Mountain Drawing (The First Time I Felt at Home)

Peter Nelson

Opening Night 8 February 2011

8 February- 19 February 

"The link between art and architecture, in this case, is the common desire to create alternate realities through spatial invention." - Peter Nelson

Mountain Drawing (the first time I felt at home) comprises a large-scale Perspex sculpture and the series of plein air drawings on which it was based, which Nelson completed during his 2009 study tour of China's Hunan and Guanxi Province. The work was inspired by urban architectural designs as well as organic geological formations (particularly the karst limestone peaks of Southern China).

The work represents an important juncture in Nelson's broader exploration of the traditions of the fabricated landscape, encompassing such reference points as the Chinese literati tradition, European Romanticism and urban utopian architectural designs.

Image credit: Peter Nelson. Perspex Sculpture and Pencil & Ink Drawing on Paper

Grace

Tina Fiveash

Opening Night 22 February

22 February - 5 March

Featuring a captivating series of large-scale animated lenticular photographs, stills, and video art, the series explores the thematic of dream, memory and emotion. Grace represents Tina's shift into video art and animated lenticular photography: a technologically complex and rarely used medium, which produces an illusion of animation on a flat photograph. Viewers of the works are enabled the freedom to infinitely rewind, replay and/or pause to reflect on all they are seeing/perceiving by controlling the angle and pace in which they interact with the large-scale works.

Photography and projections

Medium Cool

John Aslanidis, Denis Beaubois, Shaun Gladwell, Angelica Mesiti, Khalad Sabsabi

Opening Night 8 March

8 March- 19 March

Medium Cool is the phrase that describes the colour temperature of digital presentations. But whilst this exhibition features a cool medium, the artists featured deal with a hot topic - humanity and our social networks. Within our communities, whether urban or rural, a complex fermentation process is in progress. From the sonic reverberations of John Alslanidis's works to the disquieting undertones of Denis Beaubois' exploding brews, the collective human heart beats from within Angelica Mesiti's rapturous audience to Khaled Sabsabi's multiple racial stereotypes and throughout all, the strife of human endeavour is encapsulated in Shaun Gladwell's work.

Do You Have a Recurring Dream Space; Can You Describe It To Me

Marlaina Read

Opening Night 22 March

22 March- 2 April

"My interest is nurtured by a desire to intimate the links between perception, faith and memory and the spaces we inhabit, through slow revelation." - Marlaina Read

This work represents the culmination of work undertaken for Read's Masters of Fine Art in which she mounted an exploration into the sensations of pause and delay in viewing still images, particularly through the mnemonic possibilities created by viewing landscapes. The title itself refers to the way that images penetrate our consciousness only to be mediated by memory, in Read's own words "the image becomes a transition point for recollection, for hallucination." Read invites us all, through her ambiguous, dreamlike images, to pause and reflect.

Photomedia

Busted

Shannon Field

Opening Night: 5 April

5 April- 16 April

Busted is… a mass police lineup made up of well-known colonialists like Elizabeth Macquarie and explorers such as Burke and Wills; placed alongside depictions of convicts from the first fleet (those historically silent). However, Field's interest is not so much in depicting the historical past; rather his concern is with exploring the relationship between Australia's convict history and the performance of contemporary Australian masculinity. Utilising various media from textiles to painting, plasticine and ink, Shannon work is at once bold, colourful and tactile. The grotesque and monstrous heads on display in 'Busted' thus represent the possibility of Australia's convict past reactivated in the present: the animation of the monstrous exile within ourselves.

Junk Piles & Dirty Styles

Paul Williams

Opening Night 19 April

19 April- 30 April  

"By exploring notions of absurdity, humour and absence found within displaced objects, this project- through a variety of disciplines- embraces the filth and forges a relationship with the world through studio detritus, popular culture and memory." - Paul Williams.

In Junk Piles and Dirty Styles, Williams engages aspects of contemporary masculinity, Australian popular culture and the urban landscape via painting, drawing, and sculpture. Challenging, while working within the possibilities of the ubiquitous "White Cube" Williams will transform Kudos from gallery into an ambiguous and playful space as a means to showcase the vibrant, virile and visceral works where they are most at home.

Painting. drawing sculpture

Sturm Und Drang

Sebastian O'Reilly

3 - 14 May 2011 Opening Night: 3 May 2011

"Opening night 1 - people will see rubble bamboo and other detritus, makeshift lab with some elementary experiments/science dj table with monitors performed by me in special mad scientists costume, some hand drawn dinosaur plans displayed on wall, performance by special guest artist Sophie Clague" - Sebastian O'Reilly

Despite of (and perhaps even aided by) his ongoing war on punctuation, O'Reilly - as well as performance/artist/mad scientist- is a great communicator. In the first of Kudos' lab/exhibits (i.e. not exhibitions), O'Reilly will conduct "an experiment entailing the construction of a life size flying dinosaur" (or else fail spectacularly). What remains the promise is that it will be some kind of spectacle- the product of an innovative and experimental art school run by a university determined to treat artistic research just as it does scientific research (ad absurdum).

It is imperative that all those interested bear witness to the transformation of the gallery over this two-week period, as O'Reilly's commitment to work through all available hours manifests itself amidst his ongoing body of strange contraptions.

Be as Brave as You

Tully Arnot, Ally Bishop, Charles Dennington Dara Gill, Benjamin Holdstock, Gemma Messih, Yiwon Park

Opening Night: 17 May

17 May - 28 May 

"As brave as you" gives due merit to the curiosities, attempts and knowledge learnt whilst working within the space between initial idea and outcome, success and failure and what is known and unknown. The seven participating artists play with the potential of chance to explore the fragile and relentless nature of the human spirit and our eternal and natural motivation to discover, learn and conquer new frontiers.

The Free Market

Lauren Carroll Harris

Opening Night: 1 June

1 June - 11 June

Foodwise estimates that tens of millions of kilograms of safe edible fresh food and groceries are discarded in Australia every year. Meanwhile, two million Australians - or one in ten - live below the poverty line and rely on food relief, and a million children don't always get enough to eat. The problem is not that we don't produce enough food - feeding the hungry cannot be seen merely as achieving higher production levels in agriculture, but radically changing the way we produce and distribute food.

Rather than selling artworks from the gallery, "The Free Market" will collect surplus food and other goods from local businesses, creatively install them in the space, and freely distribute the goods to whomever wants them. This way, "The Free Market" will point to socially and environmentally sustainable alternatives to the current for-profit system of food distribution, divert perfectly safe food and goods from landfill, and provide a service for those in need.

Drawing Breath

Cindy Chen

Opening Night 15 June

15 June - 18 June

As an exercise in place creation, "Drawing Breath" is an installation which explores whether the notion of spiritual attachment to a place of origin, although vital to a sense of identity in traditional cultures, relates to us now in a contemporary context of rapid social change and global movement. By using the highly responsive medium of traditional ink and brush on paper to visually interpret the unique qualities of Buddhist chanting, I express a personal, intuitive reaction to the sound and its movement through time and space. Through the installation of these abstract drawings, "Drawing Breath" borrows conceptual and compositional elements from Chinese classical gardens with the intention of shaping the gallery site into a place of aesthetic and spiritual contemplation.

Drawing on paper

Serial Works Ontologies for a Small Planet Language Material Mimesis

David Corbet

Opening Night 22 June

22 June - 2 July

This exhibition began with a simple idea - an exploration of language systems through a body of studio-based work. By 'language', we usually mean text and other symbol-based notation systems, or their spoken, sung or recorded equivalents - a 2D matrix of signification, where one thing stands for another in a fixed relationship. But if we consider material, context, performance, ritual, iteration, randomness… all the meanings re-shuffle… there is slippage. Speech, gesture and iconicity are all manifestations of the human meta-language, an ontological map hardwired into our DNA. 'Craft fetishism' may still exist, but skilled facture is only one of many possible attributes of art objects, within a fluctuating technological matrix of cultural and conceptual signals. Artworks are still made and assembled, and some seem to generate a palpable 'hum of power', but increasingly they function as expendable containers for ascribed meanings... art is just more information. We appear to be reverting to a 'pre-enlightenment' state, where art objects are mere conduits for mimetic function, commodity-fetishised into totems of mysterious potency.

The artist will be in residence, continuing to make work throughout the exhibition, so please participate.

Printmaking, photo media, time/screened base, drawing, installation

Take Care

Janis Ferberg, Francesca Heinz, Eloise Kirk, Alex Pye, Greer Rochford, Julia Rochford, Yasmin Smith, Catherine Synnott

Opening Night: 6 July

6 July - 9 July 

"In truth, the question posed by the nature of the bait, does not differ from that of the purpose of the trap" - Georges Bataille, The Cruel Practice of Art, 1949.

The enigma of shelter is tied to the desire to destroy. The permanency of the object reinforces the limits of ourselves. How separate we are. The imposture of our small positions is revealed gazing at the object, screaming at the landscape and waiting for the moment of illumination.

Applied Object

Third Year Bachelor of Design

Opening Night: 13 July

13 July - 23 July 

In this Benchmark student exhibition the Bachelor of Design Third Year (Applied/Object) promise to deliver us with "new typologies in seating design". All amusing puns aside, this show is an opportunity to view innovation in design where it is being taught. We hope you will come in and enjoy the future of sitting down.

On Off High Low Turn Left and Right Plus Push to Cancel

Julie Burke

Opening Night: 27 July

27 July - 30 July 

"I create work based on memory, residue and inflections, using the car or other vehicles as a location for nostalgia and memory, while punctuating the idea that journeys- geographical and temporal, become circular reconstructions through memory." -Julie Burke

Throughout the duration of this exhibition Julie Burke will create journeys, duels and ambidextrous drawing works of trucks used in construction, documenting the process by filming it, resulting in an installation. The labour-intensive study will mimic that which it refers to- the polluting build-up of graphite vigorously applied, like to that emanating from the vehicles being drawn. The work is based around environmental affects on the unconscious, namely that of close associations with building site experienced by the city-dweller in an increasingly urbanised society, and experienced by Julie Burke herself from proximity to the Frasers development in Chippendale.

Haeccity

Dallas Gillespie, Lucy Boyle, Tara Howard, Charlotte Valentine, Anthea Fitzgerald, Alex Falkiner, Elyse Watkins, Natika Newing-Stern, Alanna Crossman, Ali Grisedale, Amanda Smyth, Gillian Christie, Cathy Edlington, Josie Fraser

Opening Night: 3 August

3 August - 13 August 

HAECCITY: (hĕks-) n. (Philos.) the essence of a particular thing which makes it unique from any other; quality of being describable as 'this'; 'thisness'. [f. Med. L haecceitas]

Visceral, poetic, ephemeral - textiles engage us in a profound dialogue concerning that which is beyond the visible. Haecceity employs the medium of textiles as a metaphor through which to explore the inherent fragility and peculiar beauty in decay. Subtle imperfections contribute to the quiddity of each piece; with fibres such as hair and wool, and materials found and reclaimed embodying the liminal between presence and absence.

Art Through the Ages the Bog From Whence We Came

David Capra, Katherine Corcoran, Ashleigh Garwood, Adam Gibson, Talitha Klevjer, Stella Rosa McDonald, Claudia Nicholson, Ben Norris, Al Poulet, Joan Ross

Opening Night: 17 August

17 August - 20 August

Art through the ages is a show curated around Kudos Gallery by its representatives, as a response to the idea of "Art and the Everyday", - a sort of "Art AS the Everyday" from the perspective of those obsessed. Forming an important totem for the show is the "bog", both taken as a literal bog and as waste matter, at once a debasement of attempts at civilization and an acknowledgement of our humanity. It is an attempt to understand the Comte de Lautreamont's suggestion, (taken up by numerous art movements from the 20th century onwards), that "Poetry must be made by all and not by one", and how it might pertain to the sole producer. Contexts and power structures are removed as all the artists involved come from diverse backgrounds (representative of what is on offer at the College of Fine Arts) and stages in their lives and careers, so that the viewer may be left with the personal nature of the works and the personalities of the artists. Ultimately the exhibition ponders the random connections (and excretions) that amount to the lived experience.

Do the Worm

Jessica Stewart

Opening Night: 24 August

24 August - 27 August

Vivencia: A Portuguese word meaning "A lived experience, the body's presence as authentic, immediate and resistant to ideological capture." - Lygia Clark and Helio Oiticica Letters, 1968-69.

Do The Worm aims to give audience members a new appreciation of worms and through worms, their own bodies. Artist/pedagogues will create works and experiences for the audience member/receivers, informative or entertaining in nature - after invertebrate nature - examined and split in two - and all in the name of gluttonous, schizogenetic dissemination.

The Freedman Foundation Scholarship 2011

Opening Night: 1 September

1 September - 10 September 

The Freedman Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation which donates funding to the visual arts, music, medicine and science. Each year, several emerging Australian artists are supported by the Freedman Foundation to head overseas to gain inspiration and guidance in the development of their art practice. The alumni include some of the country's most talented and well respected artists such as David Griggs, Jess McNeil, Sean Corderio and Sangeeta Sandrasegar, an affirmation of the success of the Scholarship and the high regard for the winners.

Since its inception, the generous scholarship has contributed one quarter of a million dollars, spread amongst 50 artists over a 10-year period to aid their gaining professional career development experience abroad.

This year the official opening of the Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship exhibition will form part of the WAH program. The exhibition will showcase the talents of emerging artists presenting the work of 2011 scholars alongside that of the returning 2009 scholars. The winners of the 2011 Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship will be formally announced at a special opening brunch being held on Friday 2 September 2011.

Tim Olsen Drawing Prize 2011

Opening Night: 13 September 

13 September - 24 September 

A collaborative initiative between the Tim Olsen Gallery and the Department of Drawing and Painting at COFA, with the intention of encouraging excellence in drawing.

Organisms

Jack Stahel

Opening Night 27 September

27 September - 8 October 

Driven compulsively by his process, Jack Stahel's practice is a continuous and obsessive exploration of the human mind. It resembles a living, growing life form, as well as acting as a documentation and mapping out of thought patterns.

'Organism' is a collection of these documentations, which as finished works also demand a personal exploration from the audience. Whilst our mind is integral to our perception of reality, it could also be considered one of the final frontiers of human exploration - an infinite and ephemeral landscape that remains an irresistible mystery.

This exhibition is supported by Arc@COFA via the 2010 Kudos Award

Kudos Emerging Artist and Designer Award 2011

Opening Night: 11 October

11 October- 22 October

Awards announced at an exhibition of finalists' work with opening drinks 5-7.30 PM, Tuesday 11 October.

Now in its 10th year, the Kudos Award seeks to recognise innovation and excellence across all disciplines at the UNSW College of Fine Arts, supporting our emerging artists and designers.

The major award is $1,500 funded by Arc @ COFA with runner up prizes from gaffa gallery, Matisse Derivan, Eckersley's, Art & Austrlia, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Opera House and more.

This year the award will be judged by external panelists:

Zoe Brand (collections manager gaffa gallery & artist/designer)

Anna Kristensen (COFA graduate, lecturer, & painter represented by Gallery 9, Sydney, and KALIMANRAWLINS, Melbourne)

David Haines (COFA graduate, 2011 Anne Landa Award, & media artist represented by Breenspace)

Living Patterns

Ben Norris, Pheobe Rathmell

Opening Night: 26 October

26 October - 5 November

"In Western politics, bare life has the peculiar privilege of being that whose exclusion founds the city of men." -Giorgio Agamben, Homo Sacer.

Living Patterns is an exploration of the rhythm and ritual of the everyday. Ben Norris and Phoebe Rathmell explore the shared experience through their tangible, meditative sculptural pieces. While technological advances increasingly force a disjuncture between physicality and communication, the work of Norris and Rathmell is a timely rejoinder for us all to inhabit our own bodies and spaces.

This is an exhibition ruminating on the simple life, on its possibility and potential in a world in which we can easily become disconnected to that which is most important.

Slow Glow

Second Year Applied Object Design Lighting Project

Opening Night: 8 November

8 November - 19 November

Visionary lighting designs to combat consumption and climate change.

The negative consequences of the continuous growth economy, particularly the unsustainable nature of many of the products manufactured since the Industrial Revolution, have forced designers to re-think their design practice in order to create a more balanced environment. Nowhere is this more evident than in lighting design.

'Slow Glow' is the name given to this year's lighting exhibition from 2nd year Applied/Object design students. The exhibition combines the theory of 'slow design' into contemporary lighting solutions for both domestic and commercial spaces. 'Slow Design' prompts a new model for design inspiring a move beyond economic markets to form a balance between cultural, environmental and spiritual wellbeing.

Students have been inspired by a range of influences such as the use of energy efficient lamps and technologies such as LED's.

Breathing Room

Robyn Stuart

Opening Night: 23 November

23 November - 3 December

This project/exhibition forms a key part of Robyn Stuart's research into the intersection of conceptual practices and theory in art, mathematics and philosophy. She is currently undertaking her postgraduate research into chaos theory and dynamical systems.

A key theorem in dynamical systems, known as the Poincare Recurrence Theorem, states that certain volume-preserving physical systems will, after a sufficient length of time, return to a state very close to the initial state. Stuart travelled to Lake Eyre to investigate the emotional and psychological landscape of such a system. Lake Eyre forms part of the Great Artesian Basin, and contains particles of water that fell as rain over 2 million years ago. Through video installation, essentially an investigation into the binary, Stuart will also explore the paradoxical sensation of vast spaces invoking feelings of crushing claustrophobia. In stark contrast to the adage that the ocean has no memory, Lake Eyre is a landscape with infinite memory- a landscape that allows the statement of the Poincare Recurrence Theorem to exert a powerful and crushing effect.

Produced by Nick Garner (Producer, Das Superpaper).

Down, Under, On the Piss, Up

Andrew Burford, Jason Phu

Opening Night: 7 December

7 December- 17 December

"Humour is the rarest of all gifts, for its spiritual content is a delight in the whole spectacle of life, whether that inspires laughter, horror or pity." - Norman Lindsay.

In their joint exhibition, an observational satire of the traditional Aussie pub environment, Andrew Burford and Jason Phu create an interactive installation to engage with the audience and with the recent past. The work will function as a working icon of Australian culture often derided as a lack of culture, a heart of darkness for the civilized man. Viewers will be encouraged to interact with the installation and figurative sculpture, and to sit down at the tables and take pictures, as a way to emphasise the spectacle nature of pubs that have recently been in the news. They thus aim to explore Australian masculine identity for its pitfalls whilst commenting on the cultural cringe to call into account the kind of pretension and eurocentrism that would deny some of the better aspects of pub culture (such as the element of live music that has been all but lost).