As we close the door on the fabulous exhibition from the Seven Painters we open the door to Ellie Hannon and Damien Slevin. Two different, exciting and enticing exhibitions that continue to highlight Newcastle’s position as a major contributor to the Australian and international art scene, open on 30 July at Newcastle Art Space. Ellie Hannon “Traces” in Gallery 1 and Damien Slevin “Windows” in Gallery 2.
Traces – Ellie Hannon – Gallery 1
Coffs Harbour raised Ellie Hannon is passionate about art and is committed to the idea of art accessibility. To this end, Ellie raised funds and collaborated with an existing art collective ‘Rumah Kreatif’ to build a community art space in Jatitujuh, Indonesia. Ellie refers to this on her blog as being as a place of creation, collaboration, experimentation, discussion, performance, education….
This is
Ellie’s first solo exhibition in Newcastle since winning the Peoples’ Choice
Award at Newcastle Emerging Artists Prize in 2014. During her time in Indonesia, Ellie kept a
travel blog of her adventures and achievements which is fascinating to read and
can be viewed at: http://onmywaytofindout.blogspot.com.au/
On her blog Ellie introduces herself...”
as an artist, traveller, listener, learner and teacher. Having a degree in Fine
Art from the University of Newcastle she decided to travel with the idea of art
and sharing. Travelling through South East Asia, Ellie has volunteered for
various projects in many countries teaching visual and recycled art, English
and sustainability studies. Her travels have seen her creating art with various
communities and holding workshops in many art and community centres.” Ellie
Hannon
When I
visited her in her studio at Newcastle Community Arts Centre to see her works
in progress, Ellie talked about her interest in pattern and repetition and
showed me circular wood panels and some larger rectangular works. The circular
panels utilise Ellie’s soft colour palette choices and reveal finely drawn
organic and leaf-like patterns. Historical
layers were often scratched and wiped back in areas to allow the application
process to reveal itself as traces of the past.
Another new layer was then carefully considered and re-worked again. These
surfaces provide an enriching experience of discovery under close visual
examination and when set out in a repetitive historical
line formation, it was evident that the later panels had become less figurative
and more open, fluent, and loose in structure.
We briefly
talked about her ‘worry dolls’ and specific sculptural pieces that were being made as a
separate response to the idea of traces. These botanical inspired ceramic and metal works form a pleasing pattern of surface and shadow along the back wall.
“This series of new works traverses the fields of painting,
drawing, ceramics and assemblage, seeking a poetic relationship between
combinations of elements and materials. It is journey exploring the idea of a trace being a surviving
mark, a memory or evidence of the existence or passing of something....the mark making leads the viewer, via the suggestion of
a footprint or the dashed line of an intermittent path, into a rich litter of
colourful leaves and fallen flowers.” Ellie Hannan
Website: http://elliehannon.com/
Email :ellie.hannon@hotmail.comWindows – Damien Slevin – Gallery 2
Damien Slevin was born in Canada with Irish / Australian parents and came to Australia to study in the early 90’s. He lives in Newcastle and teaches Drama and English at Toronto High School. When we met to discuss this exhibition, Damien was uncertain what would occur first, the exhibition installation or the birth of his first child. August James Slevin was born on 3rd July. Congratulations to Damien and Jade from all at NAS. Damien has won a variety of art prizes across the mediums of animation, short film production and painting. His two brothers are also artists/creatives and they have exhibited together in Newcastle. Extensive details of Damien’s achievements can be found at: http://www.slevinarts.com/damien/main.html
"The exhibition will be an examination of space
and how it is altered and framed through the perspective of windows. Windows often offer a voyeuristic and
certainly unique perspective as one often wonders what the view might be
through a certain window. Whether
looking out through a window to an exterior or into a space via such a plane
there is always an interesting aesthetic from these ubiquitous architectural
accessories, which we often take for granted." Damien Slevin
Damien uses a personal and intimate format to create images, usually of smaller scale. This show also includes larger work which offer space for open and extended mark making. The viewer must look
closely into the work to discover the painterly magic within in much the same
way as a viewer may peer into or out of a window to see what lies through the
glass surface. In this new work he talked of a desire to replicate the intensity
of light as it was encountered through, across and around these windows. This
is a complex process and requires defined skill and expert examination. The
task requires establishing the spatial relationships between the window pane
and the interior and exterior objects. At the same time, each object and space
may have a separate reflection onto, through and across the glass pane
itself. Damien layers these transitions
with fine and believable detail and it is this detail that supports the charm
and atmosphere that can be found in the familiar everyday haunts into which we
all may venture. If I say these works
are beautiful and charming, am I being dismissive in fine art academic terms by
using these particular words. The works
may evoke a memory of places visited, of shared experiences, of time spent
unconsciously making such memories or connections. These images work for me especially in light
of such definitions. It is in the
everyday detail that the richness of life may often be found.
Chris Byrnes
Assistant Director
Newcastle Art Space
Newcastle Art Space
