INTERSECTION Interchangeable Paintings by MICHAEL WISE
BIG TABLE  Photo Media Exhibition by EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY Graduates
PILLOW TALK Soft sculptures by 40 textile artists
18th November - 9th December, 2000 at FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE
Reviewed by Judith McGrath

This is a  mixed bag to be sure but each exhibition is very interesting and provides more than an eyeful.

Intersection, a collection of intriguing linear works in glossy high key colours by Michael Wise, invites us along the hall. Each of the large compositions consists of a number of individually painted aluminium squares placed in a particular pattern. There is a measured movement in the work yet we're tempted to see the neatly arranged grids only for what they are, nice patterns. That is until we realize they can be rearranged and that opens a host of challenging possibilities. If only we could move just one square, or maybe two, or swap these from this grid with those from that one ... the permutations are endless. This is the type of interactive art you can live with and daily reconfigure to reflect your mood. But if the host gallery forbids our altering each exhibit, in our mind's eye a multitude of  transformations continue.

The main gallery is chock-a-block with photographs by ECU graduates. Big Table is a case of visual overload as there seems to be no order of arrangement, not by subject, colour or style. With 140 flat images of near equal size stuck on the wall, cheek by jowl from floor to ceiling, all you can do is visually sweep the gallery and concentrate on the few that jump out. This by no means suggests the exhibits that fall back from view are any less worthy than those that catch the eye. It's hard for a subtle image to fight for attention in such a display. I did stop at Christos Doudakis' black and white study of a tattered old power point for it's subject and consideration of detail. Then Rachel Payne's image of marbles being dropped into a pot drew my attention by its resolved composition in shades of grey. The golden hues of a Gothic cathedral by Nicholle May stands out for it's mood and point of view and I do have to chuckle at, and perhaps worry about, Cath Price's attention to girls' cleavage and surfer boys' bums.

Pillow Talk, in the small gallery space, is a collection of cushions, foot stools, soft sculptures and just about anything fluffed and filled, ably curated by Wendy Robertson. The works of 40 textile artists are placed on the floor, propped against the wall and hung from the ceiling to provide the most delightful forest of fun and fancy. Stuffed stuff, from plain to intricate, functional to fun, in all manner of sizes, shapes and textures, fills the space and captivates the imagination as they display excellent skills owned by these artists. Here is another sensual overload, however as you walk around and through the 3D exhibits you relate to each on a different  level. I was intrigued by the opulence of Di Ditcham's combination of velvet, hand painted silk, onion bags, beads, bells, urchin spines and beach glass, as well as by the simplicity of Michelle Siciliano's large brown upholstery fabric floor cushions, that somehow seem to suggest body parts. The bright candy coloured stripes of Mand Markey's throw pillows catches the eye, so too the black and white upholstered lilies sprouting from Denise Coates' little foot stools. Cara Ratajczak uses perma pleated fabric to make delicate decorations while the Burringurrah Artists Group presents two practical  pillows, each a collaborative effort decorated with hand painted fabric squares.

It takes stamina to venture through these exhibitions but they're worth the effort. Each in its own way will satisfy the viewer.
 


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