'KALOSKAGATHOS' - CURATED GROUP EXHIBITION - PRESENTED BY PALMER PROJECTS POST SPACE EXETER - 2023

I’m pleased to announced that my work will be featured amongst a fantastic lineup of female Australian contemporary artists in the upcoming group exhibition 'KALOSKAGATHOS' curated by Diana Palmer at Post Space Exeter, and I must say, I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with her.

Post Space, Exeter presents ‘Kaloskagathos’, an exhibition bringing together works by contemporary Australian artists who explore, embrace or challenge the classical artistic tradition. Drawing inspiration from renowned works of literature, history, mythology and cultural traditions to explore the themes of feminism, motherhood, domesticity and the goddess, these artists works, in varying ways, embody the power and majesty of female sexuality whilst subverting the classical idea that promoted the supremacy of the male form. 

Featuring Jedda-Daisy Cullen, Louisa Chircop, Belynda Henry, Solomon Kammer, Sophy Reynolds, Mirra Whale and Hayley West and spanning different materials and formats - painting, sculpture, installation, photography and drawing - these artists come together looking at the relics of the enduring preoccupation of greek art with the human form as well as contemporary art’s ongoing relationship with the classical past. 

The term ‘Kaloskagathos’, combines two adjectives, with kalos designating outward, and agathos — inward perfection. It is an abstract concept, unreal in its varied ideals and yet a word that correlates to a system of values that represents the development of any human society, a social, ethical and aesthetic assesment criteria. In the Symposium, Plato explicitly warns against becoming fixated on the beauty of the body. Instead, he argues that the energy released by the sight of the gorgeous figure needs to be channeled to a desire for a deeper beauty – that of the soul, of the good, of the divine. 

Through a series of pairings and juxtapositions, alternatively dramatic and understated, the exhibition ‘Kaloskagathos’, aims to provoke conversations between the classical traditions of femininity, beauty and power; as history provides us a record, and from it one basic, inescapable, and ultimately unconscionable truth stands out: the ideals women are asked to embody, regardless of culture or continent, have been hammered out almost exclusively by men. 

essay excerpt 

Diana Palmer, 2024 

Please join us on us Saturday 10 February 2024 2-5pm at Post Space Exeter for the opening of KALOSKAGATHOS a group show including

View exhibition catalogue and essay here

Please contact (link) Diana Palmer Exhibition and Acquisition Consultant for artwork for enquiries

Please note Solomon Kammer's inclusion in this exhibition is courtesy of her incredible representative gallery Yavuz Gallery, Surry Hills @yavuzgallery @maxhomaei

All celebratory drinks courtesy of @merrigangs_ and @stmaurwines

#artconsultant #artconsultancv #dianapalmer #palmerproiects #postspace #exeter #southernhighlands #groupexhibition #femaleartists #women #kaloskagathos #contemporaryart #painting #ceramics #mixedmedia #australianartists

Exhibition invite

'SHADOW SANCTUARY' - DEBUT INTERNATIONAL SOLO - MARIE GALLERY5 MALTA

Very pleased to announce I’ll be having my debut international solo exhibition ‘Shadow Sanctuary’ with the lovely Maria Galea Gallery owner and Art Advisor of Marie Gallery5 in Sliema Malta opening 3rd Nov 7.30pm. Please feel free to come along.

Maria is a passionate advocate for artists and unstoppable force in the Arts industry in Malta/Europe representing Maltese and international talent. As a Maltese Australian artist I’m super excited and proud to be working with her and looking forward to my upcoming exhibition soon.

…”Just as the the moon needs the sun to reflect light, I need the moon to cast my shadow."…

Louisa Chircop

'Shadow Sanctuary' by Louisa Chircop invites viewers on an evocative journey into the profound depths of the artist's conceptual realm. Chircop's oeuvre is a contemplative fusion of personal experiences, art history, and the intricate tapestry of psychological phenomena. Within this exhibition, each artwork serves as a portal, unlocking the enigmatic "shadows of the self," as guided by Chircop's subconscious wanderings within her inner sanctum, intimately intertwined with her Maltese Australian heritage.

Chircop's artistic inquiry transcends conventional boundaries, daring to explore the intricate facets of the human condition-pain, pleasure, guilt, and shame. Her exploration delves into an innovative interpretation of religious sexuality, an intersection where the sacred and the profane merge to construct a deeply personal tantra. This fusion is a vibrant celebration of the terrestrial, the cosmic, and the spiritual-a form of contemporary self-devotion that venerates the Earth, the universe, and spirituality. Amidst the encompassing corporeal darkness, fragments of illumination emerge, unveiling metamorphosed, reinvented, hybrid, and reborn iterations of the artist herself. This creative rebirth finds its genesis in Chircop's immigrant European lineage, rooted in the resolute traditions of medieval antiquity.

3rd - 22nd November @mariegallery5
For more information


#contemporaryart #exhibition #artreel #exhibitionposter #austrailanart #artsydney #malta #gallery #collector #internationalartist #malteseaustralianartist

COMING SOON - A LANDMARK AUSTRALIAN-FIRST CROSS-GENERATIONAL EXHIBITION AT HAZELHURST ARTS CENTRE

I couldn’t be more excited and honoured to be curated in this Australian first-landmark cross-generational survey exhibition. ‘In the Arms of Unconsciousness: Women, Feminism and the Surreal’ curated by Carrie Kibbler (and assisted by Naomi Stewart, assistant curator) will open late June 2023 at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre. The exhibition, showcasing a stellar line up of 22 significant Australian women artists, aims to look at the links between feminism and surrealism in Australian art.

The exhibition is to be officially launched on Friday 30 June 2023 6pm in the main gallery at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre and will continue until Sunday 3rd September 2023. The exhibition will also be complimented with a jam packed program of interviews, artist talks and other promotional events including a special feature film presenting the artists in show and accompanying digital catalogue with essays written by leading Australian arts writers.

Exhibiting Artists: Del Kathryn Barton, Vivienne Binns, Pat Brassington, Louisa Chircop, Madeleine Kelly, Deborah Kelly, Juz Kitson, Lucy O’Doherty, Caroline Rothwell, Kaylene Whiskey, Jelena Telecki, Lynda Draper, Freya Jobbins, Jenny Orchard, Jill Orr, Patricia Piccinini, Julie Rrap, Honey Long and Prue Stent, Marikit Santiago, Anne Wallace and Amanda Williams.

The exhibition will examine the waves of feminism in Australian which began in the 1970s to the early 1980s, and again in the early 1990s and how they were directly linked to the feminist art and Riot Grrrl movement in which female artists and theorists began to rethink and reclaim how the female body was represented. Artists during this period include Vivienne Binns, Jill Orr, Pat Brassington and Anne Wallace.

More recently, a younger generation of female artists are working with elements of the surreal, the psychoanalytic, the unconscious and the fantastical in their practice, with several specifically citing the influence of the surrealists in their practice. Artists include Del Kathryn Barton, Louisa Chircop, Madeline Kelly, Deborah Kelly, Juz Kitson, Lucy O’Doherty, Caroline Rothwell and Amanda Williams.

The exhibition proposes that there has been an intrinsic link between feminism and the surreal, particularly in Australia, and this current wave is most notable since 2012 in that it aligns with the fourth wave of feminism.

More news to come on this amazing exhibition!

Hazelhurst has received funding from Create NSW and Sutherland Shire Council for this project.

UPCOMING SOLO EXHIBITION - IN THE WAKE OF - HURSTVILLE MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Hot on the heels of my exhibition ‘Nebuchadnezzar Tree Dreaming’ currently on at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery (on until February 26th) I’m excited to announce my new upcoming exhibition ‘In the wake of…’ (opening 26th Feb) at Hurstville Museum and Gallery. This exhibition explores my time spent as artist-in-residence with Georges River Council Carss Park Cottage. The exhibition consisting of 24 works on paper and ceramics are presented as poetic evocations about my childhood looking across the bay. Please join me for an afternoon tea on Sunday 6th March at 3pm to view the exhibition. It’s a very different show to others I’ve had, with mostly bite sized works all for sale to the public. Much thanks to art curators Claire Baddeley and Renee Porter and the stellar crew at Hurstville Museum and Gallery for their care and invaluable support. You are fantastic!

WINNER 'HIGHLY COMMENDED' - PADDINGTON ART PRIZE 2021

So proud to have have won ‘Highly Commended’ in this year’s Paddington Art Prize for my work ‘Bush Embrace - Pulpit Rock Bundanon’ selected by artist/curator Julia Martin.

Big Congratulations to all the finalists and other winners, especially winner of the Paddington Art prize Sophie Cape. Thank you to the judges artist and winner of the 2017 Paddington Art Prize Tim Allen, Director and CEO of the National Art School Steve Alderton and Senior Curator at Manly Art Gallery & Museum Katherine Roberts.

Special heartfelt thanks to Marlene Antico Founder and Principal Sponsor of the Paddington Art Prize, Chris Antico, Pia Antico, Defiance Gallery other affiliated sponsors and the lovely Andrew Treloar for their generosity, kindness and support during the exhibition and award presentation. Their continual support for the arts and artists is undoubtedly treasured and valued.

The exhibition of National finalists will continue at Defiance Gallery from Friday 15 October to Sunday 24 October 2021 (11am – 5pm). See winners and finalists here

(Left to right artists) Overall Winner Sophie Cape, Louisa Chircop and Pamela Honeyfield.

Chris Antico Principal Co-Sponsor and Louisa Chircop Winner of ‘Highly Commended’ Paddington Art Prize sponsored by artist/curator Julia Martin.

FINALIST - HAZELHURST ART ON PAPER AWARD 2021

It’s so wonderful to be selected as a finalist in this years ‘Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award’ amongst some of Australia’s finest artists working in the medium of paper.

Since 2001 The Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award has been a significant national biennial exhibition that aims to elevate the status of works on paper while supporting and promoting artists working with this medium.

The Awards include the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award of $15,000; the Young and Early Career Art Award of $5,000; the Local Artist Award of $5,000 (sponsored by the Friends of Hazelhurst); the Preparator’s Residency Award and the $1,000 People’s Choice Award.

This year Hazelhurst received entries from over 700 artists from throughout Australia. The following artists were selected for the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award 2021:

2021 Hazelhurst Art on Paper Finalists

FINALIST - 2020 PADDINGTON ART PRIZE

What an honour to be selected as a finalist in this year’s Paddington Art Prize with my work ‘In Love and War -Archibald Fountain Hyde Park’ amongst such an amazing line up of Australian artists. The exhibition of national finalists will be exhibited at Defiance Gallery Paddington Sydney and the winners will be announced on Thursday 29th October 2020. Congratulations to all the finalists! and a huge thank you to the highIy esteemed panel of judges Ross Laurie, Rhonda Davis and Jeanette Siebols for selecting my work. I cannot wait to see their selection.

See selected finalists here

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The Paddington Art Prize is a $30,000 National acquisitive prize, awarded annually for a painting inspired by the Australian landscape. Established in 2004 by Arts Patron, Marlene Antico OAM, this National prize takes its place among the country’s most lucrative and highly coveted painting prizes.

 The prize encourages the interpretation of the landscape as a significant contemporary genre, its long tradition in Australian painting as a key contributor to our national ethos, and is a positive initiative in private patronage of the arts in Australia.

Marlene Antico OAM, created the Prize in order to assist with the monetary difficulties that often impede artists from showcasing their works. As an art student, gallery owner and volunteer guide at the AGNSW for over 10 years, she has underscored her commitment to supporting contemporary Australian artists, aware, of the financial concerns that prevent many artists from devoting themselves entirely to their art practice.

In 2017, Chris Antico, Marlene’s son joined as Principal Co-sponsor of the prize. The Paddington Art Prize appreciates the ongoing generosity of the following key sponsors and supporters: Marlene Antico OAM, Chris Antico, UNSW Art & Design, The Sydney Art Store, Sofala Cottage, Charvin Oils, Lucio’s Italian Restaurant, Defiance Gallery,  Nock Art Foundation, Tracey Deep Floral Sculptures, Valiant Hire and Woollahra Municipal Council.

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A $30,000 Annual National Acquisitive Prize for a painting inspired by
the Australian Landscape

Sponsored by Marlene Antico OAM.

We also have five non-acquisitive prizes listed below:

HONOURABLE MENTION PRIZE

a $3,000 prize  sponsored by Chris Antico (Co-Principal Sponsor)

HIGHLY COMMENDED PRIZE

$1,000 prize

DEFIANCE GALLERY AWARD

 Two artists selected from the 2020 submissions will be chosen by Directors Campbell Robertson-Swann &  Lauren Harvey, and offered an exhibition with Defiance Gallery at Mary Place, Sydney in 2021.

NOCK ART FOUNDATION PRIZE

 Michael Nock will offer the TWO above mentioned selected artists a 3 week Residency at “Giverny”, Queenstown, New Zealand. With artist studios and airfares included.

UNSW ART & DESIGN PRIZE

will offer a chosen artist the opportunity to create a limited edition print

with Master Printer, Michael Kempson.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

$1,000 gift certificate from Theresa Sarjeant of Fine Art Imaging

‘In Love and War - Archibald Fountain Hyde Park’ 2020, Mixed media and photomontage on Saunders Waterford Paper, 150cm x 100cm

Parks are landscapes. They often feature structures that tell narratives about the built history of our landscape. With the looming 100 year anniversary of the Archibald Prize I painted the famous Archibald Fountain in the iconic Hyde Park. It’s location, a junction point called ‘Birubi Circle’.

UPCOMING! 'TALKING WITH PAINTERS' AUSTRALIAN PODCAST SERIES BY MARIA STOLJAR

I’m thrilled and honoured to be invited to talk on Maria Stoljar’s ‘Talking with Painters’ Australian podcast series very soon. The podcast is full of the personal stories of the painters of Australia – leading, mid-career and emerging – not only as to how they live and work as artists, but how they became an artist in the first place, the highs and lows and what they’re working on now.

In 2020 the podcast was listed in British auction house Christie’s ‘Best art-world podcasts’ and frequently appears at the top of the Apple Podcasts Australian Visual Arts charts. It has also been recommended by Art Almanac and featured in Zart Art magazine.

I’ve long been a fan of this very popular podcast series, so it’s a bit surreal to be asked for an interview.

Follow ‘Talking with Painters’ on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Hope you enjoy listening!

Listen to the podcast here.

'COME SHOWER WITH ME' - SOLO EXHIBITION OPENING 22nd FEB 2020 @shac_robertson

Pen in the Date!…Please join me at the opening of my solo exhibition 'Come Shower with Me' at the SHAC (Southern Highlands Artisans Collective) in Robertson in the wonderful community of the Southern Highlands - which we all know has recently been through a terrible period of the recent bushfires. It's a great opportunity to visit the area, and support the local businesses doing it tough (from buying a coffee to booking a place to stay for the weekend) like at the Robertson Hotel who are proud sponsors of The SHAC. Alternatively join me at Robertson Pub for a drink and an early dinner after the show.

Exhibition to be officially opened by award-winning Sydney Artist Halinka Orszulok Saturday 22nd February 2020 at 2pm at The SHAC (NEXT TO THE BIG POTATO) Exhibition continues and closes Monday March 6th 2020 at 4pm

PLEASE NOTE: the Official opening with drinks and opening address by award winning artist Halinka Orszulok will be Sat 22nd Feb 2020, However the exhibition will be open to the public from Friday 21st Feb 2020 if you happen to be already in the area.

The event is free but please RSVP here to give us an idea with numbers.

Drinks and nibbles provided.

If you can't make the opening you are welcome to drop in Gallery hours are Friday-Monday 10am-4pm

All works for sale. Works will also be available for purchase in an online catalogue coming soon.

enquiries@theshac.com.au

Enquiries: Patsy Peacock (President)
patsy@theshac.com.au
0614 0299 8644

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

‘Come shower with me’ invites viewers into the intimate world of Sydney based artist Louisa Chircop. As the title of her exhibition suggests, Chircop not only utilises the idea of the history of women’s activity in the bathroom but also uses the concept of showering to parallel her creative process in an ode to free association and surrealism, similarly the way ideas come to mind in the shower.

Through Chircop’s experience and interest in art history and psychological phenomenons, she explores the human condition creating images that are illicit in nature, rendered with complex meaning and hints of the shadow self. Chance encounters are played out repositioning women in art history whilst simultaneously positioning herself in relation to history, creating a metaphorical allegory about our present time.

Chircop is comfortable as chameleon, every image is a reconstruct of thought drawn from a stream of subconscious detritus into the reservoir of her conscious awakening. She creates with the inquisitive mind of an octopus foraging through its shady garden on the ocean floor. Every work, a token re-cleansing of the body, mind and spirit is an attempt to navigate existential pathways through the world resurrecting the female image from the grave of western art.

GROUP SHOW GALERIE HEIMAT SAINT-RÉMY FRANCE- 'EXPOSITION NOËL_001' 2020

Feeling the Christmas spirit and feeling very special to be included in ‘Exposition Noël_001’ at Galerie Heimat in Saint-Rémy Provence France, the village town where Van Gogh made it famous. Curated by the ever so lovely and beautifully spirited Alexandra Chiara director of this stunning commercial gallery in the heart of Provence. She has brought together nine artists (painters, sculptors and jewellery makers) both locally and internationally from France, Germany, China, Finland and me from Australia. It touched me that she was so excited to welcome me as her first ever Australian artist from wayyyy down under! and be representing me in this exhibition. I wish I could be there for the opening but I’ll be seeing you all again in 2020 when I will be doing my residency. Exhibition opens Saturday 7th December. The exhibition continues until the 11th January 2020. Gallery Hours Thursday - Sunday 11am - 7pm. JOYEUX NOËL !

‘Mange moi, bois moi, aime-moi’ (Eat me, drink me, love me), mixed media and photomontage on paper 51cm x 40.5cm

COMING UP - INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION 'CONNEXIONS SILENCIEUSES' EYGALIÈRES, FRANCE

I’m very excited to be heading back to Eygalières in Provence France this month. After having finished a residency that I won with NG Art Creative Residency Program last November championed by the wonderful Nicky Ginsberg. I’m finally making the pilgrimage back to where it all started for the opening and vernissage of ‘Connexions Silencieuses’ an International Group Exhibition of artists from around the globe. I’m very proud to be showing amongst an amazing cohort of International talent including other wonderful fellow Australian artists and will be giving an artist talk as part of their public programs on the 5th of May 4-5pm at the 800 year old Elise Saint Laurent where the exhibition will be staged. If you are in France or heading to Provence you are very welcome to attend the opening and talks. Bisous!

Credit: Matthew Robertson

RECIPIENT - Georges River Council Artist-in-Residence 2020

It’s still some time away but I’m very pleased to have been recently awarded this fabulous artist residency with Hurstville Museum and Gallery for Carrs Park Cottage to create work for my next upcoming project in 2020. Thank you so much to Hurstville Museum and Gallery and Georges River Council for this fantastic opportunity. See more

ARCHIBALD SITTING 2018 - JUZ KITSON

It's that time of year again where I like to challenge myself by taking on a portrait. A portrait for me is more than a mere representation of the sitter's appearance, expression or simple gestures of their biography. A portrait articulates the psyche between the sitter and the artist, presenting an opportunity to reveal the inner workings of the subject's mind through the artist's own intimate thoughts on life and doubt through an exploration of their existential being. Heartfelt thanks goes to Juz Kitson one of Australia's best contemporary artists for allowing me delve into her as a subject and for sitting for me for this painting titled 'Juz Kitson Imitating Venus'. I've been so privileged to be able to paint her.

'Juz Kitson Imitating Venus' oil on canvas, 220cm x 167cm, 2018