Our Exhibitions

WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR BLENDER STUDIOS. IT'S GOING TO BE A NIGHT WITH GREAT MUSIC , BEAUTIFUL ART, AND AMZING PEOPLE, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL!

WE'LL BE SHOWCASING INCREDIBLE ARTWORK AND PROJECTS CREATED BY BLENDER STUDIOS' TALENTED ARTISTS IN OUR DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT GALLERY. OUR STUDIOS WILL ALSO BE OPEN FOR A BEHIND-THE-SCENE PEEK AT THE CREATIVE PROCESS, EACH ARTIST WILL SET THEIR STUDIOS AS A MINI ART GALLERY. PLUS CHECK OUT OUR NEW SPACES IF YPU HAVEN'T ALREADY, VISIT US AT OIUR NEW LOCATION - 400 SPENCER STREET.
 

WE'LL BE SHOWCASING INCREDIBLE ARTWORK AND PROJECTS CREATED BY BLENDER STUDIO' TALENTED ARTISTS IN OUR DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT GALLERY. OUR STUDIOS WILL ALSO BE OPEN FOR A BEHIND-THE-SCENES PEEK AT THE CREATIVE PROCESS, EACH ARTIST WILL SET THEIR STUDIO UP AS A MINI ART GALLERY. PLUS CHECK OUT OUR NEW SPACE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, VISIT US AT OUR NEW LOCATION - 400 SPENCER ST. 

WHEN THE IMAGINED SCENE OF DISTANT PLACES BECOME OUR DAILY VIEW, A MONTH-LONG RESIDENCY PROGRAM IS HELD BY THE MASTER'S PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND DESIGN OF ARTS AND DESIGN AT NATIONAL TAIPEI UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION AND THE BLENDER STUDIO IIN MELBOURNE.

WITH A TWO-HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE AND MORE THAN 5,000 KILOMETERS BETWEEN TAIWAN AND MELBOURNE, WE WILL CARRY OUR BELIEFS TO ANOTHER DIFFERENT COUNTRY. THE UNKNOWN JOURNEY FILLS US WITH MANY EXPECTATIONS. THROUGH OBSERVING THE TWO CITIES, WE EXPLORE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF RACE, CULTURE, AND LANGUAGE, GRADUALLY UNCOVERING THE INTERSECTIONS OF CREATIVITY BETWEEN THE TWO PLACES.

THE EXPLORATION OF FOREIGN EXPERIENCES HAS DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS AMONG THE EIGHT ARTISTS. HOW TO LEAVE TRACES OF THEIR CREATIVITY AND FACE THE PRESENT REALITY WHILE TEMPORARILY RESIDING IN A FOREIGN LAND BRINGS ABOUT SUBTLE CHANGES IN THEIIR BODILY SENSATIONS DUE TO THE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES.

hERE, NOW, AT THIS MOMENT, WE LEAVE OUR MARKS OF RESIDENCY IN MELBOURNE. WE LIVE IN THE PRESENT, SEIZING THE MOST AUTHENTIC MOMENT. MAY WE RETURN TO TAIWAN WITH MANY 'MEMORIES OF THAT TIME' TO SHARE.

THE ARTWORK IS CREATED OF A WEIRD PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SURREAL IMAGERY, DEPICTING HIDDEN MOMENTS IN A FAMILIAR WORLD.
 
THE FAMILIARITY OF SUBURBIA IS SOMETHING THAT RYAN PLACATES THROUGH HER CHOICE OF IMAGERY. THE ABSENCE OF LIFE IN MUCH OF THE ARTWORK EVOKES VAST EMPTINESS AND CREATES A WINDOW INTO A FAMILIAR DYSTOPIAN WORLD. RYAN HAS CONSTRUCTED A MISE EN SCENE, THAT GIVES THE ICONOGRAPHY A NEW AND SECONDARY LIFE OUTSIDE SUBURBAN BANALITY.

RYAN USES DESIGN TECHNIQUES TO BLUR THE BOUNDAIRES OF URBAN ART, FINE ART, AND DESIGN. HER TECHNIQUES EMPHASISE THE INTEREST IN THE URBAN, THROUGH HER CHOICE OF IMAGERY. DYSTOPIAN LANDSCAPES RE-ENVISIONED WITHB PASSION TRANSFORMING THE UGLY AND BANAL.
 

THE CHOICES RYAN HAS MADE IN WHAT SHE HAS CHOSEN TO CREATE IS WHERE I FEEL THAT NARRATIVE LIES, THE EMPTY SCENES OFTEN FILLED WITH FAMILIAR SHAPES, THIS BODY OF WORK BECOMES A VERY PERSONAL PORTRAIT, INSIGHT OR A PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE OF THE ARTISTS PSYCHE AND CREATS A MODERN AND INNOVATIVE WAY TO CREATE A MODERN AND INNOVATIVE WAY TO CRITIQUE CONTEMPORARY LIFE WITH A DIRECT LOOK AND A CELEBRATION OF THE BANAL
 

THE ANNUAL DECEMBER SOIREE AT BLENDER STUDIOS IS UPON US AGAIN. COME AND SEE WHAT OUR ARTISTS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS YEAR AS YOU ROAM THROUGH OUR LABYRINTH OF STUDIO SPACES! 

FRIDAY 7TH DECEMBER 6PM-10PM

THERE WILL BE A CURATED GROUP SHOW FEATURING WORKS FROM OUR 29 RESIDENT ARTISTS, SPRAWLED ACROSS THE TWO GALLERY SPACES DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT AND BLENDER POP UP SPACE.

THE STUDIOS WILL ALSO BE FULLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND WE WILL HAVE DJ'S KEEPING FRESH VIBES ON THE DECKS. EVERY STUDIO SPACE HAS BEEN SET UP AS A MINI GALLERY IN ITS OWN RIGHT!

- ALL OUR WELCOME TO OUR FINAL END OF YEAR CELEBRATION - 

COLD BEERS ON THE BAR COURTESY OF GAGE ROADS BREWING CO!
 

‘ASHLEY BIRD EXAMINES THE TRIGGERS OF NOSTALGIA THROUGH THE USE OF THE EVERYDAY. IMPOSSIBLE VERSIONS OF THE TRUTH ARE REPLICATED THROUGH REPETITION. RECOGNISABLE REFERENCES TO POPULAR CULTURE, LIKE STAR WARS MEANS THAT ASHLEY’S WORK CREATES A STATEMENT ABOUT HIS GENERATIONMASS PRODUCTION, REPETITION, AND THE DISPOSABLE. BUT MORE INTERESTING FOR ME IS THE INSIGHT YOU GET FROM THE ART ABOUT THE ARTIST. THE WORK IS PERSONAL CONSIDERED AND BEAUTIFUL.’ – ADRIAN DOYLE
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CLASSICAL HEROES, CONTEMPORARY HUNTERS - ARTIST STATEMENT
THE CORE CONCEPT THAT INFLUENCES MY CREATIVE PRACTICE ARE THE MEMORY SPACES THAT ARE SPECIFIC TIMES IN THE PAST THAT THROUGH THE EDITED FILTER OF NOSTALGIA REMAIN A LOCATION OF YEARNING WITHIN PERSONAL HISTORY. THE OBJECTS AND IMAGES THAT MAKE UP THIS SHOW CONTINUE TO USE TOYS AND OBJECTS OF PLAY WITH A GENERATIONAL AGENCY AND LINK TO ME AND MY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE AS A KID IN SUBURBAN MELBOURNE. THIS WORK IN PARTICULAR ATTEMPTS TO UNPACK IDEAS AROUND MODERN AND HISTORIC NOTIONS OF MASCULINITY AND THE TROPES OF DESIGN AND COLOUR THAT PUSH WHAT I ARGUE IS AN OUT OF DATE AND ANTIQUATED CONCEPT OF GENDER, AND WHAT CONTEMPORARY MARKETING USE TO SELL ‘TOYS OF BOYS’ AND ‘TOYS FOR GIRLS’ THAT REINFORCE OLD FASHIONED GENDER ROLES. MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST TOY BRANDS THAT WERE CREATED WITH OVER THE TOP MASCULINE BODY AESTHETICS THAT TRADED ON THE BRUTISH WARRIOR AND HUNTER IMMORTALIZED IN THE WORK OF FRANK FRAZETTA AND FILMS LIKE CONAN THE BARBARIAN. AS A COUNTER POINT I HAVE EMPLOYED THE BUSTS OF CLASSICAL COMPOSERS AND THE ROMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR MUSIC AS A SOFTER HISTORIC VERSION OF MASCULINITY. TOGETHER WITH MODERN DEVICES OF COLLECTION, HUNTING TROPHIES AND VERSIONS OF CLASSICAL FIGURATIVE SCULPTURE MASHED UP WITH CONTEMPORARY TOYS, THIS WORK AIMS TO FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES AND ENFORCED ROLES OF MODERN MEN WITH AN EVER-PRESENT GENTLENESS AND DARE I SAY UN-MASCULINE WAY OF ENGAGING IN THE MODERN WORLD.
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OPENING NIGHT, FRIDAY 5TH OCTOBER 6-9PMEXHIBITIONS RUNS SAT 6TH OCT - SAT 27TH OCT"I SEE CLOTHING AS A METAPHOR FOR HUMAN ACTIONS AND WOOL AS A TACTILE AND FAMILIAR MEDIUM THAT EVOKES MEMORY. THIS IS A BIOGRAPHICAL PIECE BASED ON EXPERIENCES AT A CATHOLIC BOARDING SCHOOL AND THE CONSEQUENCES THAT FOLLOW. ABUSE OFTEN EXISTS BEHIND THE PRETENSE OF NURTURE. THE EXAGGERATED LENGTH OF THE SLEEVES POINT TO GROWTH IMPEDED BY THE PAST, AND TO THE PRESENT WHERE THE EFFECTS OF TRAUMA CAN NEVER BE FULLY EXORCISED. THE RAINCOATS POINT TO THE PRESENCE OF THE PERPETRATOR AS PROTECTOR. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO PLAY WITH NOTIONS OF THE UNHEIMLICH, AS WELL AS REFLECTING ON CATHOLICISM AS AN INSTITUTION THAT IS REPLETE WITH IMAGES THAT AESTHETICIZE PAIN AND SUFFERING." - SIMON CROSBIE

BLENDER STUDIOS AND DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT PRESENTS 'STENCILS' - THE FIRST EVER GALLERY EXHIBITION BY THE ELUSIVE MELBOURNE-BASED STREET ARTIST SUNFIGO.

KNOWN FOR THEIR LARGE-SCALE FENCE ART INSTALLATIONS, STENCIL PIECES, AND PUBLIC ART EXHIBITIONS UTILISING THE STREETS AS THEIR GALLERY, THE NAME SUNFIGO HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF STREET ART, OFTEN EXPLORING UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIALS AND METHODS TO COMMUNICATE IDEAS ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION.

OPENING FRIDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER, THE EXHIBITION WILL FEATURE NEW STENCIL WORKS BY SUNFIGO, WITH ALL PROCEEDS FROM ARTWORK SALES BEING DONATED TO YOUTH PROJECTS – A MELBOURNE BASED, INDEPENDENT CHARITY PROVIDING HIGH IMPACT SUPPORT AND PATHWAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING DISADVANTAGE.
TO REQUEST A CATALOGUE PLEASE EMAIL INFO@DARKHORSEEXPERIMENT.COM

DARK HORSE EXPERIMENTS PRESENTS ‘YOU ARE ALL THE SAME!’, A SOLO EXHIBITION FROM ADRIAN DOYLE, A PHD CANDIDATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA. IN THIS EXHIBITION DOYLE COMBINES URBAN ART TECHNIQUES AND PLACE IT IN A FINE ART CONTEXT. THE COMPOSITION AND SIZE HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY CHOSEN TO REFERENCE THE SCALE OF STREET ART, BECOMING CROWDED AND OVER LOADED WITH BLUNT IMAGERY AND NARRATIVE. THIS BRUTALIZATION OR SENSATIONALISM, IS AN AESTHETIC HE HAS CREATED THAT ALIGNS ITSELF WITH THE STREET ART MOVEMENT. THE APPLICATION OF MEDIUM IS CRITICAL IN THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN ART, THAT COULD ALSO BE CONSIDERED FINE ART. IN DOYLE’S STUDIO PRACTICE, USING THE MEDIUMS IN THE RIGHT ORDER AND WITH THE APPROPRIATE TECHNIQUE IS CRUCIAL. TO TRY AND ACHIEVE THIS LOOK, HE HAS UTILISED A MIXTURE OF SPRAY PAINT, PASTELS, ACRYLIC, HOUSE PAINT, OIL PAINT AND INK.
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THE SUBJECTS IN HIS ARTWORKS BORROW HEAVILY FROM THE URBAN ART MOVEMENT DEVELOPED AROUND THE 1990S, WHICH CAME ONTO THE STREET IN THE EARLY 2000S. CULTURE JAMMING, POLITICAL SATIRE, ADVERTISING AND POPULAR CULTURE WERE THE MAIN THEMES OF EARLY STREET ART, REFLECTING HIS GENERATION AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES. THESE IMAGES ARE RECREATED AND RE-EXAMINED INTO PERSONAL NARRATIVES THAT ARE A REFLECTION ON MY EXPERIENCES, BUT IN THE END OUR EXPERIENCES ARE ALL SIMILARLY ALIGNED.  ‘YOU ARE ALL THE SAME..!’ 

OPENING NIGHT: FRIDAY, 8 JUNE
EXHIBITION 8-23 JUNE

IN MY WORK MEMORY OF MY HOME EVERYTHING HAS TRANSFORMED INTO ASH, SHOWING THE DESTRUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL’S IDENTITY CONSTRUCTED BY A SPECIFIC ETHNIC AND CULTURAL SETTING. THIS IDENTITY IS IN JEOPARDY DUE TO ETHNIC TENSION AND CONFLICT AT MY HOMELAND (KURDISTAN). THE GREY COLOUR OF THE ASH SYMBOLISES MELANCHOLY AND SORROW AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF SUCH IDENTITIES BY ANTAGONISTIC FORCES AND COMMIT GENOCIDE. MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH WAR AND DISPLACEMENT IS REFLECTED IN THIS WORK AND THE EVENTS ARE STILL FRESH IN MY MEMORY. THEY HAVE BECOME VIVID IMAGES SURFACED SYMBOLICALLY AND METAPHORICALLY IN MY WORK. THE IMAGES HAVE MANIFESTED IN TWO PHYSICAL ELEMENTS: FABRIC AND ASH. THE PIECES OF FABRIC SIGNIFY CULTURE, WHICH ARE HUNG AND EACH PIECE BY ITSELF CHARACTERISES INDIVIDUALITY. I INTEND TO SHOW HOW EVERYTHING HAS ELEMENTS OF PERMANENCE AND TEMPORALITY. THE PERMANENT ELEMENT REPRESENTS UNIVERSALITY OF FORMS, WHILE TEMPORALITY REPRESENTS CHANGE AND DECAYING INFLICT ALL INDIVIDUAL INSTANCES IN THE WORLD OF MATERIAL EXISTENCE. CHANGE OR RATHER PERISHING OF INDIVIDUAL INSTANCES IS SEEN AS NEGATIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE.

ARTISTS: THOSAPORN SUTHUMPHURAPHOL SOTAIYINNATTHIWUT PHUANGPHINATSUREE  TACHAVIRIYATAWEESINCHAYANIN KWANGKAEW PRAIYA KETKOOLPIMPISA TINPALITBUNDIT PUANGTHONGCURATED BY PIMPISA TINPALIT

ELEMENTS ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART IN THE CREATION OF EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE. EVERYTHING THAT APPEARS ALL FROM INTERACTION WITH ONE ANOTHER. IN TERMS OF ART, VISUAL ELEMENTS ARE IMPORTANT PART OF CREATIVITY. IT IS A TOOL AND MEDIATOR IN CONVEYING IDEAS AND SENSIBILITY FROM ARTISTS' EXPERIENCES. ALL THE SENCES THAT LEAD TO CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES THROUGH ART PIECES. 'ELEMENTS OF BREATH' THEREFORE MEANS LIFE OF THE ARTISTS, THEIR ART PIECE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT CREATE THIS EXHIBITION. THE EXHIBITION CONSIST OF EIGHT THAI ARTISTS WHICH HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE AND STYLE OF ARTS. THEIR COMMON PURPOSE IS TO COMMUNICATE AND PRESENT THEIR INTERPRETATION OF SOCIAL EVENTS, CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT THROUGH STORY THAT APPEAR ON THEIR ART PIECE.

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THIS EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER THREE ARTISTS WHOSE INDIVIDUAL PRACTICES DRAW ON IDEAS OF IMPLIED TENSION OR STRUCTURAL INSTABILITY THROUGH SCULPTURAL INSTALLATION. 
 
THE ARTISTS IN THIS SHOW EMPLOY DISTINCT AND IDIOSYNCRATIC TECHNIQUES TO CONSTRUCT THEIR WORKS. METHODS OF STACKING, INFLATING, STRETCHING AND EXTENDING AND AN ENGAGEMENT WITH ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS AND ARCHITECTURAL TECTONICS ARE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED AND PLAYFULLY APPLIED. 
 
THE USE OF MAGNETICS, FRICTION OR INFLATION TO SUSPEND OR SUSTAIN THE VERTICAL/HORIZONTAL POSTURE SUGGESTS AN INHERENT TEMPORALITY TO EACH WORK.  AND FURTHER IMPLIES THAT ANY DISRUPTION TO THIS FINELY-POISED EQUILIBRIUM, BE IT AN INTERVENTION INTO THE MAKE-UP OF STRUCTURE OR ITS ENVIRONMENT, MAY, IN TURN, INITIATE A COLLAPSE OR COMPLETE DEMISE OF THE WORK. 
 
AT RISK TAKES ON A LITERAL MEANING OF IMPLIED COLLAPSE, BUT IT ALSO SUGGESTS AN AMBITIOUS STUDIO PRACTICE; WHERE UNORTHODOX MATERIALS ARE GATHERED, TESTED AND DEPLOYED.
VIEW MORE OF THE ARTISTS WORK AT:
WWW.AARONMARTIN.COM.AU 
WWW.JULIABOROS.COM 

THE DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT CELEBRATES THE BEGINNING OF 2018 WITH LIGHTS, AN EXHIBITION BY EMERGING ARTIST CHLOE VALLANCE THAT GENTLY EXPLORES THE FLUID INTERFACE OF EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS AND EPHEMERAL MOMENTS. 
 
WORKING WITH COLOUR PENCILS, INK, GOUACHE, WATERCOLOUR AND ACRYLIC PAINT, VALLANCE’S ARTWORK DRAWS PEOPLE TOGETHER FLOWING AND GROWING, WITHIN THEMSELVES AND WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
 
VISITORS TO LIGHTS ARE WELCOMED INTO THE GALLERY AND ENCOURAGED TO FLOW THROUGH THE SPACE AS THEY CONTEMPLATE THE SUBTLE MOMENTS OF EVERYDAY LIFE CAPTURED IN THIS UNIQUE SERIES OF DELICATE PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS.
 
COME BE IMMERSED BY THESE POETIC CAPTIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE.

WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE ANNUAL BLENDER XMAS SHOW WILL ONCE AGAIN BE WELCOMING YOU ALL TO COME AND JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE YEAR THAT HAS BEEN. 
 
THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FOR THE BLENDER FAMILY. IN JANUARY THIS YEAR WHEN WE WERE GIVEN 30 DAYS NOTICE TO MOVE OUT OF OUR GRITTY OLD WAREHOUSE FULL OF SIXTEEN YEARS OF MEMORIES THE SITUATION SEEMED DIRE. AFTER A SUITABLE BOUT OF APOCALYPTIC-STYLE STRESSING (AND OF COURSE CONTINUING TO MAKE ART IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY) WE FOUND OUR NEW HOME IN DOCKLANDS. NOT EVERYONE SAW OUR VISION AT THE TIME BUT AFTER WEEKS OF HARD WORK WE BUILT AN ENTIRELY NEW STUDIO - DOUBLE THE SIZE OF OUR OLD HOME!
 
 
THE MOVE WAS TOUGH FOR EVERYONE, WE LOST A FEW ARTISTS BUT ALSO GAINED MANY MORE. TODAY BLENDER IS HOME TO 28 ARTISTS PRACTISING IN A HUGE ARRAY OF MEDIUMS AND GENRES. THE RESULT IS THE LARGEST AND MOST MOTLEY COLLECTION OF ARTISTS BLENDER HAS EVER SEEN SPRAWLED ACROSS OVER 1000 SQUARE METRES OF CREATIVE LABYRINTH STYLE SPACES. 
 
AS WELL AS THIS LARGE-SCALE MOVE AND WELCOMING AN ARRAY OF NEW FACES TO THE FAMILY, OUR STUDIO ARTISTS HAVE BEEN MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN EVER! COLLECTIVELY THE STUDIO ARTISTS HAVE TURNED OVER 15 SOLO EXHIBITIONS AND PARTICIPATED IN OVER 100 GROUP SHOWS FROM LOCAL EVENTS TO INTERNATIONAL BIENNALES - WHAT A YEAR IT'S BEEN!
 
THE BLENDER XMAS SHOW HAS CERTAINLY BECOME A TRADITION OVER THE DECADES, SO PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS LANDMARK EVENT CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS OF THE NEW STUDIO WITH ALL OF OUR ARTISTS. COME AND SEE WHAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WORKING ON AND PEER INTO THE ECLECTIC WORLD THAT IS BLENDER.

IN THE EXHIBITION THE BLENDER EXODUS, A GROUP OF AMOEBIC OZITO POWER TOOLS FLEE THE NEON BLAST FROM A SHOTGUN. LIKE SOME DAVID CRONENBERG-INSPIRED DRACONIANNIGHTMARE THAT IS BOTH LAUGHABLE AND DISTURBING, THESE MUTATED BLOBS RESEMBLE ROBOTIC SNAILS, SPURRING QUESTIONS MORE THAN ANSWERS. DOES THE VACUOUS STARTER’S GUN SPEECH-BUBBLE PLAY ONLY TO POP CULTURAL SENSIBILITIES, OR DOES IT SIGNAL THE LAUNCH OF THESE HYBRID CREATURES INTO OUR UNSUSPECTING LIVES?
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JASON WATERHOUSE’S SCULPTURAL PRACTICE IS UNDERPINNED BY IDEAS OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE, URBANIZATION AND ‘HOW WE LIVE WITH THE STUFF AROUND US’. IN WATERHOUSE’S STUDIO, UBIQUITOUS OBJECTS SUCH AS CAR BODIES, GARDENERS’ SHEDS, PENCILS, TOOLS AND TREE BRANCHES UNDERGO SERIES OF INTERVENTIONS RESULTING IN HYBRIDIZED OBJECTS THAT OCCUPY AN UNCANNY SPACE BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT, THE NATURAL AND THE MANUFACTURED.

IT IS OUR PLEASURE TO INVITE YOU TO THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW BLENDER STUDIOS AND DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT GALLERY IN DOCKLANDS.
AFTER BEING LOCATED ON FRANKLIN STREET FOR SIXTEEN YEARS, THE BLENDER STUDIOS RELOCATED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR TO THE NEW DOCKLANDS ARTS PRECINCT IN HARBOUR TOWN, DOCKLANDS. THIS IS A MAJOR MOVE FOR THE BLENDER STUDIOS, WHO HAVE BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF BOTH THE MELBOURNE FINE ART AND STREET ART SCENES FOR CLOSE TO TWO DECADES.
OUR NEW SPACE IS NOW HOME TO THIRTY ARTISTS. THE STUDIOS WILL BE FULLY OPEN TO GUESTS TO EXPLORE ON THE NIGHT; EXPECT A LABYRINTH OF STUDIO SPACES WITH WORK SPANNING COUNTLESS MEDIUMS AND GENRES FROM STREET ART TO FINE ART, SCULPTURE TO INSTALLATION.
THE DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT GALLERY IS ALSO REOPENING IN THE NEW LOCATION, WHICH IS EXCITING NEWS FOR THE MELBOURNE FINE ART SCENE. A GROUP SHOW, CURATED BY ADRIAN DOYLE, WILL BE OPENING OFFICIALLY ON THE 5TH OF AUGUST BUT GUESTS AT OUR VIP LAUNCH WILL GET AN EXCLUSIVE PRE-SHOW PREVIEW.
WE ARE ALSO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF OUR NEWEST VENTURE, THE BLENDER POP UP SPACE. THIS SPACE FEATURES A ROTATING COLLECTION OF ARTWORKS, PRINTS AND MERCHANDISE FROM SOME OF MELBOURNE’S MOST ELITE URBAN ARTISTS. A SECOND GROUP SHOW WILL ALSO BE CURATED IN THIS SPACE ON THE NIGHT FEATURING WORK FROM SOME OF BLENDER’S YOUNGER STREET ARTISTS AND ILLUSTRATORS.

15 YEARS AGO THE BLENDER STUDIOS OPENED ITS DOORS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND CAUSED A FLURRY OF MOVEMENT WITHIN MELBOURNE'S CREATIVE SCENES; OUT POURED A MYRIAD OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION THAT HAS GONE ON TO INFLUENCE THE FACE OF AUSTRALIAN ART. 

THE CHRISTMAS GROUP SHOW IS THE MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SHOW IN OUR ANNUAL CALENDAR AS WE OPEN OUR DOORS TO SHOWCASE THE LATEST RESEARCH AND WORKS BY OVER 17 ARTISTS THAT CALL THE BLENDER HOME.

EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDIO WILL BE SET UP IN A GALLERY CONTEXT, WITH A MINI EXHIBITION OF WORKS IN EVERY SPACE. THE TWO LARGER GALLERY SPACES WILL FEATURE A GROUP EXHIBITION CURATED BY ADRIAN DOYLE FEATURING AN INCREDIBLE LINEUP OF ARTISTS. FROM PERFORMANCE TO FINE ART, SPACE ACTIVATION TO STREET ART THIS SHOW OFFERS THE ARTISTS AN IMPORTANT AVENUE TO SHOW THE PUBLIC WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 

COME AND EXPLORE THE ARTISTIC WONDER OF MELBOURNE CBD'S LARGEST REMAINING WAREHOUSE STUDIO SPACE. 

AS ANY PREVIOUS VISITOR WOULD ALSO KNOW, THE SHOW IS NOT ONLY AN OPPURTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE ARTISTIC TALENT OF OUR STUDIO, BUT ALSO A GREAT EXCUSE TO THROW THE BEST CHRISTMAS PARTY IN TOWN.
 
ADRIAN DOYLE
MARCUS ENCEL
JUNKY PROJECTS
GOONHUGS
TIM STERLING
CRAIG COLE
SEBASTIAN FRANSZ
CAPER
JO HARRISON
MAN OF DARKNESS
BEN FROST
CHRISTOPHER HANCOCK
MAHA
RUSKIDD
JAMES WILSON
SHANE STERRY
ADI
HEESCO

THIS BODY OF WORK COMBINES MY INTERESTS IN LANDSCAPE PAINTING, GRAFFITI, AND THE TASMANIAN LANDSCAPE. 
IN THESE PAINTINGS I AM COMPARING THE TASMANIAN LANDSCAPE TO THAT OF AN URBAN LANEWAY WALL, WITH ITS MANY, MANY LAYERS OF PAINT: GRAFFITI, ATTEMPTED REMOVAL, OVER PAINTED, MORE GRAFFITI, SLASHED, BUFFED OVER, YET MORE GRAFFITI, WHITE WASHED ETC. ETC… AS I AM PAINTING THESE WORKS I'M WONDERING IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO READ A HISTORY OF THE LAND IN THESE LAYERS?MOST OF THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION BEGAN AS PHOTOGRAPHS OR SKETCHES MADE WHILST WORKING IN TASMANIA'S NATIONAL PARKS CONSTRUCTING WALKING TRACKS. THE PHOTOGRAPHS OR MEMORIES ARE THEN INTERPRETED IN OIL PAINT ON CANVAS OR WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER IN A FAIRLY TRADITIONAL STYLE. LATER I BEGIN TO LAYER OVER THE TOP OF THESE REPRESENTATIONAL PAINTINGS WITH MORE GESTURAL MARKS, APPLIED EITHER WITH A SPRAY CAN OR A ROLLER. THROUGH THIS PROCESS THE ORIGINAL LANDSCAPE BECOMES EITHER PARTIALLY OR COMPLETELY OBSCURED. WHILE READING JAMES BOYCE'S BOOK VAN DIEMEN'S LAND, IT STRUCK ME (NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME) JUST HOW MUCH THE LAND WE INHABIT HAS ENDURED, AND HOW MUCH IT MUST HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME AS GEOLOGICAL FORCES HAVE TAKEN THEIR COURSE, AND AS HUMAN HANDS HAVE WORKED AND REWORKED THE LAND. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THIS IDEA OF A CHANGING LAND IN MY PAINTINGS THROUGH A LAYERED APPLICATION OF PAINT, AND HAVE SUGGESTED THE ROLE OF THE HUMAN HAND BY INTRODUCING GRAFFITI-STYLE MARK MAKING TO CERTAIN PAINTINGS. IN OTHER PAINTINGS THE FINAL SPRAY PAINTED LAYER CREATES A MISTY VEIL THROUGH WHICH THE LAND CAN ONLY JUST BE SEEN.HOPEFULLY WITH THIS BODY OF WORK THE VIEWER GETS A SENSE OF A LAND CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND EVOLVING, MUCH LIKE THE PAINTED LAYERS OF AN URBAN LANEWAY WALL. 
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"PAINTING SPEAKS OF A CERTAIN ALCHEMY, A VISUAL ALCHEMY THAT TRANSFORMS THE WORLD INTO THE SEMBLANCE OF A PAINTED SURFACE. THIS MAKING OF ALCHEMY IS AN INEXHAUSTIBLE TASK, BEING REPEATED AND CONTINUOUSLY RENEWED, IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A PAINTING, TO MAKE IT ESSENTIAL TO THE WORLD. WITH OUR REALITY NOW EMBEDDED IN THE LIVES OF IMAGES, PAINTING AMIDST THIS PURVIEW, ESTABLISHES A RELATIONSHIP TO A PICTORIAL AND VISUAL PARADIGM. FOR PAINTING, WHAT IS NEEDED IS ALWAYS ESTABLISHED IN THE VISUAL, AS PAINTING IS BORNE FROM A VISUAL LOGIC. IT IS A LOGIC THAT BEGINS FROM A SIMPLE PREMISE – WHAT SHOULD I PAINT? WHAT SHOULD BE PAINTED?

THESE UNDERLYING QUESTIONS REMAIN EVER PRESENT IN THE WORKS OF CRAIG COLE. HE IS AN ARTIST WHO FINDS CONVICTION IN PAINTING. IN HIS LATEST BODY OF WORK, COLE LOOKS AT SUBJECT MATTER THAT IS CLOSE TO HAND, THE MUNDANE OBJECTS AND SETTINGS THAT ARE IMMEDIATE TO THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE STUDIO. AS AN ARTIST HE CHOOSES NOT TO STRAY FAR. 

IT IS IN THE EVERYDAY DETRITUS THAT LITTERS THE STUDIO THAT THE BANAL AND MUNDANE IS AFFIRMED AND THE MAKING OF THE VISUAL ARISES. THE IDIOSYNCRASY OF COLE’S VISUAL FORMULATIONS PRESENTS US WITH PAINTINGS THAT ARE BOTH TACTILE AND OPTICAL. WHETHER AN INCONSPICUOUS SCENE THAT CAPTURES LITTLE MORE THAN A CORNER OF THE STUDIO, OR A FOUND OBJECT SERENDIPITOUSLY PLACED, COLE’S PAINTINGS CONFOUND OUR SENSE OF SPACE WHILST CAREFULLY CONVEYING AN OBJECTS MATERIALITY. HE WORKS HIS PAINTINGS IN A MANNER OF REALISM THAT IS FORMALLY ASTUTE. OFTEN USING MULTIPLE EDGES OF THE PICTURE PLANE AS THE PAINTINGS INTERNAL ARMATURE. AS THESE STUDIO PAINTINGS CAN ATTEST, WE ENCOUNTER MOMENTS – THE BACKDROP OF SPRAWLING GRAFFITI OR THE RENDERING OF A BRICK WALL – WERE WE MOMENTARILY LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT IS INSIDE THE FRAME OF THE PAINTING AND WHAT EXISTS OUTSIDE. THE REQUISITE IS IN FINDING THE EDGE. AS A PAINTER THEN, COLE BRINGS US TO A PAINTINGS LIMITS, BY MAKING A VISUAL ALCHEMY THAT HINGES BETWEEN SEMBLANCE AND ARTIFICE, OF THE REAL AND UNREAL, WHICH IS THE PLACE OF THE STUDIO."
-KEITH WONG

COMBINING INSTALLATION AND LARGE SCALE DRAWINGS, DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT PRESENTS: 'CONSTRUCTION LINES - ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!' AN EXHIBITION BY JO HARRISON WHICH DEPICTS TRANSITIONAL STRUCTURAL SITUATIONS, AND EXPLORES THE WAY THAT THE INDIVIDUAL INTERACTS WITH THEM. 

WITH A BACKGROUND INVOLVING DANCE AND ARCHITECTURE, JO HAS BEEN EXPLORING URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WORLDWIDE, OBSERVING AND DOCUMENTING THE CONSTANT FLUX AND CYCLICAL SCENARIOS PREVALENT IN CITIES.

USING A STAGE-SET IDEA IN THE GUISE OF A CONSTRUCTION SITE, THE VIEWER IS INVITED TO BECOME AN INTRINSIC PART OF THE ARTWORK, INTERACTING WITH THE PIECE AND ANIMATING IT THROUGH THEIR PRESENCE; THE SHADOWS AND LIGHT WILL CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE MOVEMENT WITHIN THE SPACE - STATIC WHEN DEVOID OF PEOPLE.
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​THERE IS NO CONCLUSION, JUST CONSTRUCTION.

DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT PRESENTS INTERVENTION, A PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES BY JIM GURR. CAPTURED IN PARIS AND SURROUNDING SUBURBS IN DECEMBER 2015, THE MONTH FOLLOWING THE PARIS ATTACKS, THIS EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE UNREST OF A LOST METROPOLIS AND THE LONE WANDERERS PASSING THROUGH.

INTERVENTION PRESENTS A SERIES OF LINEAR PHOTOGRAPHS READ AS A DISJOINTED STRIP OF FILM, TANGIBLE AND COMFORTABLY SCALED. THE PAIRING OF PHOTOGRAPHS WITHIN THE SHOW ALLOWS GURR TO CREATE UNNERVING CONTRASTS BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK, NATURE AND CONSTRUCTED, SAFETY AND THE UNKNOWN.

INTERVENTION FURTHER UNSETTLES WITH A CONSUMING INSTALLATION WHERE PHYSICAL ILLUMINATION ALLUDES TO IMMINENT MOVEMENT - SUBVERTING FAMILIARITY. ACCOMPANIED BY A SOUNDSCAPE OF OSCILLATING THREAT AND CALM. STILLNESS IS SELF-ANIMATED, LIGHT AND NATURE DISTURBED AND THREAT DETONATES DISORIENTATION.

THIS EXHIBITION MARKS THE FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION BY JIM GURR. A CREATIVE CULMINATION OF CINEMA AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE STUDIES, PREVIOUS WORKS BEING SELECTED FOR FILM FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITED AT THE NGV IAN POTTER GALLERY. THE INSTALLATION INTEGRALLY SCORED BY FREQUENT COLLABORATOR ELIZABETH MCMILLAN WHO STUDIED COMPOSITION UNDER KEIKO FUJI.

‘ISOLATION CAN BE LIBERATING, WHERE FREEDOM AND POSSIBILITY SEEM BOUNDLESS. BUT THE LINE IS ALREADY DRAWN. WANDERING CLUELESS IN THE AFTERGLOW OF HORROR. KNOWN LANDSCAPES AND LOCATIONS ARE NOW DISORIENTED AND LOST.

WHERE LIGHT GUIDES AND DARKNESS BECKONS, DOES NATURE EMBRACE? THE CONSTRUCTED INTIMIDATE? VENTURE THROUGH COMFORT AND FEAR. NEITHER LIGHT NOR DARK. BEYOND COMFORTABLE ILLUSIONS TO FIND THE BEAUTY OF DESOLATION.’

DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT PRESENTS THE EXCITING NEW SOLO SHOW REFLECTIVEINK FROM RADIANCE. THIS EXHIBITION PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF NEW MEDIA INCORPORATING INTERACTIVE PROJECTION MAPPING; ALLOWING THE AUDIENCE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE OUTCOME. 
RADIANCE EXPLORES THE PROCESS OF REMEDIATION TO TRANSFORM HAND DRAWN ILLUSTRATIONS INTO A NEW MEDIA INSTALLATION USING INTERACTIVITY AND PROJECTION MAPPING WITH DIGITAL ENCODING. IT BRINGS TOGETHER A CONVERGENCE OF FORMATS FROM PRINT TO MOVING IMAGE THROUGH AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO MEDIA PRODUCTION. THE SIMPLE EXPRESSION OF MARK­ MAKING BECOMES ENHANCED BY NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY EXPLORING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ANALOGUE AND DIGITAL, THE HAND MADE AND THE COMPUTER GENERATED.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS HOLD MEMORIES INSIDE THEIR PATTERNS, WITH STORIES TOLD ABOUT PERSONAL REFLECTIONS AND PROCESSING OF EXPERIENCES IN THEIR DESIGNS. THESE STORIES ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE DECODED BY THE VIEWER BUT ARE MORE AN EXPLORATION ON THE WAY THAT WE CAN SHARE MEMORIES WITH ONE ANOTHER. THE STORIES, STARTED IN THE PATTERNS BY THE ARTIST, ARE UNFINISHED UNTIL THE VIEWER WEAVES THEIR OWN VERSION OF THE ENDING THROUGH INTERACTIVELY GENERATING NEW COMBINATIONS OF THE PATTERNS. IN THIS WAY MEMORIES BECOME LIVING CONCEPTS AS THEY WEAVE STORIES INTO THE PRESENT RATHER THAN BEING CAPTIVES OF THE PAST.

IN HIS MUCH ANTICIPATED FIRST SOLO SHOW, MELBOURNE'S RENOWNED STICKER ARTIST GOONHUGS WILL EXHIBIT AN EXCITING AND ALTERNATIVE SIDE OF HIS ART THROUGH SCULPTURAL DIORAMAS.

PAINSTAKINGLY CREATED WITH NO DETAIL LEFT UNCONSIDERED, GOONHUGS' DIORAMAS PRESENT A BEAUTIFUL AND RAW DOCUMENTATION OF HIS INFAMOUS STICKER TAKEOVERS WHILE EMBRACING ALL THE GRIME AND FILTH OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPES THAT INSPIRE HIM.

APTLY NAMED 'TINY WRITERS', THIS EXHIBITION IS ALL ABOUT CONSIDERING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GRAFFITI WRITER AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT, VISUALLY REPRESENTING THIS RELATIONSHIP THROUGH MINIATURE RECREATIONS OF SUCH URBAN SPACES.

EACH PIECE STARTS AS A SIMPLE CARDBOARD BOX, BUT UNDER THE INVENTIVE AND PATIENT HAND OF THE ARTIST AN ENTIRE MINIATURE WORLD FULL OF GRIT AND MYSTERY IS CREATED; A SPACE YOU CAN IMAGINE YOURSELF STANDING IN, WHERE THE BALANCE BETWEEN GRAFFITI AND ENVIRONMENT IS BOTH TUMULTUOUS AND HARMONIC AT THE SAME TIME. 

CREATURE CREATURE'S LATEST SERIES OF WORK IS ABOUT BRINGING INWARD DISPOSITION TO THE SURFACE WITH A DEMONSTRATION OF HIGH INTENSITY AND ROMANTIC DRAMA.
ILLUSTRATING THE INTERNAL WITH OUTWARD DISPLAYS OF ARMOUR, WEAPONS, CREATURES AND COLOURS. SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS OF FORTITUDE.
VISUAL STYLE AND MOTIFS COMES FROM BOTH A PAST AND FUTURE AESTHETICS RESULTING IN A SERIES OF CHARACTERS, AND SENSE OF NARRATIVE AND MYTHOLOGY: STORIES OF NEW/OLD HEROES AND SUPERPOWERS.
DAGGERS WILL ONLY RUN FOR 3 DAYS!

AFTER THE END
ONCE THE DUST SETTLES
AND THE SMOKE CLEARS
ALL THAT REMAINS
IS... 'THE FOUND'
A TRIBE OF SCAVENGERS
THE FOUND ROAM THE WASTE
IN SEARCH OF PIECES
IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS
IN SEARCH OF ANYTHING


'THE FOUND' IS THE SECOND SOLO EXHIBITION OF MELBOURNE BASED ARTIST, DANIEL LYNCH. HIS ONGOING STREET SCULPTURE CAMPAIGN 'THE JUNKY PROJECTS' HAS SEEN HIM INSTALL OVER 4500 JUNK SCULPTURES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY; ALL ENTIRELY MADE FROM RECYCLED AND FOUND OBJECTS.

IN THIS EXHIBITTION, JUNKY PROJECTS HAS CREATED A PROPHETIC AND IN-DEPTH STUDY OF A POST HUMAN, POST HUMAN, POST APOCOLYPTIC SOCIETY.

'THE FOUND' EXPLORES THE CULTURE, CUSTOMS, CRAFT AND ARTIFACTS OF WHATEVER IT IS THAT LIVES ON AFTER EVERY LIVING THING WE EVER KNEW HAS WITHERED AND GONE.

ARMIES WILL RISE
CITIES WILL FALL
JUNK WILL REMAIN

DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT WILL BE PRESENTING A EXCITING NEW COLLABORATION FROM EMERGING DESIGNERS S.RUSH AND CURIOS BIRDY AS PART OF VIRGIN AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE FASHION FESTIVAL 2016.
​
EMBRACE RAINY DAYS THIS AW16 AT THE CHRYSALISM POP UP SHOW TO BE LAUNCHED ON THE 19TH OF FEBRUARY AS PART OF THE VAMFF OFFSITE RUNWAY SERIES 2016. THE DEBUT COLLABORATION FROM S.RUSH AND CURIOUS BIRDY IS A COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY STREET WEAR AND RAIN PROOF ACCESSORIES WITH A NOSTALGIC TWIST. UNITED BY A LOVE OF WHIMSY, SMALL QUIRKS AND INTRICATE DETAILS, THE PAIR TRANSFORM THE ORDINARY INTO THE EXTRAORDINARY, CREATING WEARABLE STATEMENT PIECES TO STEP OUT IN.
​
CURIOUS BIRDY'S SIMPLE SILHOUETTES AND CLASSIC SHAPES ALLOW A FOCUS ON TEXTURE AND CONTRAST TO SHINE THROUGH. PLAYFUL PASTEL HUES, RUFFLES AND A DREAMY CLOUD PRINT ADD A SOFT FEMININITY TO MODERN FRAYED DENIM AND SMOOTH, HEAVY JERSEY. THESE PIECES ARE SHOWN OFF BENEATH GLOSSY, TRANSPARENT RAIN PROOF ACCESSORIES FROM S.RUSH. CLASSIC FAIRY TALE INSPIRED SHAPES ARE DRAINED OF COLOUR AND FILLED WITH LOOSE GLITTER, SHIFTING THE FOCUS AWAY FROM THE DREARY WEATHER.

GROUP SHOW​

THIS EXHIBITION IS ABOUT PAINTING. 

'I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHY I PAINT. I JUST WANT TO PAINT EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME. IT’S BECOME AN OBSESSION, MY LIFE, MY PROFESSION, IT DEFINES ME AS A PERSON TO AN EXTENT. SOMETHING HAPPENS WHEN YOU PAINT THIS MUCH, THE FOCUS SHIFTS FROM CONTENT TO DETAIL, THE PROCESS ITSELF BECOMES MORE INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT THAN THE FINISHED RESULT. YOU BECOME INTRIGUED BY THE CREATIVE SIDE OF PAINTING MORE SO THAN TECHNIQUE, AND NATURALLY, ABSTRACTION TAKES OVER, AS IT EMBODIES THE TRUE ESSENCE OF THAT CREATIVE PROCESS. EACHPAINTING IS BORN OUT OF CHAOS, A SMUDGE, A STROKE, THEN GRADUALLY IT GROWS, CHANGES, AND SHIFTS, FORMS CREATED AND DESTROYED, UNTIL IT BECOMES SOMETHING. THIS SOMETHING IS ACHIEVED THROUGH FINDING A BALANCE, A BALANCE BETWEEN THE ABSTRACT AND THE FIGURATIVE, THROUGH VARIOUS TECHNIQUES, THE PLANNED AND THE SPONTANEOUS, THE EMOTIONAL AND THE CONCEPTUAL, THROUGH COMPOSITION, COLOURS ETC. A MYRIAD OF INFLUENCES GETS THROWN IN, FROM EVERYTHING THAT I’VE BEEN TAUGHT IN ART SCHOOL TO PAINTING ON THE STREETS, SOME ON PURPOSE, BUT MOSTLY SUBCONSCIOUSLY. 

THIS CREATIVE PROCESS IS THE CONCEPTUAL CORE OF THIS BODY OF WORKS. I WANT MY PAINTINGS TO BE BOLD, BRAVE AND LOUD, OR SOFT AND GENTLE, WHATEVER, WITHOUT DICTATING TO THE VIEWER WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT. THAT PRIVILEGE SHOULD ALWAYS BE RESTED WITH THE VIEWER. ART SHOULD BE A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, FREE FROM RULES AND CATEGORIES, ALWAYS OPEN FOR INTERPRETATIONS. IT SHOULD TRIGGER EMOTIONS, AND DRAW REACTIONS, AND MAKE YOU CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITIES.'

HEESCO.

THE FOLDS
GIORDANO BIONDI
 
T H E FOLDS IS THE LATEST SCULPTURAL INSTALLATION FROM MELBOURNE-BASED ITALIAN ARTIST GIORDANO BIONDI, A HOMAGE TO THE BLANKETS, SHEETS AND COVERS THAT CONTAIN, HIDE AND PROTECT US AND OUR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS. A COLLECTION OF SPECTRAL FORMS THAT HINT AT THE ABSENCE AND ULTIMATE IRRELEVANCE OF THE HUMAN FORM AS THE NECESSARY SHAPING AGENT FOR THE ARMY OF BLANKETS AND SHEETS WE ALL POSSESS THESE ARE EMPTY HUSKS, WHICH HOLD THE UNCANNY POWER TO SUGGEST WHAT IS HIDDEN BETWEEN THE FOLDS.


'STELLAR EXPOSURE'
BY YENA JUNG
 
COVERING THE GALLERY CEILING WITH A STAR CHART, JUNG’S EXHIBITION OFFERS A CONTEMPLATIVE SPACE WHERE THE SERENE ENERGY OF STARS AND NIGHTLY ATMOSPHERE INDUCT A SORT OF RITUAL FOR THE DARK SIDE OF OUR PSYCHE.
 

'A LANDSCAPE OF DREAMS' IS AN INSTALLATION BASED EXHIBITION AT THE DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT BY ARTIST MARCUS ENCEL. THE SHOW WILL TRANSPORT THE VIEWER ON A DREAM JOURNEY THROUGH THE ALTERNATE LIFE OF DREAM.
​
TAKING THE FORM OF A MULTIMEDIA ENVIRONMENT, THE SHOW WILL UTILISE MULTIPLE VIDEO PROJECTION, SCULPTURE, BUILT SPACES AND WORDS AND WILL INCLUDE THE MELBOURNE PROJECTION SPACE WINDOWS. USING SUBJECT LIGHTING, WIRE, SCULPTURE, TABLEAU AND PROJECTION THE ARTIST CREATES AN ALTERNATE DREAM REALITY WHERE THE VIEWER IS INVITED TO EXPLORE THE SHADOW SELF; THE ID AND THE EGO. 'A LANDSCAPE OF DREAMS' WILL QUESTION WHY DO WE DO THINGS WE DO, AND WHY ARE SO MANY OF OUR ACTIONS INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO OURSELVES?

ENCEL EXPLORES DIVERGENT VOICES AND VISIONS THAT SEPARATE THE SELF INTO DIFFERENT IDENTITIES; WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EGO SELF (CONSCIOUS SELF) WITH THE ID SHADOW SELF (UNCONSCIOUS SELF) AND OUR WAKING LIFE?
THE INSTALLATIONS WILL BE DIVIDED INTO ZONES OF THE SURREAL, AS IN A DREAM, HOW ONE MIGHT EXPERIENCE A CERTAIN REALITY FROM ONE ANGLE AND HAVE IT SEAMLESSLY MORPH INTO ANOTHER AS ONE TURNS ONES HEAD.

ITS BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE CONTROVERSIAL ARTIST, ADRIAN DOYLE’S LAST EXHIBITION.

THIS IS A LONG TIME FOR AN ARTIST THAT HAS HAD OVER 20 SOLO SHOWS. 
BUT THE MELBOURNE BASED URBAN ARTIST HAS BEEN BUSY DOING ALMOST EVERYTHING. 
IN THE LAST THREE YEARS DOYLE HAS CREATED HIS OWN REALITY SHOW, CREATED LARGE SCALE PUBLIC MURALS, HE OFFENDED MUCH OF THE URBAN ART WORLD BY PAINTING RUTLEDGE LANE BABY BLUE, AND HAD ONE OF HIS PUBLIC ART WORKS CHANGED AFTER DOYLE PAINTED A PORTRAIT OF HIS DAD ON THE CROSS. MORE RECENTLY HE CREATED AN ART PROJECT FOR DISNEY’S TOMORROW LAND. 

THE AWARD-WINNING ARTIST WILL BE PUSHING HIS WELL-KNOWN CRITIQUE ON THE AUSTRALIAN SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE. IN HIS NEW SHOW. ”NEVER FORGET TO REMEMBER”
IN THIS SHOW, DOYLE’S PERSONAL SUBURBAN EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN EXPLORED THROUGH INSTALLATION, PAINTING AND SCULPTURE.

IN ONE OF HIS ARTWORKS, DOYLE HAS CONTROVERSIALLY BUILT A GOLD BULLION HOUSE OUT OF DOLLAR COINS. ‘THE COINS HAVE BECOME MORE VALUABLE IN THEIR NEW CONTEXT, THE COINS HAVE CHANGED, THEY HAVE BECOME AN ICON OF THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM.’ CLAIMS DOYLE.

HIS PLAYFUL AND ICONIC PAINTINGS HAVE UNDERLING DARK AND HONEST PORTRAYAL OF DOYLE’S SUBURBAN EXPERIENCE. DOYLE STATES, “MOST AUSTRALIAN’S ARE GUILTY OF SUBURBIA, TOO UNDERSTAND SUBURBIA IS TO UNDERSTAND AUSTRALIA.”

DOYLE’S CRAFTSMANSHIP AND CONCEPTS WILL BE SURE TO CREATE TALK. HE IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S HARDEST HITTING ARTISTS. 

LOVE OR HATE THIS CONTROVERSIAL ARTIST, HIS SHOW IS SURE TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SHOWS OF THE YEAR.

A DURATIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PERFORMANCE PIECE EXPLORING WAGE EQUITY, HOW BODIES ARE VALUED, & DISQUIETING TALES OF HUMAN LIFE & ENDEAVOUR TOLD THROUGH THE CLUMSY LANGUAGE OF MONEY.
 
"I AM OFFERING MY UNTRAINED LABOUR FOR HIRE TO ANYONE, TO EVERYONE, TO YOU.
I WILL PERFORM ANY WORK REQUESTED SO LONG AS I AM PAID THE SET DAILY PAY-RATE.
EACH DAY THE RATE THAT I AM AVAILABLE FOR HIRE AT WILL CHANGE TO CORRESPOND WITH THAT RECEIVED BY ANOTHER WORKER SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD. THEREFORE, DEPENDING ON WHICH WORKER'S WAGE RATE YOU CHOOSE TO EMPLOY ME AT, I CAN BE HIRED FOR AS LITTLE AS $0 & AS MUCH AS $380,000 PER HOUR." - CASEY JENKINS
 
TO ENGAGE WITH THE PERFORMANCE AND HIRE CASEY, CONTACT THE ARTIST VIA:
HTTP://CASEY-JENKINS.COM 
OR
EMAIL:
CASEY4HIRE@CASEY-JENKINS.COM

AN EXHIBITION OF ART AND STUFF

EVER WONDERED WHAT WORLD ARTISTS LIVE IN? WHERE THEIR HEADS ARE AT? WELL, WONDER NO MORE!

‘SOMEWHERE BETWEEN WALKING AND SLEEPING’ ALLOWS YOU TO WANDER THROUGH THIS TRULY UNIQUE PARALLEL UNIVERSE. STEP INTO THE UNSURE, UNREAL AND AT TIMES UNCOMFORTABLE. LET THE ART GUIDE YOU THROUGH THIS STRANGE LAND.
​
CARAGH BROOKS
CARAGH BROOKS IS AN EMERGING VISUAL ARTIST FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. HER WORK USES IRONY, PARODY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STORYTELLING TO DEMONSTRATE HER JUDGMENTAL NATURE AND BEGRUDGING COMPLICITY IN CONTEMPORARY WESTERN CULTURE. HER ARTWORK ADDRESSES ISSUES SUCH AS ENTITLEMENT, IMPATIENCE, SELF-INVOLVEMENT, JUDGMENT, “OVERSHARING” AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH AND DEPENDENCE ON TECHNOLOGY.
​
EDDIE BOTHA CREATIONS
EDDIE’S WORK DEALS WITH INTERACTIONS, BETWEEN HUMANS, HUMANS AND NATURE, HUMANS AND TECHNOLOGY AND LARGELY BASED ON THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. SERIOUS ISSUES ARE PORTRAYED IN A HUMORISTIC WAY, AIMING TO MAKE PEOPLE SMILE BUT YET PONDER ABOUT ISSUES SUCH AS TERRORISM, LOVE, SEXISM, NATURE AND RELIGION.
EDDIE’S WORK SHOWS COMPARTMENTS OF GROUPS, AND LAYERS OF SOCIETY IS VISIBLE. OFTEN THERE IS A MINORITY GROUP GOING AGAINST THE MAJORITY.
​
LUCIA MOCNAY
MOCNAY’S HUMANESQUE TAXIDERMIED ANIMALS ARE INSPIRED BY CHILDREN’S FABLES AND URBAN MYTHS, HISTORICAL ERAS AND CULTURAL LEGENDS.
DURING MOCNAY’S CHILDHOOD, IN SLOVAKIA, HER PARENTS WOULD RECITE FAIRY TALES OF HUMANISTIC ANIMALS AT BEDTIME. THESE CREATURES WOULD THEN VISIT IN HER DREAMS, LEAVING HER IN STATES OF WONDER MIXED WITH FEAR AND EVER PRESENT CURIOSITY. THEY SERVED AS FUTURE INSPIRATION.
​
MARCOMATIC
MARCOMATIC, IS AN EMERGING CREATIVE TALENT ORIGINALLY FROM GIPPSLAND. HE IS KNOWN FOR HIS INTRICATELY DETAILED INK ILLUSTRATIONS, ANIMATIONS AND LEGO BUILDING...
MARCOMATIC HAS ENCOMPASSED THE THEME OF THE EXHIBITION WITHIN A SERIES OF ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE VIEW POINT OF HIS YOUNGER SELF. THESE RECONSTRUCTIONS OF VARIOUS HUMAN SENSES BRIDGE THE WAKING WORLD AND THAT OF DREAMS, RESULTING IN THE ARTISTS OWN WORLD-LIKE VISIONS.

“GDC POP UP IN MELBOURNE” SHOWCASES MAJOR WINNING WORKS FROM 2003 TO 2013, COVERING A WIDE RANGE OF CATEGORIES, WHICH INCLUDE GRAPHIC, INTERACTIVE, HYBRID, SPACE AND PRODUCTION DESIGN, AS WELL AS DESIGN IN ADVERTISING.
THERE ARE 74 CHINESE ACTIVE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS’ WORKS ATTENDED  “GDC POP UP IN MELBOURNE”, THE EXHIBITION NOT ONLY REFLECTS THE TREND OF THE CHINESE GRAPHIC DESIGN INDUSTRY OVER THE PAST DECADE, BUT IT ALSO DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE DIVERSITY AND RICHNESS OF CONCEPTS UNDERLYING CONTEMPORARY CHINESE DESIGN.
​
THE “GDC TOURING EXHIBITION” HAS ALREADY SUCCESSFULLY HELD IN KOREA, AND LONDON (AS PART OF THE LODON DESIGN FESTIVAL), PROVIDING A BILATERAL COMMUNICATION PLATFORM TO FURTHER DISCUSSE THE CURRENT WAY AND FUTURE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN ON AN INTERNATIONAL SCALE.

ARTISTS INCLUDE: ADI (ADRIAN BRIERLEY), ADRIAN DOYLE, HEESCO, GEORGE MANIOUDAKIS, TIM STERLING, NICK IVES, JO HARRISON, FELICITY HAYWARD, SEBASTIAN FRANZ, D'ARCY SAVAGE, SHANE STERRRY, PAUL ROUND, CAM SCALE, SCOTT SELKIRK, AND RUSKIDD.
 

THE BLENDER STUDIOS CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE ART AND PARTY WITH THE ARTISTS OF BLENDER STUDIOS. THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION OF THE ARTISTS IS EVIDENT IN THIS ANNUAL EVENT WITH 18 ARTISTS SHOWCASING THEIR WORK.

THE EXHIBITION WILL BE HOSTED BY DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT AND THE STUDIOS WILL HOLD A SERIES OF PERFORMERS AND INSTALLATIONS. THE OPENING NIGHT IS SURE TO BE A STUNNING EXAMPLE OF CURRENT PRACTICE IN MELBOURNE RIGHT NOW. THE OPENING NIGHT WILL INCLUDE DJS, CUTTING EDGE PERFORMANCE ARTISTS, TRADTIONAL WORKS ON CANVAS, LIVE GRAFFITI EVENTS, STRANGE OBJECTS AND DISLOCATED RENDERINGS OF SUBURBIA.
AFTER TEN YEARS THE BLENDER STUDIOS STILL HOLD TRUE TO THE VALUES OF RESEARCH, ENERGY, INDEPENDANCE AND THE SOLIDARITY.

WITH STRONG LINKS TO MELBOURNE STREET ART AND SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNISED AND PROLIFIC ARTISTS CALLING THE BLENDER HOME, THE OPENING EXHIBITION WILL ATTRACT A WIDE AUDIENCE.
​
THE BLENDER STUDIOS CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION, ACCOMPANIED WITH A PARTY, WILL OPEN AT DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT ON FRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER, 2014 FROM 6 TILL LATE.
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE EVERYONE AT THE EXHIBITION.

PYRAMIDS AND LABYRINTHS IS TIM STERLING'S FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN MELBOURNE SINCE RETURNING FROM A THREE MONTH AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS STUDIO RESIDENCY IN PARIS. DURING HIS STAY HE RESEARCHED BARRICADE CONSTRUCTION THROUGHOUT PARIS' VARIOUS REVOLUTIONS. THESE CONSTRUCTIONS OFTEN RE-OCCURRED IN SIMILAR AREAS USING SIMILAR TECHNIQUES DESPITE GAPS IN TIME OF UP TO 100 YEARS OR MORE.
 
CHARLES TILLY DESCRIBES THESE DEMONSTRATIONS AS PART OF A 'REPERTOIRE OF COLLECTIVE ACTION' – 'THE ARRAY OF ALL PROTEST TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE AT A GIVEN PLACE AND TIME' – IMPROVISED AT EACH OCCURRENCE.
 
STERLING’S INSTALLATION FOLLOWS THIS INTEREST OF NARRATIVE IN ARCHITECTURE AS BOTH A CONCEPTUAL AND PHYSICAL SPACE. RE-IMAGINED AS A THREE-DIMENSIONAL PAGE, VARIOUS OBJECTS ARE DOTTED THROUGHOUT THE GALLERY. WALKING THROUGH THE MAZE-LIKE SPACE THE OBJECTS ENCOUNTERED APPEAR PHYSICALLY UNSTABLE, REFLECTING AND DISTORTING THEIR SURROUNDINGS.

BOXED DESIRES & GUILT IS ARTIST RYAN FOOTE’S LATEST BODY OF ARTWORK AND ALSO ONE HIS LONGEST IN THE MAKING WITH ONE OF THE PIECES TAKING OVER 8 YEARS TO MAKE.
 
THE MATERIALS AND MATERIALITY OF THE BOXED DESIRES & GUILT WAS A CRUCIAL STARTING POINT TO THIS PROJECT VIEWERS TO THE EXHIBITION CAN EXPECT TO SEE A RANGE OF SCULPTURE INSTALLATION PIECES TO A SERIES OF WALL MOUNTED ARTWORKS THAT SIT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SCULPTURE, PRINT AND PAINTING WITH LIGHT.
 
THE HERO WORK AND STARTING POINT FOR THIS EXHIBITION IS AN ARTWORK STARTED IN 2006 TITLED ‘2006 TO 2014 BOXED GUILT & DESIRES’.
GROWING FROM WASTE PRODUCTS PRODUCED IN FOOTE’S STUDIO THIS ARTWORK FORMED AN INFLUENTIAL STARTING POINT THAT COMPLETELY RESHAPED FIRSTLY HOW HE PRACTICED AS AN ARTIST AND SECONDLY THE IDEAS AND CONCEPT THAT FORM HIS ARTWORKS.
“AS MY ART PRACTICE GREW IN 2006 I BECAME VERY AWARE OF HOW MUCH IT CONSUMED, PRODUCED AND ALSO HOW MUCH WASTE I CREATED, THIS REFLECTION LEAD TO CASTING A CRITICAL EYE ON MY OWN ART PRACTICE AND HOW I MADE ARTWORKS!”
IT ALSO LEAD TO SOME HARDER QUESTIONS, LIKE WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF CONTEMPORARY ART TODAY IN A WORLD FACING FINITE RESOURCES, GLOBAL WARMING, INCREASING POPULATION GROWTH AND INSTABILITY?
 
THIS EXHIBITION SEES FOOTE CREATE A BODY OF EXTREMELY LAYERED AND SUBTLY SUBVERSIVE ARTWORKS THAT GAZES NOT ONLY WIDER SOCIETY AND THE TRENDS AROUND US THAT HE IS KNOWN FOR, BUT ALSO GAZES AT HIS OWN ART PRACTICE AS AN ARTIST, ITS WASTE, THE ROLE OF ART IN SUSTAINABILITY AND ISSUES OF AESTHETICS AND BEAUTY IN THE WORLD AROUND US BY REFRAMING/ BOXING THINGS.

SO ANYWAY.
 

LOOK AT THE WALL. THE WALL HAS BEEN BUILT. SOON, IT WILL BE UN-BUILT. THERE IS SOMEONE’S DRIED SPIT SITTING PARTIALLY OVER THE LAST LOOP ON A TAG SOMEONE ELSE DID TWO YEARS AGO. THE TAG IS BLACK. THE BLACK SPRAY PAINT FITS OVER THE TEXTURE OF THE BRICK. THERE IS MORTAR BETWEEN THE BRICKS, WHICH IS MADE FROM SAND, CEMENT AND WATER. THE WALL IS MADE FROM SPIT, SPRAY PAINT, BRICKS AND MORTAR.
STEPS OUT ONTO THE STREET. FULL OF INTENTION. TODAY IS THIS DAY, AND ANOTHER ONE IS COMING AFTER THAT.

WOOD IS TREES. CUT WOOD IS DEAD TREES. PAPER IS PULVERISED TREES. CHARCOAL IS TREE-DERIVED CARBON, WHICH IS BOUND WITH GUM. ART IS WHEN VARIOUS ADULTERATED AND MUTILATED ELEMENTS ARE FORCED TO HANG AROUND WITH ONE ANOTHER.

HOW DID IT BEGIN? WITH AN EXPLOSION. HOW WILL IT END?
THE WALL HAS BEEN KNOCKED DOWN. THE CHIPS ARE SPRAYING.
SOMETHING ELSE WILL HAPPEN LATER, AND IT WILL PROBABLY BE VIOLENT.
 
'WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BLENDER STUDIOS AND ASSOCIATED ARTISTS'

YESTERDAY, THE THAI ARMY DECLARED MARTIAL LAW.
TODAY, A TRAM WAS DELAYED IN MELBOURNE CBD.
YESTERDAY, THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE SOMEWHERE.
TODAY, THERE IS A COUP IN THAILAND.
YESTERDAY, THERE WAS A BIG SALE AT A LOCAL SHOPPING MALL.
TODAY, THERE IS A DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF THE LIBRARY.
 
THE EXHIBITION “CHAOS: YESTERDAY AND TODAY” PRESENTS THE WORKS OF 7 INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM THAILAND, AUSTRALIA, KURDISTAN AND NORWAY. THIS EXHIBITION RESPONDS TO THE MOMENT OF CONTEMPORANEOUS THAT A GLOBAL SOCIETY CONFRONTS WITH A CONTEMPORARY INSTABILITY IN TERM OF CULTURE, ENVIRONMENT, POLITICS AND EVERYDAY LIFE. THEIR WORKS PRESENTS BOTH CONCEPTUAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PRACTICES, WHICH RELATE TO AN INDIVIDUAL AND OR A SOCIAL CRITIQUE.

IN A WORLD WHERE ALL THAT REMAINS IS WASTED, NEW FORMS AND MANIFESTATIONS OF LIFE AFTER WASTE CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND DEVELOP FROM THE VERY DETRITUS WHICH DOOMED A CIVILIZATION.THESE ARE THE JUNKYPROJECTS.
MY RECENT WORK "WASTED" IS A PERSONAL EXPLORATION INTO THE CREATIVE PROCESS, THE SYMBOLOGY AND INVENTED MYTHOLOGY AROUND WHICH MY ART MAKING TAKES PLACE. BY USING BASICALLY ONLY MATERIALS WHICH HAVE HAD A PREVIOUS LIFE OF SOME KIND (FOUND OBJECTS AND WASTE POLYSTYRENE) I AM CREATING A NEW TYPE OF HISTORY FOR THESE OBJECTS, WHILST RESONATING ECHOES OF THEIR PAST LIVES WITHIN THESE NEW COMPOSITIONS. 
 
'WASTED' PRESENTS THE BEARERS OF BAD NEWS, AND THE ONLY NEWS WORTH BEARING. DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER.

IN ORDER TO FIND OURSELVES AND TO FIND MEANING WE AS A COMMUNITY AND AS INDIVIDUALS TRAVEL FAR. THIS DISTANCE TRAVELED IS ONLY LIMITED TO THE PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS OF THIS WORLD, OR HOW DEEP WE WISH TO VENTURE WITHIN OURSELVES. THIS EXHIBITION SHOWS HOW THE JOURNEY CHANGES US MORE THAN OUR DESTINATION, WHICH WE MAY NEVER REACH. THE PROJECTION SPACE WILL BE OPERATED ON THREE SCREENS EVERY NIGHT DURING THE EXHIBITION PERIOD, BETWEEN 8:30PM AND MIDNIGHT.
​
ARTISTS: ALEXANDER EDWARDS, GILLIAN FLETCHER, MATTO LUCAS, KHUE NGUYEN, KN RODRIGUEZ AND RAT SIMPSON.
​
A PART OF QUEER CITY 2014, SUPPORTED BY CITY OF MELBOURNE.

ARTISTS INCLUDE: ADI (ADRIAN BRIERLEY), JAMES BONNICI, ADRIAN DOYLE, MICHAEL FIKARIS, DREW FUNK, HEESCO, GEORGE MANIOUDAKIS, TIM STERLING, NICK IVES, SEBASTIAN FRANZ, JO HARRISON, CAM SCALE AND PAUL ROUND.

THE BLENDER STUDIOS CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE ART AND PARTY WITH THE ARTISTS OF BLENDER STUDIOS. THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION OF THE ARTISTS IS EVIDENT IN THIS ANNUAL EVENT WITH 13 ARTISTS SHOWCASING THEIR WORK.

THE EXHIBITION WILL BE HOSTED BY DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT AND THE STUDIOS WILL HOLD A SERIES OF PERFORMERS AND INSTALLATIONS. THE OPENING NIGHT IS SURE TO BE A STUNNING EXAMPLE OF CURRENT PRACTICE IN MELBOURNE RIGHT NOW. THE OPENING NIGHT WILL INCLUDE DJS, CUTTING EDGE PERFORMANCE ARTISTS, TRADTIONAL WORKS ON CANVAS, LIVE GRAFFITI EVENTS, STRANGE OBJECTS AND DISLOCATED RENDERINGS OF SUBURBIA.
AFTER TEN YEARS THE BLENDER STUDIOS STILL HOLD TRUE TO THE VALUES OF RESEARCH, ENERGY, INDEPENDANCE AND THE SOLIDARITY.

WITH STRONG LINKS TO MELBOURNE STREET ART AND SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNISED AND PROLIFIC ARTISTS CALLING THE BLENDER HOME, THE OPENING EXHIBITION WILL ATTRACT A WIDE AUDIENCE.
THE BLENDER STUDIOS CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION, ACCOMPANIED WITH A PARTY, WILL OPEN AT DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT ON FRIDAY 13TH DEC, 2013 FROM 6 TILL LATE.
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LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE EVERYONE AT THE EXHIBITION.

DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO THE OPENING OF JAMES BONNICI'S SOLO EXHIBITION, IN-BETWEEN SPACE. PLEASE JOIN USON FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER, STARTING AT 6:00PM. 

"THROUGH PORTRAITURE AND LANDSCAPE, MY WORK EXPLORES HOW DISTORTION, BLURRINESS, LIGHT AND SPACE MAY BE USED TO DEPICT PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES, PERCEPTIONS AND HOW WE EXPERIENCE OUR PHYSICAL REALITY. PAINTING AND DRAWING FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN WITH MY PHONE CAMERA ALLOWS ME TO INTERPRET MY IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS AND SUBJECTS THAT ARE CLOSE TO ME.
 
THE PORTRAITS OF HEADS IN MOTION CAPTURE A NUMBER OF MOMENTS NOT ORDINARILY PERCEPTIBLE. THEY GIVE US A GLIMPSE OF THE IN-BETWEEN AND WHAT LIES BENEATH THE SURFACE. DISTORTION IS CREATED THROUGH THE REPRESENTATION OF SUBJECTS IN MOTION, HINTING AT THE SUBJECTS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE. PAINTING THE MOTION BLUR MATERIALISES THE DISTORTION CREATED BY THE CAMERA, TRANSFORMING THE MOVEMENT INTO FLESHY, SCULPTURAL VESSELS OF CONTORTION, WHILE THE DARKER TONES OF THE DRAWINGS SEEK TO HEIGHTEN THE UNDERLYING ANGUISH. THESE APPROACHES DRAW ON THE DISTURBING, GROTESQUE ELEMENTS OF THE INITIAL SUBJECT IN ORDER TO ACCENTUATE THE OBSCURE WITHIN THE PSYCHE.
 
CONTRASTING WITH THE MOVING HEADS ARE THE REPRESENTATIONS OF STATIC ENVIRONMENTS THAT WE OCCUPY AND MOVE THROUGH EVERYDAY: BACKYARDS WITH HIGH FENCES, BLEAK BUILDINGS AND FLUORESCENT INTERIORS. BY USING AWKWARD ANGLES AND RENDERING THESE ENVIRONMENTS WITH A MINIMAL PALETTE (AS IF THROUGH A FILTER), THERE IS THE ATTEMPT TO HEIGHTEN THE UNSETTLING AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC ATMOSPHERE OF THESE SPACES. WHILE THESE CONFINED SPACES MAY BE PERCEIVED AS OPPRESSIVE, THE FINAL IMAGERY OF EACH PIECE AIMS TO DISPLAY A HIDDEN BEAUTY WITHIN: ONE THAT SHOWS STILLNESS, SILENCE AND A CONTEMPLATIVE NATURE."
JAMES BONNICI, 2013.

PARAMETRIC SPACE "PURSUING MY INTEREST IN THE RELATIONSHIP OF SPATIAL COMPLEXITIES, THE AIM OF ‘PARAMETRIC SPACE’ IS TO DEVELOP A SHAPE THAT IS NON-LINEAR AND APPARENTLY STRUCTURALLY UNSOUND IN ITS APPEARANCE. PROTRUDING INTO THE SURROUNDING SPACE, THE WORK AIMS TO REDEFINE ITS ENVIRONMENT AND CREATE A SENSE OF SPATIAL UNEASE.  
 
THROUGH CAD DESIGN, THE PIECE IS SHAPED IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT CAN BE COMPLETELY ILLUMINATED WITH TWO PROJECTORS. PROJECTION ‘MAPPING' THEN ALLOWS DIFFERENT VIDEO ELEMENTS TO BE ISOLATED TO SPECIFIC SURFACES. ALTERNATING VIDEO TEXTURES CAN BE APPLIED TO EACH FACE AND ARTIFICIAL SHADOWING DERIVED FROM THE CAD MODEL CAN BE PROJECTED BACK ONTO ITS PHYSICAL COUNTERPART, RAISING THE IDEA OF THE EXISTENCE OF A 2.5D ‘INTERDIMENSION’.  
 
THE SCULPTURE ALSO SEEMS TO EXIST IN A WAY THAT DOES NOT CLEARLY POSITION IT WITHIN ITS SPACE. WITH SHARDS THAT PIERCE ITS SURROUNDINGS, THE PIECE SEEMS TO BE FIXED YET BROKEN, CONVEYING A SENSE OF CONTROLLED CHAOS.  
 
THE WORK EXPRESSES MY INTEREST IN THE DEEP ABSTRACTION OF FORM THROUGH THE COMBINATION OF 2D, 3D AND DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS, AND HOW THESE REALITIES RELATE TO CONSCIOUSNESS.IT ALSO EXPLORES FORMS OF INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL, DIGITAL AND MENTAL ASPECTS OF WHAT WE DO.  
 
I HOPE THE VIEWER CAN APPRECIATE THE AESTHETICS OF THE WORK WHILE ALSO CONSIDERING ITS MEANING, NOT ONLY IN THE CONTEXT OF A GALLERY SPACE BUT ALSO IN RELATION TO THEIR OWN REALM OF CONSCIOUSNESS." - KIT WEBSTER. 
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RANGING FROM SITE-SPECIFIC PROJECTIONS TO SYNESTHETIC SCULPTURES, KIT'S WORK UTILISES MULTIPLE PROGRAMMING AND VISUALISATION TECHNIQUES TO CREATE EXPERIMENTAL CONCEPTS DESIGNED TO EXPOSE THE POTENTIAL FOR A NEW AUDIOVISUAL AESTHETIC.
 
MELBOURNE PROJECTION WINDOW KIT WEBSTER WILL ALSO BE PRESENTING HIS WORK ON THE MELBOURNE PROJECTION SPACE THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE EXHIBITION.

"A FEW OF THE CREW IN THE NEVADA DESERT AS PART OF PROSPECTIVES INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL ART FESTIVAL 2012
IMG CREDIT JOSHUA KEELING.
 
NOW 13 BRINGS TOGETHER A DIVERSE GROUP OF RESEARCH ARTISTS FROM AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES AND ASIA ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF NEW MEDIA ART, GAME ART, ANIMATION AND EXPERIMENTAL DIGITAL MEDIA 
 
FROM THE CONTROVERSIAL TO THE IRREVERENT, THESE ARTISTS WORK TO DECONSTRUCTTHE DIGITAL INTERFACE THROUGH NETWORKING, INTERACTIVITY AND MEDIUM AS THEY CHALLENGE AND QUESTION THE GLOBAL REALITY OF LIVING IN A DIGITAL AGE IN SERIES OF WORKS NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN AUSTRALIA.
THE ARTISTS FORM A LOOSE COLLECTIVE, HAVING MET AND SHARED COMMON RESEARCH OBJECTIVES IN 
DIGITAL ART FESTIVALS, STUDIO SPACES AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS, RECONNECTING FOR NOW13 ACROSS 
VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL DIVIDES. 
 

• ANNE BARTGES (MICHIGAN) WEBSITE

• BENJAMIN POYNTER (NEVADA) WEBSITE

• BRENT RICHARDSON (OKLAHOMA) WEBSITE

• GEORGIE ROXBY SMITH (AUSTRALIA) WEBSITE

• KIAN PENG ONG (SINGAPORE) WEBSITE

• JOSEPH DELAPPE (AUSTRALIA)  WEBSITE

• LIAT BERDUGO (RHODE ISLAND) WEBSITE

• RAPHAEL ARAR (LOS ANGELES) WEBSITE

• SIMON FINN (AUSTRALIA) WEBSITE

• SOPHIE KAHN (NEW YORK) WEBSITE

 
 
CURATOR - GEORGIE ROXBY SMITH

METAMORPHOSIS IS AN EXPLORATION INTO THE ARCHETYPES OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE. AS HUMANS, WE CREATE THE ARCHETYPES THAT EXIST AMONGST US AS INDIVIDUALS, AND AS A PART OF A COUPLE, A FAMILY, A TRIBE OR A NATION.
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HERE HA-HA INVESTIGATES THESE ARCHETYPES BY MEANS OF STENCIL: FUSING PORTRAITS OF PEOPLE TOGETHER TO FIND A LINK OR CONNECTION BETWEEN COUPLES, OR BY FUSING MAN WITH MACHINE AND BEAST.
THE VIEWER IS PRESENTED AND FACED WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ARCHETYPES WITHIN RELATIONSHIPS, TRANSHUMANISM & THE BEAST MAN.
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HA-HA
HA-HA (REGAN TAMANUI) IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST NOTORIOUS AND PROLIFIC STENCIL ARTISTS. HE CALLED THE BLENDER STUDIOS HOME FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE EXTENDING HIS ART PRACTICE WITH AN EXTENDED, OVERSEAS TRIP. NOW HE IS BACK, AND IS HAVING HIS FIRST SOLO SHOW SINCE RETURNING TO MELBOURNE AT BLENDER STUDIOS' GALLERY DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT.
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FUTURE RELIC. THE FUTURE ISN'T SHINY AND VIRTUAL. THE FUTURE IS INDUSTRIAL, MECHANICAL AND BROKEN. FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES ARE BUILT OUT OF RECYCLED PARTS FROM OTHER OUTMODED MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT. DECAY IN THESE OBJECTS IS A PART OF THE DAILY EXPERIENCE. FUTURE RELIC IS A COLLECTION OF SOME OF THESE OBJECTS AND THESE ARE THEIR STORIES.  JOIN US ON APRIL 12TH AT 6:00PM TO DISCOVER MICROELECTRONIC WORLD OF CAKE INDUSTRIES.  CAKE INDUSTRIES. ARTISTS AND TECHNOLOGISTS JESSE STEVENS AND DEAN PETERSEN HAVE WORKED UNDER THE COLLABORATIVE BANNER OF CAKE INDUSTRIES SINCE 2006. THEIR PRACTICE CONCENTRATES ON ELECTROMECHANICAL SENSING AND ROBOTICS TO INVESTIGATE IDEAS OF STORY AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGY. THEY PRIMARILY EMPLOY MICROELECTRONICS AND NETWORK CONNECTED SENSING SYSTEMS TO CREATE THEIR WORK, WHICH CENTRES ON AUTONOMOUS, SELF REGULATING OBJECTS, EXPLORATION OF SPACES FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, AND ANTHROPOMORPHISM.

WILL COLES MAY BEST BE KNOWN FOR HIS UNCOMMISSIONED PUBLIC INSTALLATIONS. FOR YEARS HE’S BEEN GLUING DOWN CONCRETE MOBILE PHONES, TEDDY BEARS, FOOTBALLS, SQUASHED DRINK CANS, SKULLS, AND REMOTE CONTROLS, AS WELL AS THE MORE CONSPICUOUS CONCRETE TVS, WASHING MACHINES & SUITCASES. USUALLY THEY BEAR A MESSAGE, SOMETIMES JUST A WORD, BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO PLANT A SEED OF THOUGHT.

HIS WORK CAN BE FOUND ON STREETS ALL OVER THE WORLD: MANY THROUGHOUT THE STREETS AND LANE-WAYS OF MELBOURNE. FOR THOSE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH HIS SMALL CONCRETE ‘STREET WORKS' DOTTED AROUND TOWN, NOW IS A CHANCE TO SEE HIS LARGER GALLERY SCULPTURES. IN HIS FIRST-EVER APPEARANCE IN A MELBOURNE GALLERY, DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT PRESENTS THEIR OPENING SHOW FOR THE NEW YEAR. WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO WILL COLES’ EXHIBITION: I FUCKING LOVE MELBOURNE.

COLES’ WORK DISPLAYS THE REMNANTS OF OUR THROWAWAY SOCIETY WITH HIS RENDERING OF CONSUMERIST ICONOGRAPHY INTO THOUGHT PROVOKING SCULPTURES. RELIGIOUS ICONS, POP CULTURE REFERENCES AND DEATH SYMBOLISM MERGE WITH THE PLASTICITY OF TODAY’S TOYS AND MOD-CONS IN A SOMEWHAT VULGAR, YET UNAPOLOGETIC SHOW OF DEFIANCE.
 
HIS ARTWORK IS A THOROUGHLY CLEAR CRITIQUE OF AUSTRALIAN CULTURE. THE MORE WE CONSUME THE LESS INDIVIDUAL WE ARE. A FAMOUS CULTURE JAMER, COLES SKILFULLY REPRESENTS A CULTURE OBSESSED WITH INDIVIDUALITY, YET COMPLETELY TAKEN IN BY THE ADVERTISEMENT THAT SELLS THEM THAT SAME MYTH.

Tim’s exhibition ‘Mr. Echo’ explores his interest in how perceptions of our environment are built. Architecture and weaving are used as analogies for perceptions built from social, institutional and media influences.
Large drawings made from repetitive mark making represent architectural structures and building materials. The hand drawn quality of these drawings transforms and undermines associations of repetition with stability and control. Similarly the 3-dimensional objects’ hand made and repetitive textural surfaces work as both structural support and as a shifting surface.


Tim Sterling received the Anne and Gordon Samstag scholarship in 2004 enabling him to be awarded a Master’s of Fine Arts from Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam. He has been a recipient of two Australia Council Studio residencies in Milan 2008 and Tokyo 2010. Tim’s work has been exhibited in various places across Australia and around the world such as hatched (WA), Primavera (NSW), Roslyn Oxley 9 (NSW), AEAF (SA), The Physics Room (NZ) and Consortium (Netherlands). He also participated in Model Mania a workshop presented by The Domus Academy with Olafur Eliasson in Venice, Italy 2005. Tim is represented in Adelaide by Hugo Mitchell Gallery.

Tim’s exhibition ‘Mr. Echo’ explores his interest in how perceptions of our environment are built. Architecture and weaving are used as analogies for perceptions built from social, institutional and media influences.
Large drawings made from repetitive mark making represent architectural structures and building materials. The hand drawn quality of these drawings transforms and undermines associations of repetition with stability and control. Similarly the 3-dimensional objects’ hand made and repetitive textural surfaces work as both structural support and as a shifting surface.


Tim Sterling received the Anne and Gordon Samstag scholarship in 2004 enabling him to be awarded a Master’s of Fine Arts from Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam. He has been a recipient of two Australia Council Studio residencies in Milan 2008 and Tokyo 2010. Tim’s work has been exhibited in various places across Australia and around the world such as hatched (WA), Primavera (NSW), Roslyn Oxley 9 (NSW), AEAF (SA), The Physics Room (NZ) and Consortium (Netherlands). He also participated in Model Mania a workshop presented by The Domus Academy with Olafur Eliasson in Venice, Italy 2005. Tim is represented in Adelaide by Hugo Mitchell Gallery.

Tim’s exhibition ‘Mr. Echo’ explores his interest in how perceptions of our environment are built. Architecture and weaving are used as analogies for perceptions built from social, institutional and media influences.
Large drawings made from repetitive mark making represent architectural structures and building materials. The hand drawn quality of these drawings transforms and undermines associations of repetition with stability and control. Similarly the 3-dimensional objects’ hand made and repetitive textural surfaces work as both structural support and as a shifting surface.


Tim Sterling received the Anne and Gordon Samstag scholarship in 2004 enabling him to be awarded a Master’s of Fine Arts from Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam. He has been a recipient of two Australia Council Studio residencies in Milan 2008 and Tokyo 2010. Tim’s work has been exhibited in various places across Australia and around the world such as hatched (WA), Primavera (NSW), Roslyn Oxley 9 (NSW), AEAF (SA), The Physics Room (NZ) and Consortium (Netherlands). He also participated in Model Mania a workshop presented by The Domus Academy with Olafur Eliasson in Venice, Italy 2005. Tim is represented in Adelaide by Hugo Mitchell Gallery.