Arty Farty

Contemporary art is widely marginalised for being non-sensical, pointless, and appreciated by similarly marginalised fuddy-duddys who are yearning to escape from a prolonged adolesence.

I beg to differ.

The Hatched 08 National Graduate Show is running at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. It displays work from current graduates of art schools across the country. One of the most diverse exhibitions showing a cross section of contemporary art in Australia.

Rose Skinner's The Bubblegum Factory (above) is a delicious arrangement of confectionary and toys delivering a multi-sensual experience of sight, sound, smell, and taste. It can be taken as an awe-inspiring composition or one can use the stimulated senses to evoke childhood memories. See the work in the context of modern life and it suggests subtle messages about childhood materialism. You can take whatever you want from it. 

Except of course, the raspberries and sour worms scattered on the floor.

Passing Sally Stewart's Lotus, you come across a clever work about endangered Australian animals. The artist travelled to various outback places where certain species were last seen. He then placed an orange picket synonymous with a road marker and photographed the location. These photographs are arranged as part of his work, and then mirrored in the arrangement of the orange pickets. Two neon signs glow, one saying "extinct" and the other "endangered." However the latter is flashing, suggesting that there is more that can be done now, before the transition to "extinct."

Standing in front of the life size pop art of Suited Rituals by Nick Neilsen is a confronting experience. The sounds of his accompanying video are surprisingly familiar to any office worker. The contrast between his pop art and the video is surreal. He has used two modalities to great effect, portraying the inner feelings of real life suited individuals in the form of a monochromal almost exploding pop art character trying to burst out of the screen. Not an uncommon sentiment.

One of the more challenging works is Exercise #38. Joel Casemore has used his own journey with depression to depict moments of clarity in a series of two plate colour aquatints. It's hard to find the connection between what you see and how the artist must've felt. He talks about the work helping him to simplify, rediscover opportunity, and find a sense of security. You get the impression that Exercise #38 has far more significance to it's creator than any observer could ever appreciate.

But that's the beauty of this kind of art. It has different meanings for different people, with no limitations, and complete freedom of expression, both for the artist and the viewer.

Hatched 08 runs until 25 May.