm

Saturday 12pm – 5pm

Closed public holidays

Free entry

Coming soon to a wasp plague near you: European Wasp Woman

The watercolour, Wasp Woman was begun, but not quite completed, during my term as artist in residence at the Art Vault in Mildura last December (see Blog Post Friday, December 12, 2014).

After the residency ended, Christmas and all its attendant distractions intervened, and then there were further insect women waiting to be documented. It’s only now I’ve had a chance to add the finishing touches to this homo-insecta and give the sting in her tail one last polish – just in time for her to partake in the wasp plague currently upon us in Ballarat.

Wasp Woman (Vespula germanica homo-insecta) 2015, watercolour 

and gouache on Khadi paper, 41.91 x 29.72 cm.

European Wasp Woman

Aside from some minor finishing touches, the second work I made at the Art Vault is also done. What a touchy subject she proved to be. The European Wasp Woman is arguably the feistiest of all introduced species. Beware the sting in the tail of this femme fatale of the homo-insecta world. Unlike honeybees, which die after they have stung once, most wasp species will sting over and over again, just because they can.

Pictured here in selected developmental stages: European Wasp Woman, 2014, watercolour and pencil on Khadi paper, 41.91 x 29.72 cm: