Exhibition One

Kelly Austin | Ceramics | Master of Philosophy

My work combines opposing wheel thrown forms; the vessel and non-vessel, the familiar and non-familiar, and the practical and abstract to extend the perception of three dimensional objects associated with practical use. This combination occurs in still life painting and my practice investigates what happens when it is brought into three dimensions.

The objects are unified by their symmetry around a central axis, the basis of wheel thrown form. I use colour and the placement of objects to give a sense of harmony and balance. A range of ceramic materials is used to disrupt their cultural status; the preciousness of porcelain sits next to earthen terracotta. I am interested in the tension between the tactility of my work and its display in the art gallery context.

Kelly Austin is an emerging ceramic artist, born in Vancouver, Canada. She completed a Bachelor of General Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University in Vancouver in 2011 and will complete her Master of Philosophy in Ceramics from the Australia National University, Canberra in 2016.

Her work has been exhibited in curated exhibitions across Australia, Canada and The United States of America. In 2015, her work was selected for two prominent award exhibitions, The City of Hobart Art Prize, Tasmania and the Clunes Award, Victoria. Kelly was selected for a British Columbia Creative Achievement Award and an emerging artist award from the Capital Artist Patrons’ Organisation in 2015. She has assisted teaching at the Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Deer Isle, U.S.A. and was a resident at Medalta’s International Artist Residency in Medicine Hat, Canada.

Gregory Hodge | Painting | Doctor of Philosophy

Motion and Spatiality: Material Illusions in Abstract Painting

This practice-led research investigates the continuing role of abstraction within contemporary art via a painting practice that involves collage, works on paper and paintings on canvas. The project is focussed on testing ways in which devices historically associated with illusionistic painting could be applied to an abstract picture space. The painting process and accompanying exegetical reflections together explore the implications of adapting and translating illusionistic techniques, such as those as of the trompe l’oeil and Baroque traditions, into a contemporary idiom, and how this affects the ways we view, experience and interpret abstract paintings.

Hodge has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions within Australia including Right Here Right Now, Penrith Regional Gallery (2015) Mind the Gap Casula Powerhouse Sydney (2014) and Word of Mouth, Canberra Museum and Gallery (2012).  In 2015 He was the recipient of the Australia Council Rome Residency and in 2012 undertook a residency at BASSO in Berlin Germany. In 2013 Hodge was the winner of the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Emerging artist award. Hodge has been a finalist in numerous awards including The Fishers Ghost Prize (2014) the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize Sydney (2013), The Blake Prize, Sydney (2013) and the Art Gallery New South Wales Brett Whiteley Scholarship (2010)

Hodge is a sessional Lecturer at the University of Wollongong NSW and is represented by Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney

Carolyn Young | Photography & Media Arts | Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of my studio research was to develop a new way of looking at ecosystems - one that was both aesthetic and scientifically informed. The subject of my research was remnant vegetation within farmed systems. The aim was to provide a quality visual record, through the medium of photography, which could be used to promote the public’s awareness of these ecosystems. Collaborating with ecologists and farmers enabled me to visually communicate ecological knowledge of grassy woodlands, not only the beautiful flowers, but also changes to biodiversity as a result of human management interventions. Photographing at different times of the year shows some of the seasonal variability.

Carolyn Young is a New South Wales-based artist. She holds an honours degree in Natural Resources from the University of New England and worked as an environmental scientist for 13 years. Her desire to meld subject disciplines about environment with the visual fine arts led Carolyn to the ANU School of Art where she completed a Graduate Diploma of Art in 2004. She now explores knowledge, meanings and values about the environment through photography. She has been the recipient of several grants, awards and commissions. Her work is held in public and private collections. For more information see: carolynyoung.com.au

Installation views of 2/2016: Visual Arts Graduate Season - Exhibition One