#Gertrude Glasshouse

[jgthirlwell]

Francis Carmody at Gertrude Glasshouse Gallery in Melbourne, Australia

[co-iki]

[ DONATION ]

Our 1st POLYTOPIA exhibition involving artists at risk will be held at Res Artis space in Melbourne in coming month as below!

It's a self-funded project for all the artworks exhibited , international delivery, production costs including artist / curatorial fee.

Co-iki have already hosted Ukrainian artists during the pandemic and the ongoing war and is now planning to host a Burmese artists in Tokyo. The Burmese artist will also need financial support for her residency and creative practice.

We would also like to tour the POLYTOPIA exhibition to Japan in the near future.

Please support us to bring the best out of our exhibition and to continue our residency activities.

Your warm contribution will help to expand our program in Tokyo + International for the artists and cultural workers at risk.

Thank you so much!

Donate via Paypal / Ko-fi ; Goal 💲8000　*The exhibition report will be shared with the donors. Thanks for your kind consideration!

Paypal: https://paypal.me/coikitokyo *You can choose the currency

Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/coiki/　*Australian Dollar

Please inquire on (contact@co-iki.org) if you have difficulty in sending donation or any further questions.

この度、co・ikiと世界のレジデンシープラットフォーマーのresartisが共催し、メルボルンにて展覧会 「POLYTOPIA - re・birth - （ポリトピア・リバース）」 を開催致します。

POLYTOPIAはパンデミック中に実施されたco・ikiのリモートレジデンシープログラムです。

この度は政治的・社会的危機や文化的破壊の渦中にあるアーティストや創作活動にフォーカスし、ウクライナ、ミャンマー、インドネシア、インド、日本のアーティストたちによる作品が一同に会します。

将来的には日本での巡回も計画しております。

本展を開催するにあたり、旅費以外の制作コスト、作品輸送費、アーティストフィー等企画者個人負担となっており、皆様にお力添えいただきたく、下記よりマイクロファンディングをお願いしたく存じます。（不明なことやお問い合わせはこちらまでお気軽にお願いいたします。contact@co-iki.org ）

各国で変動する状況の中、いかなる方法でも創作を続けるアーティストたち、また私たちの活動を継続的なものにするためにみなさんのご支援が必要です。2024年夏にはミャンマーのアーティストも東京co・ikiでのレジデンスを希望しているため、展示資金に加えて活用させていただければと思います。また、将来的な東京での展示についても皆様にご覧いただけるようしたく、準備資金ができますと更にありがたく思っております。

2020年のパンデミックに始まり、各国の危機的な環境を踏まえ、共に創作の場をサポートいただけますと幸いです。何卒宜しくお願い申し上げます。

Donate via Paypal / Ko-fi ; Goal 💲8000　*The exhibition report will be shared with the donors.　ドネーションの一次目標は80万円（下記より）。支援者の皆さんには展示レポートをお送りいたします。

寄付はPaypalかKo-fiで行っていただけます。ご希望に応じて他の方法も可能ですのでお問い合わせください。(contact@co-iki.org)

Paypal: https://paypal.me/coikitokyo ※為替選択可

Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/coiki/　※ オーストラリアドル 1D=100円程

下記QRからも各寄付先リンクに入れます。

✉️Inquiry : contact@co-iki.org

[Exhibition] 

POLYTOPIA -  re・birth -

May 17th - June 15th ,2024

Location: Res Artis— 44 Glasshouse Rd, Collingwood (Wurundjeri Country) 3066, Victoria, Australia

*Access is via Gertrude Glasshouse and is not wheelchair accessible.

https://www.instagram.com/resartis_projectspace/

Opening: Thursday 16th May, 6-8pm

Exhibition dates: 17th May. -14th June 2024

Gallery Hours: 12-5pm, Thursday and Friday 

*Visits outside of gallery hours can be made by appointment between May 17th - May 24th. Please contact : contact@co-iki.org 

Curator : Yoko Negami / co・iki 

Organizer : Res Artis  ,  co・iki 

Cooperator: миразом & co・iki friends 

Grant by : Toshiaki Ogasawara Memorial Foundation

Participating Artists : 

Soe Yu Nwe / Myanmar

Subhash Maskara / India

Muhamad Gerly / Indonesia

Nana Biakova / Ukraine

Olia Fedorova / Ukraine

Ryoichi Wago / Japan 

“POLYTOPIA” started in 2021, the second year of the pandemic to follow Co-iki’s  first remote residency “Creativity from Home” in 2020. 

The participating creators from different parts of the world came together to cocreate our POLYTOPIA delving into the concept of locality in this changing era.

February 24th, 2022.

That was the very day of our final presentation and wrap-up of POLYTOPIA , when the full-scale war started in Ukraine, in our fellow artists’ country. 

5am in Ukraine, 12 at noon in Japan. Urgent messages have been exchanged. 

We decided to postpone our event but just to pray for our friends. Everybody got together online,  remotely praying and caring for each other.   Breathing in synchrony.

2 years of breathing.

Where do we stand now? 

Here, we stand and live again.

From Ukraine, Myanmar, India, Indonesia and Japan, we are coming together to resume, regenerate and reshape our POLYTOPIA in this physical space of Melbourne city. 

We wish this exhibition will be a connecting point of polytopic times, spaces, localities and identities, as well as to invent a way of co-existing in various remote conditions. 

---------------------

POLYTOPIA is a remote residency program that started with the pandemic in 2020 and was run from 2021 to 2022, with artists from Ukraine, Japan, Myanmar, Taiwan, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, and other countries in various ocial and cultural situations. The program has been developed as a remote residency program in which participating artists and cultural workers collaborate to conduct their own research and creation remotely. 

The program has also provided an online forum for artists from each participating country to engage in dialogue with Japanese artists, curators, residency administrators, and other cultural professionals to share their different situations, ideas, and activities. 

This will be an opportunity to further consider what kind of safety nets and programs we can develop as an international residency network, and to share them with people from various sectors of society and culture in Melbourne and other cities around the world.

■Sharing the Ukrainian voice in Co-iki residency, Tokyo (2022)

■Summary of Remote Residency “Creativity from HOME” by Co-iki (2020)

■AIR under the Pandemic - Remodeling Residencies - (2020)

[参照] 前回のウクライナのアーティスト支援クラファンの様子

Our previous crowd-funding to continue residency for Ukrainian Artists (Japanese)

- co・iki -

Co-living & Co-creative Residency Program based in Tokyo

Website: https://co-iki.org/

Tumblr: https://co-iki.tumblr.com/

[SNS]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/c0iki/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/co.iki/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coiki5

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU9TZoawSm4TfE_AJbXgDow

[artishvivernia]

Mia Salasjö

Mia Salasjö is an artist and composer. She writes musical scores using a numerical system that she developed. A series of her works are based on translating architectural drawings and building them into sound works.

This is a detail of some of her work recently exhibited at Gertrude Glasshouse titled 1000 Year Plan for Gertrude Glasshouse. Using coded and sequenced numbers systems and different colours representing different elements, Salsjö constructs her score through these detailed schematic drawings. Her hand drawings become works in themselves and brings herself into the composition along with the architectural elements.

A major new commission by Fed Square and the National Gallery of Victoria will be part of a birthday celebration for Fed Square, to be performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

[ezzmonem]

#Repost @photofestivalau ・・・ Final days to visit PHOTO 2022 exhibitions in Fitzroy and Collingwood! Start planning your weekend itinerary ⬇️ Ezz Monem 📌 THIS IS NO FANTASY (slide image 1) Dana Claxton 📌 Collingwood Yards (slide image 2) Paul Mpagi Sepuya Martine Gutierrez: Internet Immigrant Queering the Frame: Community, Time, Photography 📌 Centre for Contemporary Photography (slide image 3) Mark Smith 📌 Arts Projects Australia (slide image 4) Philip Montgomery: American Mirror Ross McDonnell: LOST BOYS 📌 Le Space (slide image 5) Zoe Croggon Lane Cormick 📌 Daine Singer (slide image 6) Plus 📌 Portrait of Humanity, West Space, Agency Projects, FUTURES, Res Artis, Gertrude Glasshouse, James Makin Gallery, Peel Street Park (after dark) Find out more via 🔗 in bio or visit photo.org.au/program/exhibitions #PHOTO2022festival @photofestivalau https://www.instagram.com/p/CdxJoY1LKnG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[juliechurchspatial2022]

Auckland Domain/Winter gardens research WK2

The Auckland domain is one of 53 volcanoes in the Auckland region; the large duck ponds you see by the street are actually freshwater springs fed from groundwater that collects the rocks that fill the crater. This was originally where Auckland's first piped water came from. The name for the mountain is Pukekawa and consists of a large exposed crater surrounded by a 1km diameter tuff ring. The center of the crater is a small scoria cone, also known as Pukekaroro. The crater around the base of the scoria cone is mostly filled with a solidified lava lake capped by peat that accumulated in the freshwater swamp that formed on top of it. Pukekawa was first identified by Tamaki maori; the original swamp was drained and turned into a cricket field.

Many exotic specimen trees were donated and planted throughout the domain by the late Victorians which have now matured into a landscape park. They are now augmented by many New Zealand species.

Winter Garden designers research Gummer and Ford

Located within the Pukekawa/Auckland Domain. The Auckland winter gardens consist of two large glasshouses, one non-heated and one tropical house (heated to an average of 28 degrees c. In between the two glasshouses in an ornate courtyard with several neoclassical statues and a sunken pond in the center. Off one side is the Fernery which is situated in a former scoria quarry in the side of the small volcanic cone. The gardens were constructed following world war one with funds generated from the industrial agricultural and mining exhibition of 1913-1914. Additional funds came from a variety of local benefactors. The Auckland Domain has been a public park since 1844 but was considered to be an area that was frequented by undesirables. The Wintergardens were made to provide an attraction for local people in the area during the winter months.

The gardens were designed by Gummer and Ford (architectural firm), showing a large influence from the English partnership of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll and the arts and crafts movement.

Initially only one glasshouse was built, which was opened and presented to the people of Auckland on 12 October 1921. The rest of the courtyard and fernery were added later in the 20’s.

Renovations - many of the statues in the courtyard were added in 1945, and the sunken pond was added in 1954. A significant reconstruction project was undertaken during 1993 and 1994 to renovate the Winter Gardens.

Gummer was able to achieve a consistent temperature by balancing magnified heat from the sun, underfloor heating and humidity from the watering system and plants through ventilation, achieved with a complicated pulley system for opening windows.

[demichanhk]

Auckland Winter Garden

The difference between a greenhouse and a glasshouse has led to many debates over the years, and although ‘greenhouse’ is a relatively recent term, the truth is that both words are synonymous of each other.As nouns however, a glasshouse is often considered to be a building made of glass, where plants are grown more rapidly and conveniently than outside. A greenhouse also tends to be referred to as a building that is traditionally made of glass, but over time this has changed so it is now largely referred to as a building made from wood and polyethylene.Established after World War I and is a protected Heritage Site consisting of two display glass houses containing temperate plants and tropical plants, a formal courtyard with pond, and a fernery within an old quarry. Week 1- Site analysis

Winter Garden is in  Auckland Domain which is a great historic interest. It was designed in the early 1900s in the style of the famous English partnership of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jeckyll and opened in 1913.

Rare and spectacular plants in an ever-changing display can be seen in each of the two barrel-vaulted Victorian style glass houses which face out on to an extensive court yard and sunken pool. The marble statues in the courtyard between the glass houses were added in the 1920s and 30s by local businessman William Elliot. One house is heated and shows off lush tropical and heat-loving plants while the other displays temperate plants changing with the seasons.

Substantial pergolas link the formal design and host many showy climbers. A wide collection of New Zealand ferns growing in a sunken scoria quarry to the rear completes the Winter Garden complex.

Established after World War I and is a protected Heritage Site consisting of two display glass houses containing temperate plants and tropical plants, a formal courtyard with pond, and a fernery within an old quarry.

Something about Glasshouse History--

Thomas Hill, in his book The Gardener’s Labyrinth (1577), wrote:

“The young plants may be defended from cold and boisterous windes, yea, frosts, the cold aire, and hot Sunne, if Glasses made for the onely purpose, be set over them, which on such wise bestowed on the beds, yeelded in a manner to Tiberius Caesar, Cucumbers all the year, in which he took great delight…” 

Glasshouse for the very beginnings is created by Emperor Tiberius, the successor and stepson of Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire. As the plant grew only in the heat of summer, a solution was required to bolster its chances of survival throughout the rest of the year.

There also have the Italian and the Korean development, however, European and the English is the popularity.

Thanks to Italian influence, glasshouses began being built in both the Netherlands and England throughout the 16th century, although the first glasshouses in Britain came in the form of orangeries; often built to shelter citrus fruits imported from Spain.

Like their early Korean counterparts, the early English orangeries utilised underfloor heating via charcoal, although later designs made use of hypocausts– a Roman invention dating back from 1st century BCE.

WHAT IS A GLASSHOUSE?

As the history and culture of the glasshouse is so layered, deep and at times complex, it is important to be able to identify the unique differences between glasshouses, orangeries, alpine houses, and of course, greenhouses.

The difference between a greenhouse and a glasshouse has led to many debates over the years, and although ‘greenhouse’ is a relatively recent term, the truth is that both words are synonymous of each other.

As nouns however, a glasshouse is often considered to be a building made of glass, where plants are grown more rapidly and conveniently than outside. A greenhouse also tends to be referred to as a building that is traditionally made of glass, but over time this has changed so it is now largely referred to as a building made from wood and polyethylene.

Originally, orangeries were built as extensions on large buildings, but as fashions changed, it soon became popular to have them separated from the main property. Often, they would be designed to imitate Greek or Roman temples, and built in the serene gardens of stately homes.

WINTERHOUSES AND GARDENS

For an extended period of time, winter houses and gardens were popular amongst larger houses and were often attached to the main property. These attachments (very similar to the conservatories of today), enabled people to take exercise in all weather conditions.

Why glasshouse is important?

Because of the warmth that glasshouses provide, plants that could usually only grow in summer can be grown year-round. This doubles your planting options in the colder months and also provides a way to save on food costs. Another bonus to glasshouses is that they protect plants from harsh weather and pests.

[chrismbr]

#GertrudeGlasshouse Stonehouse/Glasshouse Residency (6 weeks in France) ‘The Cook and Her Driver’ - Karen Black (painting & ceramics) & Virginia Leonard (ceramics) (at Gertrude Glasshouse) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Ok9rvHZCA/?igshid=1ojxub5y8be2m

[anywaystuart]

Bilirubin Bezoar

Isadora Vaughan

Gertrude Glasshouse, June 2019

https://isadoravaughan.com/

[kevinscottgardens]

25 February through 8 March 2019

This week’s plant ident was pulled together by Charlotte, plants named after women was the theme and it tied in very nicely with International Women’s Day, 8 March 2019.

Acanthaceae Fittonia gigantea Nineteenth century Irish botanical writers, Elizabeth and Sarah Mary Fitton. Sarah Mary Fitton (1796 –1874) was an Irish writer who had an interest in botany. She is most famous for her 1817 book “Conversations on Botany”, co-authored with her sister Elizabeth. Belgian botanist Eugène Coemans named a genus of perennial flowering shrubs Fittonia in honour of the Fitton sisters in 1865.

Amaryllidaceae Nerine filifolia The genus name by William Herbert in 1820 derives from the Nereids (sea-nymphs) of Greek mythology that protected sailors and their ships.

Asteraceae Artemisia dracunculus Artemis in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and chastity. A more specific reference may be to Artemisia II of Caria, a botanist and medical researcher who died in 350 BC.

Cooksonia Cooksonia is an extinct grouping of primitive land plants. The first Cooksonia species were described by William Henry Lang in 1937 and named in honour of Isabel Cookson, with whom he had collaborated and who collected specimens of Cooksonia pertoni in Perton Quarry, Wales, in 1934.

Iridaceae Libertia pulchella Marie-Anne Libert (1782-1865) Belgian botanist and mycologist. She was one of the first women plant pathologists. She was one of the first to identify the organism responsible for the "late blight" disease of the potato, which she named Botrytis vastatrix Lib. and of which she gave a detailed description in a report written in August 1845.

Palowinaceae Paulownia kawakamii Anna Pavlovna of Russia (1795-1865) was a queen consort of The Netherlands. She is described as being intelligent, sensitive, loyal to her family, with a violent temperament. The genus Paulownia was coined by German botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold to honour Anna Pavlovna.

Plumbaginaceae Ceratostigma willmottianum Ellen Ann Willmott (1858-1934), a horticulturalist and plant introducer from Warley Place, Essex, UK. She was an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society, and a recipient of the first Victoria Medal of Honour in 1897 (one of two women that year, the other being Gertrude Jekyll). More than 60 plants have been named after her or her home, Warley Place. In 1905 she became one of the first women to be elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London.

Pteridaceae Gaga germanotta Named after American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga  (née Stefani Germanotta) because the ferns closely resemble Gaga's costume at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. The fern also bears a distinct DNA sequence spelling GAGA. Seventeen of the nineteen species were reclassified, having previously been assigned to the genus Cheilanthes. Biologists at Duke University explained that they listed the ferns with the name Gaga, due to the singer's active support of equality and individual expression. The ferns have the ability to self-fertilize and "fluid definitions of gender".

Solanaceae Atropa belladonna The genus name Atropa is derived from that of of the three Moirai in Greek mythology who determined the course of a man's life by the weaving of threads that symbolized his birth, the events in his life, and finally his death, with Atropos cutting these threads to mark the last of these.

Strelitziaceae Strelitzia reginae Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) was a patron of the arts and an amateur botanist who helped expand Kew Gardens. She was a British queen, wife of King George III. In an age of discovery, when such travellers and explorers as Captain James Cook and Sir Joseph Banks were constantly bringing home new species and varieties of plants, she ensured that the collections of Kew were greatly enriched and expanded.

Xanthorrhoeaceae Kniphofia northiae Marianne North (24 October 1830 – 30 August 1890) was a prolific English Victorian biologist and botanical artist. The scientific accuracy with which she documented plant life in all parts of the world, before photography became a practical option, gives her work a permanent value. A number of plant species are named in her honour, including Areca northiana, Crinum northianum, Kniphofia northiana, Nepenthes northiana, and the genus name Northia.

Over the past two weeks, we finished installing the new interpretation! Yeah! It looks great in situ and I’m happy it is done. I also installed a new irrigation point to one of my areas of the garden. I’m currently fixing a pipe that I punctured when erecting the winter protection. We are gearing up for spring. My wrist is slowing feeling stronger. 

The pests have woken up and are already a nuisance. Jess has biological control on the way. Robert is taking the reins of propagation. Charlotte will be in Edinburgh for her work exchange. It’s all go, go, go. I did some moving of plants and a big eradication of smyrnium and arums throughout the world wood. The luffa I am nurturing in the tropical corridor is almost ready to harvest and dry out!

Book club was this week and most of us enjoyed “The Black Tulip”. The next book for book club is “Feral: Searching for Enchantment on the Frontiers of Rewilding”.

I was in Madrid last weekend and it was great to spend time with Juan and David. We visited Don Quixote’s windmills, a few hours from Madrid, and the home of Cervantes, Alcalá de Henares, close to Madrid.

Plant of the week 1 March

Boraginaceae Echium simplex DC.

common name(s) - white tower of jewels, pride of Tenerife; Español: arrebol tajinaste synonym(s) - none conservation rating - none native to - Canary Islands location - glasshouse 2, accession 2017-0209 leaves - silvery gray-green covered in smooth hairs above and prominently veined below and are held in tight rosettes atop a short stem flowers - after two to three years emerges a stout solitary unbranched, tapering inflorescence that rises vertically 1m to 3m in late winter to mid spring bearing small white flowers densely held the entire length habit - perennial, evergreen to 2m tall and 500mm wide habitat - mountainous Anaga region in the north-east of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands pests - slugs, snails on young growth disease - generally disease-free hardiness - to -5ºC (H3) soil - well-drained; drought resistant sun - full sun propagation - the main plant dies after flowering and it perpetuates itself in the garden by seedling about pruning - none nomenclature - Boraginaceae - borago - shaggy-coat, burra with feminine suffix (the leaves); Echium - viper, εχις, a name εχιον used by Dioscorides for a plant to cure snakebite, derived from echion with the root word echis meaning viper, but the reason for this has several interpretations, included among these are the shape of the seed resembling that of a viper's head and from the age-old belief that Echium vulgare, a plant called viper's bugloss, was a remedy for the adder's bite; simplex - undivided, entire, single NB - produce a very distinctively flavoured honey

References, bibliography:

Gledhill, David, (2008) “The Names of Plants”, fourth edition; Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 978-0-52168-553-5

IUCN [online] http://www.iucnredlist.org/search [10 Mar 19]

Plant List, The [online] http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2784354 [10 Mar 19]

San Marcos Growers [online] https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=3908 [10 Mar 19]

Plant of the week 8 March

Boraginaceae Symphytum grandiflorum DC.

common name(s) - creeping comfrey, dwarf comfrey, common comfrey, knitbone, knitback, consound, blackwort, bruisewort, slippery root, boneset, yalluc (Saxon), gum plant, consolida, ass ear synonym(s) - none conservation rating - none native to - Caucasus location - dicotyledon order beds, accession _____ leaves - mid-green flowers - spring and early summer bears one-sided sprays of hanging, tubular, cream flowers, opening from red-flushed buds habit - rhizomatous herbaceous, rather sprawling, hairy, deciduous perennial to 1m wide and 300mm tall habitat - banks of rivers, ditches, woodland pests - generally pest-free disease - generally disease-free hardiness - to below -20ºC (H7) soil - moist and well-draned to poorly-drained sun - full sun to part shade propagation - division of fleshy roots in spring, by root cuttings in early winter, by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in autumn or spring pruning - cut back after flowering to encourage neat, young foliage nomenclature - Boraginaceae - borago - shaggy-coat, burra with feminine suffix (the leaves); Symphytum - grow-together-plant, ουμ-φυτον, Dioscorides’ name, ουμφυτον, for healing plants, including comfrey, conferva of Pliny; grandiflorum - with large flowers NB - Permaculturists like Symphytum grandiflorum because it will fill out a polyculture’s herbaceous layer at a slower rate than other comfreys, which can be helpful if your food forest or woodland garden is very young and there are other plants that need time and space to establish. Dwarf comfrey is also a dynamic accumulator, beneficial insect habitat, nutritious and quickly decomposing top mulch and vital compost tea ingredient.

References, bibliography:

Gledhill, David, (2008) “The Names of Plants”, fourth edition; Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 978-0-52168-553-5

Green Light Plants [online] http://greenlightplants.com/index.php/plant_catalog/symphytum-grandiflorum/ [10 Mar 19]

IUCN [online] http://www.iucnredlist.org/search [10 Mar 19]

Plant List, The [online] http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2475615 [10 Mar 19]

Royal Horticultural Society [online] https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/17885/Symphytum-grandiflorum/Details [10 Mar 19]

[jeremystrele]

7 Women Shaking Up The Australian Art Scene

7 Women Shaking Up The Australian Art Scene

Roundup

by Elle Murrell

Del Kathryn Barton at ‘The Highway is a Disco‘, her incredible solo show at NGV Australia, which ran November 2017 to March 2018.

My Frogs Are Blazing artwork by Del Kathryn Barton. Photo – courtesy of Del Kathryn Barton.

The Fever Is Here artwork by Del Kathryn Barton. Photo – courtesy of Del Kathryn Barton.

Del Kathryn Barton

Mid-May 2018 saw a historic moment for Australian Art. Del Kathryn Barton’s artwork Of Pollen (2013) saw her bust through the glass ceiling, into what has historically been an exclusive boy’s club. Changing hands for $378,000, this six-figure sale propelled Del into the elite echelon of Australia’s top 10-selling living Australian artists.

Last year, the Sydney-based painter exhibited The Highway Is A Disco at NGV’s Ian Potter Centre (from November 2017  to March 2018), and also unveiled a commercial show in New York, before focussing on art films. Nevertheless, the highlight for Del has simply been ‘surviving while being a working Mum!’.

This year, she is looking forward to a solo show in Albertz Benda in New York City in February, followed by another solo exhibition in Sydney at Roslyn Oxley 9 Gallery alongside a group show in London, both in October. She’ll also be making films and caring ‘more for [her] mental health!’.

‘It has never been MORE meaningful for me to be an Australian female creative. Especially in the context of showing more internationally. I am passionate about growing our undernourished-cultural-pride across all creative sectors!’ Del explains. ‘The only way I can do this is just… f*cking heads-down and keep doing the best work that I can, day, after day, after day!’.

For young women aspiring to follow in her colossal footsteps, Del’s advice is simple: ‘give everything to the work, let the work sustain you. If you can live without making the work, live without it!’

Melbourne-based artist Esther Stewart. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Esther works on her exhibition for Melbourne Art Fair 2018. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Esther exhibited with at Sarah Cottier Gallery at the 2018 Melbourne Art Fair. – Caitlin Mills.

Esther Stewart

After a two-year hiatus, Melbourne Art Fair returned as the flagship event of the 2018 Melbourne Art Week. The most buzzing stand was that of Sarah Cottier Gallery, exhibiting a solo exhibition of new work by Esther Stewart.

Focussing not only on her canvases but the experience of the entire booth, Esther designed an innovative and extremely Instagram-able space, featuring structures that provided multiple discrete displays for complicated paintings and textile works. Among the high calibre of Australian artists represented, Esther and Sarah Cottier Gallery took out the inaugural YarraBend Stand Prize.

With her distinctive geometric works bordering on optical art, the VCA-trained creative has established herself as one of Australia’s most collectable and celebrated young contemporary artists. (We can’t say we didn’t call it early!)

Next up, Esther will unveil new work at Gertrude Contemporary’s GlassHouse on March 7th. We can’t wait to see how her architectural considerations, from paintings to space design, come together at this location. Along with countless others exhibition-goers, we will again be lining up for a closer look!

Kaylene Whisky, represented by Iwantja Arts and a member of the APY Art Centre Collective. Photo – courtesy of APY Art Centre Collective.

Wonder Woman from Kaylene’s series: Seven Sistas (2018) Acrylic on Linen, 51 x 76cm. Photo – courtesy of the artist and Iwantja Arts.

Dolly Parton from Kaylene’s series: Seven Sistas (2018) Acrylic on Linen, 51 x 76cm. Photo – Courtesy of the artist and Iwantja Arts.

Kaylene’s Sulman-Prize-Winning artwork, Kaylene TV (2018), acrylic on Linen, 76 x 101cm. Photo – Courtesy of the artist and Iwantja Arts.

Kaylene Whisky

Represented by Iwantja Arts and a member of APY Art Centre Collective, Kaylene Whisky took out the 2018 Sulman Art Prize for her imaginative and empowering portrayal of two strong kungkas (women): Dolly Barton and Cher in a lounge room, entitled ‘Kaylene TV’. This bright, boisterous scene instilled joy, and opened minds to the vast, diverse possibilities of Australian Indigenous art.

In the work, Cher is seen singing a song on a microphone, ‘having a great time because her boots have silver spurs and are really tall above her knees’, while Dolly, in pink overalls with pockets, has arrived after skateboarding at the shops. ‘She must have bought that Christmas present for Cher because they are good friends, they like to sing together!’ details Kaylene, whose TV music program is playing in the background, beside ‘a big mingkulpa (local native tobacco) plant growing underneath the good boomerangs’.

Along with a prize of $40,000, winning this prestigious accolade has given Kaylene’s art wide exposure. ‘It was a huge surprise to win and to have all these other artists wanting to meet me and say, “Well done Kaylene!”, she recalls.

Looking ahead, the artist is proud and excited to be included in The National at the MCA this year, alongside many other great Australian artists.‘Where I live in Indulkana Community on the APY Lands there are a lot of strong women artists,’ Kaylene tells. ‘We all support each other, sometimes the older ladies will look at my paintings and say ‘Kutjupa Way! Wiru!’ (‘Wow, that’s something different! That’s great!’). I think that’s important: being yourself and finding your own way with art.

Installation view of Patricia Piccinini’s exhibition Through Love at Tarrawarra Museum of Art. Kindred displayed alongside works by Australian modernist Joy Hester. Photo – courtesy of Patricia Piccinini.

Patricia in her Collingwood studio. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

With artwork, Kindred, in progress. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

The Skywhale in flight. Photo – courtesy of Patricia Piccinini.

Patricia Piccinini

One of the most talked about Australian artworks, Patricia Piccinini‘s The Skywhale (2013), flew again late last year! It took to the air to coincide with the artist’s current Tarrawarra Museum of Art exhibition, Through Love, alongside one of her heroes, Australian modernist Joy Hester. This show, on until March, follows the staging of the biggest show Patricia has ever unveiled: the immersive ‘Curious Affection’ at Brisbane’s QAGOMA. Prior to that, there was her key inclusion in The National Gallery of Australia’s mind-boggling blockbuster, Hyper Real, along with other major art institutions and fairs, from the United States and Austria to Turkey and New Zealand.

This year will see the industrious artist tread new ground once more, with her first major solo museum show in Scandinavia at Arken Museum, Copenhagen, before unveiling new work at Cairns Art Gallery, which will address the local ecology and climate change.

With her life-like sculptures of hybrid forms, often fusing together human and animal characteristics to examine the increasingly blurred boundary between the artificial and natural worlds, Patricia sees her practice as ‘definitely feminist and very much also female’. ‘This is more a reflection of what I’m interested in, rather than my professional status as a woman, which, to be honest, is not something I think about much,’ she clarifies. ‘However, the statistics tell us that there is still a distance to go on an institutional level. As a young artist, I guess you need to have one eye on that, but you can’t be blinded by it’. Patricia stresses having the conviction to stay focused on your personal artistic goals and work towards them. ‘Ultimately, it’s all about the work, and working, and it always has been’.

Endangered 3 by Tamara Dean. Photo – Tamara Dean.

Endangered 7 by Tamara Dean. Photo – Tamara Dean.

Photographic artist Tamara Dean.

Elephant Ear (Alocasia odora) in Autumn. Photo – Tamara Dean.

Tamara Dean

Tamara is one of an increasing number of young creatives exploring critical social and environmental concerns through art.

Last year brought about life-changing career highlights for the Sydney-based photographic artist. Foremost, a trip to Heron Island with The Climate Council led her to embark on an exciting ongoing series, Endangered. Prior to this, Tamara was selected by curator Erica Green to create two new major works – the photographic series In Our Nature and multi-sensory installation Stream of Consciousness – for the 2018 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art.

This year she will venture to Illaroo’s Bundanon, the cultural and environmental asset gifted by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd, for an artist residency in April, before exhibiting Endangered at Martin Browne Contemporary in August.

For Tamara, talking about being a women artist in a male-dominated occupation is a complicated subject. ‘I have had to work harder than many of my male contemporaries. But I am happy with where I’m at in my career and can see a long and inspiring journey ahead,’ she tells. ‘I would advise other female artists that tenacity and perseverance pay off.’

Artist Yvette Coppersmith. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Yvette Coppersmith Self-portrait with red and ochre (2018). Photo – courtesy of Yvette Coppersmith.

Yvette’s Self-portrait after George Lambert saw her take home The Archibald Prize last year. Photo – courtesy of Yvette Coppersmith.

The Melbourne-based artist in her studio. Photo – Annette O’Brien for The Design Files.

Yvette Coppersmith

Last year, Melbourne-based artist Yvette Coppersmith took out Australia’s most prestigious portrait painting award, The Archibald Prize. From 793 entries, her ‘Self portrait after George Lambert’ saw her take home the $100,000 accolade.

In her acceptance speech, the Melbourne-based creative thanked other artists and the community for their support, identifying that ‘the most important things in the art world are the conversations you have with other artists’.

As the 10th female prize winner (in the 97 years that the award has run) Yvette recognises she is now in a privileged position. She praises The Countess Report, a brilliant research project counting gender representation during 2014 in the Australian visual arts sector, which identifies that though the pool of Australian artists comprises a lot more women than men, there are many more men showing in our galleries and museums. The Report advocates for ongoing research and education on the topic, and compels ‘stakeholders in the Australian visual art sector [to] promote and advocate for gender equality in their management activities, operations, and programming’.

Throughout her career, Yvette has been fortunate to paint some brilliant, pioneering women: the late Justice Rosemary Balmford, who was the first female judge appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria; Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs, who was  President of the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2012 to 2017; and Emeritus Professor Anne Green, who was the first woman PhD candidate and first head of the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Sydney (this artwork will be unveiled this year).

After what feels like an ‘overshare’ of herself and her work in the wake of the Archibald win, Yvette is keen to become more fully engaged in her practice and find time for herself in 2019. She will take up a residency through Byron School of Art later in the year, as well as run a series of drawing sessions at NGV, and partake in the not-to-be-missed group show, Fem-Affinity, at Arts Projects Australia in June.

‘Any artist in Australia aspires to have the means to make work and pay the bills, simultaneously,’ she concludes. ‘All I can advise is that it takes persistence, resilience, and development of other areas to support one’s practice for the lean times’.

Art photographer and activist Leila Jeffreys pictured with Ivy. Photo – Bo Wong.

Rainbow Bee-eater from Leila’s 2018 exhibition at Taronga Zoo. ‘Leila’s art will help connect or reconnect our zoo guests with birds and create advocates for their conservation,’ said Elle Bombonato of Taronga Zoo. Photo – Leila Jeffreys.Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

Leila’s art as part of a display at Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City. Photo – courtesy of Leila Jeffreys.

Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

Leila Jeffreys

Another lens-lady worthy of highlighting, and one who we have followed enthusiastically over the years is Sydney-based Leila Jeffreys. From introducing us to the incredible story of Penguin Bloom (see Leila photographing Penguin below) to highlighting endangered bird species through the astounding exhibitions and books she pours her heart into, Leila has become an unofficial poster girl for native Australian bird life.

While bird-art seems to be in abundance, from the nationalistic to replica decorative and kitsch illustrations… Leila’s meticulously staged portraits offer something more. They command your attention for their tremendously beautiful detail, and offer a powerful conservation message, bringing us eye-to-eye with these flighty, feathered subjects, at human scale.

In October last year, Leila held her first exhibition outside of Australia, Ornithurae, at Olsen Gruin Gallery in New York City. It garnered rave reviews, and will see Leila return for another show in November. This body of work will first go on show at Olsen Gallery in Sydney in October, marking her first major showcase in Australia in five years.

‘I will never forget that feeling, after years of being unimpressed with my photography, capturing my first bird portrait. It was an excitement that is burnt into my memory,’ reflects Leila. Surrounded by a wonderful community of both female and male artists at her galleries, Leila feels supported, with everyone treating each other with respect, ‘just how it should be’.

[ezzmonem]

#Repost @gertrudecontemporary ・・・ TONIGHT AT GLASSHOUSE | Exposure Site artist reception | 5 - 7pm 📍 44 Glasshouse Road, Collingwood Exhibition Dates | 17 February - 5 March 2022 Thursday - Saturday, 12 - 5pm From the Exposure Site you want to be at. Join us this evening from 5 - 7pm to the group exhibition Exposure Site, welcoming eight new artists who will join the Gertrude Studio Program across 2022. Functioning as a counterpoint to the annual Gertrude Studios exhibition which looks at works produced during the artists’ time at Gertrude, Exposure Site profiles their practices on their arrival – a prelude to a time of new creative development, expansion, and insight. @mia.khin.boe @nomadicslowaction @gian_manik @ezzmonem @nina_sanadze @scotty.so @lisa.waup @ittsfrancis #GertrudeStudioProgram Supported by @yarracityarts #yarracityarts https://www.instagram.com/p/CaY3XsdvtQE/?utm_medium=tumblr

[ezzmonem]

#Repost @gertrudecontemporary ・・・ TONIGHT AT GLASSHOUSE | Exposure Site artist reception | 5 - 7pm 📍 44 Glasshouse Road, Collingwood Exhibition Dates | 17 February - 5 March 2022 Thursday - Saturday, 12 - 5pm From the Exposure Site you want to be at. Join us this evening from 5 - 7pm to the group exhibition Exposure Site, welcoming eight new artists who will join the Gertrude Studio Program across 2022. Functioning as a counterpoint to the annual Gertrude Studios exhibition which looks at works produced during the artists’ time at Gertrude, Exposure Site profiles their practices on their arrival – a prelude to a time of new creative development, expansion, and insight. @mia.khin.boe @nomadicslowaction @gian_manik @ezzmonem @nina_sanadze @scotty.so @lisa.waup @ittsfrancis #GertrudeStudioProgram Supported by @yarracityarts #yarracityarts https://www.instagram.com/p/CaY05JPP46h/?utm_medium=tumblr

[ezzmonem]

#Repost @gertrudecontemporary with @make_repost ・・・ Next at Gertrude Glasshouse | Exposure Site Artists: Mia Boe, Francis Carmody, Ruth Höflich, Gian Manik, Ezz Monem, Nina Sanadze, Scotty So, and Lisa Waup 📅 Exhibition Dates | 17 February – 5 March 2022 📍 Gertrude Glasshouse | 44 Glasshouse Road, Collingwood Exposure Site is a group exhibition inaugurating the arrival of eight new artists coming into the Gertrude Studio Program across 2022. The presentation includes a curated selection of recent and new work from the incoming practitioners, surveying their current material or conceptual explorations at a point of shifting presence: both professionally for the artists with the increased visibility and access offered by the program and on a broader level for audiences returning to galleries and cultural spaces after a time of separation. Functioning as a counterpoint to the annual Gertrude Studios exhibition which looks at works produced during the artists’ time at Gertrude, Exposure Site profiles their practices on their arrival – a prelude to a time of new creative development, expansion, and insight. Image: Interior image of Gertrude Glasshouse from the Gertrude archive. [Image description: An empty image of the interior of Gertrude Glasshouse.] @mia.khin.boe @nomadicslowaction @gian_manik @ezzmonem @nina_sanadze @scotty.so @lisa.waup @ittsfrancis Supported by @yarracityarts #yarracityarts https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxgztFBWwK/?utm_medium=tumblr

[chrismbr]

#GertrudeGlasshouse #GlasshouseRd #Collingwood #thankgoodnessthisisstillhere (at Gertrude Glasshouse) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Okb3SH3Xf/?igshid=olx393ae1259

[chrismbr]

Nice sign, by all means #ByAllMeans #GlasshouseRd #Collingwood (at Gertrude Glasshouse) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8OkOvXHFTz/?igshid=1xber2knerty2