Recycled and reused items become artworks
Recycling and reusing items in materialising artworks is a major focus in the upcoming exhibitions to be hosted by the Northern Rivers Community Gallery, Ballina.
‘Darker Shades of Royal’ by Denise N Rall features a series of textile sculptures which represent dystopian royal figures decorated in recycled materials.
Each figure is expressed in a vignette – a short fairytale with a tragic ending.
Denise’s work challenges the notion of ‘royal’. She presents it as a meaningless exercise in the demonstration of power; brutal, fleeting and very costly.
To demonstrate this concept, most of her sculptures are composed of second-hand Op Shop finds, emphasising that royalty will eventually decay.
Secondly, wherever possible, Denise has subverted normal rules of dressmaking; a bodice is made from a recycled sleeve or a pair of trousers turned upside down. The handstitching, embroidery and beading, whilst adding visual delight for the viewer, also represent the hours of hard labour and drudgery of the poor who are required to stitch the clothes of the rich.
In ‘Rare Plastics’, Teah Fort works with recycled materials and natural fibres to create sculptures representative of the endangered flora of the North Coast region of NSW.
The works are crafted from industrial and domestic plastics and stitched together using a combination of local organic fibres.
This bold, colourful exhibition makes a unique statement about our natural environment, waste, excess and sustainability.
Jenny Mulligan’s ‘Folds’ exhibition is inspired by ancient marble sculptures .Her contemporary works aim to echo the same fluidity and line and depict moving figures draped in flowing folds of
fabric.
Jenny constructs her works using recycled cloth, paper mache and acrylic paints resulting in highly textural, vibrant pieces.
Jodi Woodward’s ‘Blue Line Static’ features contemporary abstract acrylic paintings with some mixed media.
The linear structure and exploration of tone, texture and colour are defining elements in Jodi’s work.
