An exhibition of seven emerging and established South Australian jewellers and metal-smiths at the Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool, UK, 1 August - 12 September 2009.
Jewellers: Sun- Woong (Chris) Bang, Julie Blyfield, Jane Bowden, Christian Hall, Kath Inglis, Michelle Taylor and Catherine Truman.
Established Artists
Julie Blyfield – Gray Street Workshop : With works is held at institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh and the National Gallery of Australia, Blyfield’s reputation continues to build. Her recent works are characterised by botanical forms with strong sculptural qualities. Using materials such as silver and copper, enamel paint she explores ideas of transience and permanence through subject form and material.
Jane Bowden – Zu Design : With a love of working with metal and a fascination for detail Bowden’s rings, bracelets, neckpieces and brooches have a clarity of form, which has seen her work exhibited both nationally and internationally.
Christian Hall- Past JamFactory visiting artist and tenant: Taking traditional practice as a starting point, Hall creates jewellery, lighting and domestic scaled objects, Hall investigates the impact of new technologies in our built environs. Hall has exhibited extensively and has undertaken a residency in the UK as part of the HAT (Here and There) project.
Kath Inglis- soda and rhyme, past Gray Street Tenant and JamFactory Metal Design Studio alumni: Inglis’s Design Institute of Australia award winning works showcase her signature technique of hand carving and dying of PVC, jewellery and lighting. Since graduating Inglis has exhibited around the nation and overseas.
Catherine Truman - Gray Street Workshop: a recent recipient of an Australia Council Fellowship. Truman has exhibited consistently since the early 1980s, particularly in Australia, Japan and Germany. Her work is held in public and private collections worldwide. She has undertaken residencies in Rome (2002) and Manchester (2003). Her most recent works exploring the medium of plastic are concerned with the body and with the sensations and memories that are located within it and the history of anatomical imaging of the body.
Emerging Artists
Sun- Woong (Chris) Bang –JamFactory Metal Design Studio alumini and past Gray Street tenant, Bang works with the time consuming process of filigree, to produce stunning jewellery and objects. His recent works have used this process to embellish found and pre existing digital objects. A recipient of numerous grants and awards, bang has exhibited throughout Australia in group exhibitions, as well as curator of ‘Catch On 2’ Jewellery Exhibition, COEX, Seoul, Korea
Michelle Taylor - JamFactory Metal Design Studio alumini and Gray Street studio tenant a prolific maker, whose career is expanding nationally and internationally, Taylor’s predominant use of plywood and steel symbolises notions of interruption, industrialisation and integration whilst exploring notions of the landscape.
Images from top;
Julie Blyfield
Jane Bowden
Christian Hall
Kath Inglis
Catherine Truman
Sun Woong (Chris) Bang
Michelle Taylor
AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY
Australian Contemporary develops international exhibitions of Australian craft and design as part of the Australia Council and JamFactory International Craft Initiative (ICI).
Established in 2003, ICI showcases the strength and diversity of Australian craft and design at key international craft events. Managed by JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design, ICI presents Australian practitioners at Talente (Germany), Collect (UK) and SOFA (USA).
Younger artists are especially promoted through Talente, the Munich based competitive international exhibition for young designers, while both emerging and established artists compete on the world stage at Collect and SOFA .
Artists for Australian Contemporary presentations at SOFA and Collect are nominated by members of the Australian Craft and Design Centres (ACDC) group, representing the sector in all States and Territories. Participating artists often attend the events and present artist talks, giving them opportunity to expand their markets overseas, with some having secured on-going international representation.
Event Overview:
SOFA, an international exposition for Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) is held annually. The Chicago event is a prestigious and acclaimed collector’s market presenting over 100 leading galleries from around the world. Audience at SOFA often exceeds 35,000 over the four days. www.sofaexpo.com
Collect is the only International art fair in Europe that showcases contemporary craft and design from around the world. Held annually at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London with audiences exceeding 15,000 and sales in excess of £1.7 Million. Collect is highly competitive with only about 40 top level galleries selected worldwide. http://collect.craftscouncil.org.uk/
Talente is Europe’s prestigious juried competitive exhibition, showcasing the very best young and emerging designer/makers. Held since 1979 in conjunction with the Munich International Trade Fair, Talente highlights the achievements of selected artists along with the institutions in which they trained. http://www.hwk-muenchen.de/
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Watch for Australian Contemporary’s exhibitions at SOFA, Chicago 1 – 4 November 2007 and Collect, Victoria and Albert Museum London 25 – 28 January 2008.
Images of works for current exhibitions and copies of previous exhibition catalogues can be accessed at this site.
For sales inquiries or more information contact Margaret Hancock, International Craft Initiative Coordinator on 08 8410 0727 or via
Images from top: SOFA 2007 images - Irene Mbitjana Entata, Jesus Footprint, 2006, Hand built terracotta and underglaze decoration, Photo Simha Koether, Sabo Tipungwuti, Taparra (moon man), Hand Built ceramic with underglaze Collect 2008 Images- Jane Bowden in collaboration with glass artist Emma Petersen , Here is my spout, 2003, sterling silver, blown and hand finished glass, Photo Grant Hancock, Jane Sawyer, Teapot and two cups, Red earthenware, cream slip, trans leadless glaze, Cups : Red earthenware, cream slip, sgraffito decoration, transparent leadless glaze, Photo Terence Bogue
International Projects
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