29/04/2009

Selection judge and curator, Dr Tania Cleary, explains how she chose the works included in the 2009 churchie emerging art exhibition.

The Selection Process

Three hundred and fifty artists submitted a total of 850 works for consideration. Of these, 97 works spanning five categories: moving image, painting, works on paper, photography and sculpture, were selected for inclusion in the 2009 exhibition.

The selection process involved several steps, each equally important to the final selection of works. Initially all entries were viewed with the primary focus on the first visual impression and to generally discern trends and strengths in the offering. In this preliminary consideration it became evident that artists were engaging with politics: environmental, human and urban. Works from a range of styles and media reflected contemporary issues and concerns: deforestation, depression, decay and the transient nature of life although some works sought to inspire hope or liberate imagination through humour. The entries reflected the mood of the times - taking references from the past while being firmly referenced in the present.

Preliminary selection was based on a second viewing of all entries. Consideration was given to the relevance of the concept and the artist's ability to take the viewer on a journey, to convey a story or to show sheer technical skill. Clarity of idea was as significant as clarity of focus or image. Some 250 works were then selected and arranged in various groupings on the basis of style, medium or resolution of an issue. Following this stage all entries were again reviewed with changes made to compliment or strengthen the initial groupings.

It was during the exhibition layout stage that core themes started to emerge: some entries explored the idea of portraiture, many entries were responses to the landscape and some drew on the conflict inherent in consumerism. Many works took inspiration from street art, graffiti and youth culture. Other entries drew strength from abstraction, dada and pop imagery while sound was integral to moving image, sculptural and mixed media installations.

Arranging the works thematically provided an opportunity to discern trends shaping contemporary Australian art. A similarity of mind seems to exist between artists working in different media and in different locations, for example, the use of the circle and the spiral to represent links between the known and unknown worlds.

Final selection depended on whether the work contained key motifs that supported the major themes and whether the work was able to bring energy to the exhibition. The physical design layout ultimately resolved the final selection of 11 moving images, 28 paintings, 6 works on paper, 20 photographs and 32 sculptures.

Within figurative works artists experimented with technique, materials and colour to convey mood, light and activity. There was a careful articulation of shadow and the effect of pattern in both painting and sculpture. Dada and pop inspired works contained visual signifiers: found objects, juxtaposed images, Warholesque soup cans, international celebrities and stars. A few works explored ephemeral existences: fire extinguishing life, air moving matter and bubbles or spheres capturing drifting memories.  Several photographs symbolically or literally anchored human presence in the landscape and this presence acted as a foil to the natural world.

There was a community of attitude to contemporary environmental issues. Many artists demonstrated a concern for global warming and ecological sustainability. The void emerged as a core expressive idea and potent symbol of reality. Similarly, social and political issues acted as creative fuel: several works explored isolation, despair and other psychologically disabling conditions.

Although there were temptations to be impressed by accomplishment the selection process remained true to the churchie emerging art exhibition's aim of showcasing emerging talent. The exhibition is gender inclusive with 56 female and 41 male artists represented across all media. It is anticipated that inclusion in the 2009 churchie may further secure the reputation of some, if not all, of these artists.

Tania Cleary