Republic of Mothstralia Postage Stamps: SOCIALIST BUTTERFLIES Special Collector’s Edition

 

The Socialist Butterflies Party - a brief history 

Back in the day, the flighty winged women immortalised in this diminutive publication were disparagingly referred to as Social Butterflies.

Named and shamed thusly, the penitent party animals flocked together, determined to mend their wicked ways. When they emerged from their cluster, the Socialist Butterfly Party was born. In the Republic of Mothstralia (see below) they are the loyal opposition.

The Socialist Butterfly Party has yet to reveal its political agenda, if indeed it has one. According to a trusted source, however, the SBP has pledged to toe the party line - with the emphasis on party. 

A must for keen philatelists, Republic of Mothstralia Postage Stamps: Socialist Butterflies Special Collector’s Edition is published by Moth Woman Press, Ballarat. The zine is signed, numbered and limited to an edition of 80. Ahead of its official launch (date TBA) advance copies of the first 10 zines in the edition will be released in the upcoming exhibition ARTIST BOOKS & FOLIOS in the South Gallery at at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne. For further information about Moth Woman Press zines included in the exhibition, go HERE.

ARTIST BOOKS & FOLIOS

Deborah Klein, Elizabeth Banfield and Theo Strasser 

Opening event: 2-4 pm Saturday September 23

Stephen McLaughlan Gallery

Level 8 Room 16 The Nicholas Building
37 Swanston Street Melbourne 3000
(on the corner of Flinders Lane)

Telephone: 0407 317 323

Email: st73599@bigpond.net.au

Gallery Hours:

Wednesday to Friday 1pm-5pm
Saturday 11am-5pm
& by appointment

ARTIST BOOKS & FOLIOS runs from September 20 - October 7

Coming event: ARTIST BOOKS & FOLIOS

I’m very excited to be exhibiting with book artists extraordinaire Elizabeth Banfield and Theo Strasser in ARTIST BOOKS & FOLIOS in the South Gallery at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery next month. 

ARTIST BOOKS & FOLIOS runs from September 20 - October 7.

The Opening Event is from 2-4 pm Saturday September 23.

Further details to follow soon. Meanwhile, we hope you’ll save the date!

An Englishwoman Abroad (Part 1)

 

For the past few days we’ve had a visitor from London to stay, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Sue Verney (pictured to my right in the above photo). Sue was keen to visit the APW George Collie Memorial Award exhibition at the Australian Print Workshop Gallery, and on Thursday we caught the train to Melbourne, our first rail trip since pre-pandemic days. It was a real treat, a vast improvement on travelling there by car. I love train travel and hadn’t realised just how much I’ve missed it. 

In tandem with my prints in the APW exhibition are a series of displays of my artist books and zines in the gallery window, with additional book art displayed in the gallery space. Most are available for acquisition, should you desire one, or even several, of your very own.

The APW gallery is open today until 5 pm.
Gallery hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm. 

The exhibition is current to October 1.

Photo credit for top pic: Shane Jones.

More things BOOKISH

BOOKISH, a major exhibition of artist books by members of the Print Council of Australia opens at Melbourne Athenaeum Library on March 17. 

To mark the occasion, from 6pm on Wednesday March 23, the library will host an evening of artist’s talks and celebratory drinks. Invited speakers are Bronwyn Rees and myself. 

The talk is part of the 8th Melbourne Art Book Fair at the National Gallery of Victoria. Its a free event, but RSVPs are essential: 

9650 3100 or library@melbourneathenaeum.org.au.

Back in 2018, I was artist-in-residence at Melbourne Athenaeum Library during Melbourne Rare Book Week and am very much looking forward to returning, if only for an evening. 

Bronwyn and I will be veritable open books as we discuss the widely varied nature of artist books and the making thereof. My contribution will include a show and tell of the projects I worked on during my residency, together with a selection of lino blocks from Illustrated Women, a current artist book in progress. My unbound artist book, Leaves of Absence (2017), acquired by the library as part of my 2018 residency, will also be on display.

Photo 1, top: Lino block from Frankenstein’s Women, a project begun during my library residency; 

Photo 2, above: Pictured with my unbound artist book, Leaves of Absence at Melbourne Athenaeum Library in 2018. (Photo credit: Shane Jones);

Photo 3, below: Your invitation to BOOKISH artist talks and drinks.

For more about all things BOOKISH, scroll down to Blog Post Saturday March 5, or visit my book blog, Moth Woman Press, HERE. 

BOOKISH runs from March 17-19 and March 23-26 during library opening hours.

BOOKISH

 

From March 17 - 26,  Melbourne Athenaeum Library will present BOOKISH, an exhibition of artist books created by members of the Print Council of Australia. Included is my unique concertina book, Cat’s Cradle, 2019.

A collaboration with the Print Council of Australia, BOOKISH is affiliated with the 8th Melbourne Art Book Fair at the National Gallery of Victoria.

SAVE THE DATE

As part of BOOKISH, the library will also host an artist talk with former artist-in-residence Deborah Klein and printmaker Bronwyn Rees. Deborah and Bronwyn will speak about the art of making artist books on Wednesday 23rd March at 6pm. The event is FREE but RSVPs are required on 96503100 or library@melbourneathenaeum.org.au. 

- From the Melbourne Athenaeum Library website. 

If you’re free, we’d love you to join us.

The exhibition is open from March 17 - 19 and March 22 - 26. 

For further information, visit my book art blog, MOTH WOMAN PRESS.

Pictured top: Cat’s Cradle, 2019, one-of-a-kind concertina book. Pages: ink and gouache on Khadi paper. Covers: hand-painted and lettered in acrylic on MDF.

Pictured second: BOOKISH invitation featuring ‘Ascent ll’, 2020 (detail), artist book by Bridget Hillebrand.

Biblio Art Prize Part 2: Opening night

At the launch of Biblio Art 2018 with my shortlisted entry, Bell Jar
Photo credit: Shane Jones

The 10th Annual Biblio Art Prize, co-ordinated by Blarney Books & Art, opened last Saturday evening, November 3, to a packed house. Two of my works were finalists: Bell Jar, an archival pigment print inspired by Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar and the Frankenstein-inspired Progeny, a unique artist book (pictured in situ third from top). I was delighted when the latter received a Highly Commended Award from judges Justine Hyde (Director, Library Services, State Library of Victoria) and Vanessa Gerrans (Director, Warrnambool Art Gallery). 

The Biblio Art Prize was awarded to Mandy Gunn for her superb work, Pillars of Wisdom.

For detailed views of Progeny, scroll down to my previous post. For selected views of the exhibition launch, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

Bell Jar, 2018, archival pigment print, 42.5 x 32 cm,
edition no. 1/10

Installation view of my artist book Progeny in the Biblio Art Prize 2018 at Blarney Books & Art

Biblio Art Prize, Part 1

Pictured: ‘Progeny’, 2018, unique artist book, pigmented drawing ink, gouache and hand stitching with cloth binding, 16.5 x 91 cm (open)

Two of my works, including Progeny, a one-of-a-kind artist book, are finalists in the Biblio Art Prize 2018, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Progeny was created during my residency at Melbourne Athenaeum Library for Melbourne Rare Book Week 2018. Its point of departure is Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, also celebrating a significant anniversary in 2018: the 200th year of its publication. 

In related noteworthy anniversaries, 28 October was the 116th birthday of the great Elsa Lanchester, arguably best known for her astonishing portrayal of the Bride of Frankenstein (1935) in James Whales’s eponymous film (widely considered to be the finest of all the Frankenstein movies and a masterpiece in its own right), and today, October 31, is Halloween.

Biblio Art Prize

Blarney Books & Art  

37 James Street,
Blarney 

Port Fairy

Victoria

The show runs from 3 November - 2 December and, following this, travels to Tacit Galleries in Melbourne, where it will be exhibited from 5 - 16 December 2018. 

Photos by Tim Gresham.