+One Exhibition Review by Michelle Hall
12/10/2015
Plus One is a courageous exhibition of works by nine artists who completed their training at James Cook University. Artists include Neil Binnie, Jade Browning, Ben Green, Caitie Nettlefield, Douglas Prescot, Dianne Purnell, Kathrine Olive, Justine Reid and Katya Venter.
Showcasing works from a wide variety of creative genre, as a group and individually, Plus One affirms the emergence of the nine. What binds the works together, for me, is their firm grasp on what is possible in regional contemporary art.
As Bourdieu notes in The Logic of Practice,
“Only in imaginary experience, which neutralises the sense of social realities, does the social world take the form of a universe of possibles equally possible for any possible subject.”
From the intimate illustrations of Neil Binnie and Jade Browning to the fine prints of Caitie Nettelfield we travel through the realistic to the hyper real. Exploring the relationship between self and nature Binnie’s drawing skill gently presents his process of emersion. The skull anatomy of Browning’s work appeal to the darker side while Nettelfield’s the digitally designed garden almost serves as an accidental burial wreath.
Inviting the viewer to stroll through the country side and succumb to the lofty trees in the Australian landscape, Kathrine Olive presents a truly sublime work.
Evoking the surrealist combination of dream and reality Douglas Prescott’s staged photographs explore structural violence. Blurring boundaries even further, Katya Venter maps imaginary and physical journeys in her highly technical paper cut work Maps, Mops and Migrations. The work renders the space it occupies into a place where one can indeed get lost in the flux.
Justin Reid’s deconstructive thought piece examines the lack of consumer control over electronics. Reid cleverly introduces a reclaimed sound system to present a new form of emancipation.
Three coloured objects on a table created by Dianne Purnell and Emile Griffiths correspond to environmental sounds. Viewers move the objects around, altering the balance between softer, natural and harder, generated sound. As with all their other collaborative works the duo’s creation is captivating and thought provoking.
Visualising electronic music Ben Green presents a subwoofer filled with fluorescent paint. As the sound, generated by “backward tape” technique causes the subwoofer to vibrate the paint leaps from the speaker. The work is the result of thorough planning and kept several young people, often our toughest audience, entertained for a long period.
Overall, the exhibition illustrates that Townsville is home to a group of fantastic young artists who are fully submerged in contemporary practice. It is now up to Townsville to create a sustainable arts environment which will retain them for more ambitious endeavours.
Written by
Michelle Hall
Curator Writer Educator
Well written insight and interesting review Michelle, thank you for encouraging these young artists to pursue and expand their creative endeavours. I also hope that Townsville’s business community recognises the value of their skills.
Thank you Vicki, Alan and especially Angela for supporting this project and Michelle Hall for the written review. We appreciate you taking the time to consider the works