September 2015 – Nnequin

In complete contrast to the elegant Canberra Botanical exhibition I visited earlier in the evening is the experimental, grassroots nnequin exhibition in the pop-up Gorgeous Mortar art and cafe space on Mort Street, Braddon.

Nnequin is a collaborative exhibition by three housemates, Lym Garrett, Stephen Dobson and Jeremy Wells, under the group title The Polyphallus Palace. The exhibition runs on the theme of mannequins and dismembered body parts, with each artist taking the theme and interpreting it in their own medium and style, separate of the others. Bringing the collection together hours before the opening, the surprise was a series of pieces that worked in compliment to the others. Unique enough to feel the vibrancy of voices across the pieces, they nevertheless speak a common language of human form and fragmentation that captures the imagination of the viewer.

The opening was presented with live painted ‘mannequin’ actors posing in the window of Gorgeous Mortar, walking at times among the crowd and beside (more traditionally still) mannequin sculptural pieces. The grass roots quality of the exhibition is evident in the casual, welcoming bustle of friends and fans of the artists, the handwritten price list (still being printed minutes before the opening) and the disjointed arrangement of the pieces across the small exhibition space. Although haphazard, exhibitions of this variety often present the more exciting experiments and rich innovations in contemporary art. I myself fell in love with several pieces for their raw quality and the seeming narratives behind them, and took home three of the 25 pieces on show.

At nnequin you can expect to find sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs, ranging in prices from affordable to less-than, with the majority in the very affordable range. Nnequin opened 6:00pm 18 September 2015 and runs until 24 September.

Check out the Facebook event to plan your visit: www.facebook.com/events/862757523778597/

September 2015 – Canberra Botanical

Maria Boreham with her piece ‘Wild Flower Collection’.

Canberra Botanical, the annual exhibition of The Botanical Arts Society of Australia Inc., opened today at the Nishi Gallery in New Acton. The exhibition showcases exquisitely detailed botanical drawings and paintings, ranging from moss covered branches to the fine petals of new blossoms. Each entry has been selected through multiple rounds of careful screening – first by a botanical scientist for its accuracy, and then by a panel of two professional artists for its artistic qualities. The worth of this process is in the quality of the works in the exhibition- each piece is a delightful rendering of flowers, fruits, seeds and leaves that lend a rich life to the concrete exhibition space.

The Society is a non-profit group run by several local artists, who seek to promote botanical illustration nationwide. Botanical illustration represents the intersection of science and art, by rendering in accurate detail the subject as it appears. Pieces in the exhibition are achieved in watercolour, the traditional medium of botanical illustration, as well as heavier paints and in graphite.

With its delightful array of floral pieces, the exhibition is a fantastic inclusion in the spring exhibition season. For lovers of flora, the exhibition is a superb opportunity to purchase a very reasonably priced original piece, and for visitors to the region the exhibition is an opportunity to stop by the New Acton precinct and soak up the atmosphere of spring away from the crowds of Floriade for an hour or two.

Canberra Botanical opened at Nishi Gallery, New Acton on 18 September 2015, and runs 19 September to 5 October.

www.botanicalartsocietyaustralia.com

Several paintings of various botanicals.

Wendy Antoniak with her piece ‘Eucalyptus macrocarpa’

My favourite graphite piece from the exhibition.