Hanging Out To Dry

Elastic archive… bring your reading glasses.

The Cross Art Projects: A space for independent art & curatorial studies. 33 Roslyn Street Kings Cross Sydney 2011.

ELASTIC is a group of nine artists who create projects that invite other artists to participate with a view to expanding the scope and interpretation of a project. This democratising curatorial model allows unexpected outcomes.

The Elastic: Archive Project displays, in various forms, the collecting and classifying activities that engage these artists’ practices as both research and raw material. Classifying systems are fundamental not only to public and private collection activities but relate, in a gallery context, to the manufacture of authenticity within the art-culture system. This exhibition explores this operation by placing private studio process in the lived context of the gallery space.

The resulting archival categories range from fantastic or absolutely bloody useless catalogues of vernacular objects or adornments, to straight-faced empirical research into, for example, the reasons given by an arts council for rejecting a grant application or under-representation of women artists in contemporary criticism. The archive even has its own exhibition reviews.

Draw your own conclusions with regard to the authenticity of the artists’ interpretations of material and museum culture!

From a historical perspective the Elastic Archive Project harnesses conceptual and process art’s critical forces as well more recent methodological innovations using analytical techniques appropriated from interdisciplinary and institutional critique. Out of these parameters a new direction in contemporary art has emerged. The emphasis is on the formal experiments of individual artists. In this way and by these means, contemporary life and issues of the marginal or unfashionable can be given prominence.

The Archive Project is the latest Elastic ‘edition’. Artwork editions are available exclusively for the exhibition. Artists: Lisa Andrew, Hany Armanious, Stuart Bailey, Jay Balbi, Joanna Callaghan, Liz Day, Deej Fabyc, Ian Geraghty, Sarah Goffman, Kathryn Gray & Holly Williams, Ross Harley, Mark Hislop, Emily Hunt, Andrew Hurle, Melanie Khava, Claire Lambe, Sally Mannall, Elvis Richardson, Tobias Richardson, Raquel Ormella, Luke Parker, Elizabeth Pulie, Mary Teague and Regina Walters.

Rockin!

Alex Lawler Psychedelic Warlords (disappear in smoke) MOP Projects. 27 October – 13 November 2005. Opening Thursday 27 October 6-8pm.

“This project builds on my involvement with the Psychedelic and aims to create a dialogue between the structures of canvas supports in painting, with the technical supports for the pop psychedelia of rock music. The work aims to re-orientate the imagery featured on LP covers as well as logistical equipment like speaker boxes, into the academic and aesthetic language of the gallery. The exercise is transgressive for both genres and alchemic in nature.

“This work also aims to question the parallels between the visual artist (art-star’) and the musician (rock-star’). Despite the differing natures of production, an examination of the outcomes of artistic production, records in all senses, over the span of an artists’ career is open to all.

“Also, the pacification and objectification of active subject inherent in exhibition or performance is inverted in this project. Those occupying space in front of the installation, are brought into the imaginary world of pop archetypes. The viewer placed in front of this work is faced with speakers oscillating with rhythm and a grounded fold-back speaker – objects always levelled at the performer themselves. Thus the roles of performer and spectator are inversed. “

Ben Frost, ‘dorothy, these aren’t yellow bricks – theyr’e incontinence pads!’
1.2m x 1.2m acrylic & enamel on board.