Sixfold Project Exhibition Portfolio

BLISTERING

LOCATION     The Art Room Vivo, Palm Cove, far north Queensland

DATES     Sept – Oct 2020

ARTISTS    Raewyn Biggs, Barbara Dover, Louisa Ennis-Thomas, Julie Poulsen, Rose Rigely, Jennifer Valmadre

BACK STORY  

2020 has been a challenging year of isolation and social disruption in many regions. 

During this difficult period of covid-19 lock-downs throughout Australia, Sixfold Project doubled its resolved to stay connected and productive throughout this challenging time.  

Blistering was a concept in development, which would form the basis for an exhibition, delivered at the height of the pandemic to local audiences in far north Queensland.  

Adaptability is key.  

We would usually have a buzzing opening event to celebrate the exhibition and give visitors opportunities to connect with the artists and their work.  Instead, discussions were focused around social media platforms and small informal gatherings in the gallery space.  

Gallery owner, Suzi Sherr was a wonderful advocate for our work during this challenging time with a large number of artworks finding homes to enrich.

Blistering exhibition location, The Art Room Vivo Palm Cove Image courtesy Suzy Sherr

EXHIBITION STATEMENT  

Blistering: (of heat) intense; (of criticism) expressed with great vehemence; extremely fast, forceful, or impressive.

Blistering reverberates with states of uncertainty where clearly describing the current situation or seeing possible future situations are, it would seem, beyond our grasp.

This exhibition wrestles with a larger story by concentrating on individual narratives. Each artist has developed a new body of work which brings their singular perceptions and sensibilities to a dissonant story of a world in crisis. The multidisciplinary artists draw on materials and processes which powerfully embody their ideas and poignantly sharpen the focus on worldwide calamity.

Sixfold Project settled on the somewhat prescient title, Blistering, as the driving concept for the group’s inaugural exhibition well before the shocking bush fires of late 2019 and early 2020. The word “blistering” took on a real potency for the artists. No-one could have foreseen the devastation that was to be wreaked upon Australia by the ravaging fires sweeping across the land. Yet, there was little indication, then, that the world would soon be turned upside down by another vehement force – a pandemic. For the six artists, the term “blistering”, once again, increased its significance and weight.

The Sixfold Project artists collect, build, re-use, deconstruct, layer, gather, mould, fuse, mix, embroider, print, paint, compose, construct, sew, weave, reveal and question as they pay attention to the potential and force of materials, impelled by their personal accounts and reckonings of human agency on the planet, and the confounding present-day world issues.

Art Exhibition | Disquiet: Ecological Anxieties and Transformations

Venues        Artspace Mackay, NorthSite Contemporary Arts (Cairns), Umbrella Studio    Contemporary Arts (Townsville), Gatakers Artspace (Maryborough)

Dates          Touring Jan 2020 – June 2021

Artists         Sixfold Project’s Barbara Dover in collaboration with Robyn Glade-Wright

Project

Disquiet: Ecological Anxieties and Transformations is a collaborative touring exhibition, which interrogates the anxieties around and pressures on the marine environment. The exhibition developed by two far north Queensland artists toured from the far north to the south coastal area of Queensland to four venues/communities. While far apart in distance, these communities share the ecological conundrums, concerns and issues of marine and coastal plastic pollution.

Disquiet was presented in the context of increasing awareness of the impacts of climate change, localised pollution, coastal development, rising sea levels, overfishing and widespread marine debris – specifically plastic debris – which are endangering the reefs, the ocean and its inhabitants.

Arts engagement can be effective in environmental and ecological transformations by expanding opportunities for audiences to interpret, discuss and assign value to certain aspects of the world, and to consider challenging questions.

Funding acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

Art Exhibition | Glimpse

Location    Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland

Dates         2014

Artists         Julie Poulsen, Jennifer Valmadre

Project

Glimpse is a Cairns Regional Gallery exhibition presenting the synergistic works of artists, Julie Poulsen and Jennifer Valmadre.

Glimpse began with a road trip into the harsh northern savannah lands of far northern Queensland, and draws upon the subtleties of this landscape as inspiration for a new body of work. The journey and exhibition development were captured by Australian film maker, Catherine Hunter, in her documentary, Savannah Country.

Catherine Hunter (Sidney Nolan: Mask and Memory; Margaret Olley: A Life in Paint and Glenn Murcutt: Spirit of Place) gives rare insights into the artistic processes, as the filmmaker shadows the artists as they move from early conception to completion of this significant body of work exhibited at the gallery. 

Art Exhibition | Women in the Arts: Booked

Venue        NorthSite Contemporary Arts (formerly KickArts Contemporary Arts)

Dates         14 Feb – 22 March 2014

Curator      Rose Rigley

Artists        Raewyn Biggs (FNQ), Louisa Boyd (UK), Fiona Dempster (QLD), Barbara  Dover (FNQ), Louisa Ennis-Thomas (FNQ), Vide Freiberg (QLD), Ania Gilmore (USA), Mandy Gunn (VIC), Kyoko Imazu (VIC), Liz Jeneid (NSW), Susan Porteous (USA), Rose Rigley (FNQ)

Project

Booked, an exhibition featuring artist books and text-based works, is part of a larger cross-venue program playing upon a literary theme for far North Queensland’s annual Women in the Arts event. Works on display reflect the delicate qualities of paper and break away from the traditional format of the artist book, exploring both text and sculptural form within this diverse exhibition. Works from local artists accompany a selection from Australia, the UK and USA. 

Artist Book Workshops

Skill-sharing and collaborative projects are a major focus for our group. Learn how to make and stitch together creative books of your own design using introductory book binding methods. All tools and materials will be provided in these interactive sessions.  

Art Exhibition | Simmer: Contemporary Works from Far North Queensland

Venue        69 Smith Street Gallery, Melbourne

Dates         6 Feb – 24 March 2013

Curator      Louisa Ennis-Thomas

Artists        Raewyn Biggs, Louisa Ennis-Thomas, Rose Rigley, Vide Freiberg (nee Smith)

Project

Simmer: Contemporary Works from Far North Queensland is a touring exhibition of major works by members of Queensland artist collaboration, Knock Knock Contemporary Artists’ Initiative. 

Within their artistic practices, Knock Knock members share a common approach where both conceptual concerns and the exploration of a sense of materiality govern their creative process.

The exhibition showcases both sculptural and installation-based works and is part of a larger project for 2012/13, Beyond the Frame. This exhibition, touring from Queensland to Melbourne, was made possible through an Arts Queensland ARI grant.

Curator’s Talk   7 pm Sat 9 February

Funding Acknowledgement: This project has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. 

[In 2020, Knock Knock re-branded as Sixfold Project]