Kent Street Gallery
Artist Spotlight
Q+A with some of our recent exhibiting artists – get to know a little more about their stories and their work.
Emma Purkis and Lili Renfrey ‘swallow’
1) What inspired your body of work?
Emma: I had been looking into the history of mental health institutions, particularly stories of hauntings at the former Whitecroft Hospital on the Isle of Wight where I grew up. From this I wanted to explore a project where I could delve into my own experience of mental health and childhood memories, informed by the aesthetics of the Victorian gothic in reference to the Island’s history.
Lili: My current body of work is inspired by the patriarchal construct of femininity and the consumption food. Extending on my exploration into the body and the natural landscape ‘swallow’ utilises food and still life art photography to create works that poke fun at the labels given to women’s bodies.
Emma Purkis (left) and Lili Renfrey (right) | photographed by Bo Wong
2) How do you think your practices work with one another in this collaboration?
Emma: Mine and Lili’s work both address topics which are considered taboo. Our use of materials work in similar ways to create a juxtaposition between subject matter and aesthetics.
Lili: Emma and I find our practices linked through our material approach. Although our bodies of work appear physically different, they connect through textiles and the form our works take as they fill the gallery space.
3) What do you think is important for artists looking to have a solo exhibition to consider?
Emma: I think it’s important for the artist to be invested and passionate about the work they want to display, having a cohesive body of work with intention behind it.
Lili: I believe artists looking to do a solo exhibition should consider what they want the outcome of their exhibition to be. Do they want to have a resolved body of work or are they emerging and experimenting with different materials. The best advice I have been given is to think of your dream exhibition and work towards that with experimental media tests. Often our work turns out completely different to how we initially expect it too.
4) Can you briefly describe what influenced you to exhibit at Kent Street Gallery?
Emma: Exhibiting at Kent Street Gallery was an opportunity to gain experience in exhibiting and curating my work as an emerging artist, as well as it providing opportunities like an artist talk and showing my work to the wider public.
Lili: As an emerging artist who has recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, I was inspired to apply to Kent Street Gallery as it was an opportunity to continue fostering my practice and show my work in a professional gallery setting.
Emma Purkis (left) photographed by Bo Wong | Lili Renfrey (right)
Matteo Sullivan ‘Demonstration of Time Travel’
1) What do you think is important for artists looking to consider having a solo exhibition to consider?
To have a central theme of their works, a common thread, an idea to express or something original; moreover, if they wish to be professional artists, doing solo exhibitions periodically helps to maintain a constant and highlight one’s seriousness and determination in contributing to the art world.
2) What inspired this work?
At the end of last year, I was thinking that during 2023 I hadn’t painted any paintings and I thought that if I started painting one that day, I would have most probably finished it in 2024. As a convention, you visibly sign and date an artwork at the front when you finish it. An idea started generating in my mind, if I painted something in that moment and something else related to the previous one the next year there would be a time link.
I realised that the two artworks were connected by a third element that moves from one artwork to the other: it’s time travelling in art! I painted the first canvas pink that day. A single colour on a canvas with a hole in the middle. It is painted, signed and dated, so that’s an artwork by definition. An artist friend of mine observed that the pink ground of the canvas made her think of it as a menstrual pad. This observation suggested to me that I could add a non-essential element to the artwork, the two sexes, something so important and essential to humanity, giving it a future. I decided to paint the second canvas in light blue, thus symbolizing males, and to put two time travellers on the mobile element instead of one.
The third element was the most challenging part of the artwork. Something needed to travel from one painting to the other, it could have been anything; I could have used a little engine to make it move. I had many ideas, but I wanted to stay simple, not detract from the core idea with some conceptual mannerism or embellishment. I decided that the idea had to represent itself: lightening! Lightening in Western culture means idea, or genius. I had several ideas how to make it. The mobile part had to be light in weight, it had to be able to between the two canvases that are also not very heavy. I used plastic, glueing it together with the two time travellers (1/72 Airfix astronauts) and painted this sculptural element gold as ideas are “gold”.
3) Can you briefly describe what influenced you to exhibit at Kent Street Gallery?
I’ve been a member of Victoria Park Centre for the Arts for many years. I think Kent Street Gallery is a very nice gallery and good social environment. The staff are serious and are focused on making the tunnel work freely, without wishful thinking and political influences. Management in the art world should always be neutral and free from too many prejudices.
Melanie Sharpman ‘Paper + Porcelain’
What inspired your current body of work?
Paper + Porcelain by Melanie Sharpham is an accumulation of paper etchings and porcelain vessels drawn, designed, etched and formed over the last 18 months.
The subject material derives from observational drawings of Western Australian Flora. A combination of natives blooming fleetingly in local gardens and special gems discovered on bush walks in South West forests. Each evoking joy and connection to this special and extremely unique place we live.
The ceramic forms are reminiscent of organic seed pods. Gathered together as expressive womanly forms and displayed as relationships between female family members and gatherings of trees in a forest. Depicting how we are connected to both family and place, belonging and loved.
Can you briefly describe what influenced you to exhibit at Kent Street Gallery?
For my first solo exhibition I had limited funds and gallery exposure. So I went looking for a gallery space that was affordable and allowed me to self curate etc. to help reduce costs.
Kent Street Gallery is in my neighbourhood which was convenient, but mainly important to me as it is part of my local community. I love old buildings, the jarrah floorboards and high ceiling and the size of the space was just right for my purposes.
Your printed ceramics have been well received at the exhibition, can you share what inspired the idea to use print technology with your ceramic practice?
Eucalypt Homewares, my ceramics label of 17 years, is inspired by Australian landscapes and flora. The ceramic forms, colour palette and printed surface decoration all relate to this overarching theme. My floral designs are commercially printed on ceramic paper transfers. I then use these to decorate my Floralware range of porcelain tableware.
Two years ago as both personal and professional development, I joined some local art centre courses to improve my drawing and expand my arts practice.
Within a few weeks of the copper plate etching course with Shana James, I had fallen in love with the process. I quickly realised I could use the artwork I created through etching to inform my ceramics works. There the seed of the idea for this exhibition was planted.
The ceramic pieces in the exhibition have the botanical illustrations silkscreened on paper then transferred to the clay. It’s quite the process!
What do you think is important for artists looking to consider having a solo exhibition to consider?
Firstly, have the courage to believe in yourself and your arts practice.
Allow yourself time to build up a body of work that is cohesive.
Have some professional photographs taken of your work. You can then use these to promote your work for the exhibition and future events.
Develop a great marketing plan. Invite everyone you know from all walks of your life. I had fliers made up and distributed them at local cafes and businesses and where I work. I gave them out to anyone I thought would be vaguely interested and had a digital copy to email and text people. I regularly posted updates and behind the scenes posts on social media.
Consider having an artist talk or demonstration. People love to hear about how you created your artwork.
(Photos by Claire McFerran from Gathering Light)
Artist’s website here.
Lea Taylor ‘My Littles 365 Project’
Can you briefly describe what My Littles is and why you committed to a one year daily project?
My Littles is what I call the small baskets I have been making for a number of years. I wanted to make a difference and felt making a real difference meant making a big commitment. I had been going through some very tough personal stuff over a long period and knew the power of weaving as a healing tool. I decided that by weaving every day I would get a little dose of medicine for my mental health, self care needs to be an every day long term thing. From that grew the idea of a Little a day for 365 days.
What is it about the Zonta House Refuge Association that inspired you to select them as the beneficiaries of your project?
I did a bit of research into a few organisations to find a beneficiary. I selected Zonta because they are not top heavy, they have a lot of volunteer and community based projects that impact the families directly. That was really important to me.
How many hours do you think you have spent on this project?
Oh gosh… in excess of 700 hours. 365 Littles at about one hour each, and equally as much time on administration, dying raffia, installing the exhibition, manning the exhibition and talking about the project to raise awareness. I want to sell all 365 Littles so that meant I had to put in the hard work.
What made you choose to work with Victoria Park Centre for the Arts to work with on the presentation of the outcomes?
I have had a relationship with VPCA for a few years now. Firstly through my first solo exhibition in the galleries inaugural NAIDOC exhibition in 2020. I love that they are a hugely community focused organisation. It made sense to me to work with them because my project is community focused. Family and Domestic violence is a community problem. I should be tackled by community.
Lastly, do you think that it is important for artists to create community focused work?
That’s a hard one to answer. Artists are just every day people trying to make a living. We are no more obliged to create community initiatives than the local plumber. I do believe that if we have the capacity and willpower to create community focused work then we should. Art has given me a lot personally and I am now in a position to give back. Hence the motto I have for the ‘My Littles 365 Project’… make a difference because you can.
