LIBRE: the art of being
-
Opening Night
Curator
Friday, 14 February
Samantha Lawrence
6 - 8pm
Artists
Christine Dean, Scott Elk, David Elliot, Alun Rhys Jones, Deborah Kelly, Charlotte Hughes Martin, Francis Meow, Elnaz Nourizadeh, Anna Parsons, Janice Raynor, Alison Smiles, Nick Stathopoulos, Lynnea Stewart, Tom Summers, Jayanto Tan and Emily Valentine
-
LIBRE: the art of being reflects on a world where exploring your sense of self is profoundly personal and intimate, while at the same time, LGBTQIA+ expression and freedoms are constantly debated within mainstream discourse. Each artist has approached the idea of what is feels to be free from their own perspective. Whether that it is honouring the past, challenging stereotypes and cultural norms, claiming back language, exploring the physicality of the body or exploring the deepest thoughts of the mind. The exhibition brings together diverse stories across place, time and experience, manifesting in different forms that collectively challenge, celebrate and embrace who we are.
View all works
-
-
Alun Rhys Jones (b.1970)
The "Agenda" series of fine art prints are imagined as a response to the question, "What if LGBTQIA+ identities really were lifestyle choices?" and posits this assumption with how marketing, branding and advertising would be used to actively promote these identities, appeal to new audiences and attract new consumers to take up their mantras.
-
Deborah Kelly (b.1962)
"For over 4 decades I have worked in various modes of cultural production. My first works were as a teenage feminist cartoonist, then a DJ in the queer club (with free childcare) that my friends and I ran for ten years. I worked in publishing, mainly for trade unions and for womens' and queer publications, for centuries. Somehow I became a contemporary artist, an enduring surprise to me. All these labours express the same preoccupations: representation, politics, collectivity and transformation; sex, gender, justice, pleasure. Many of my works emerge from the practice of collage, in very various manifestations. Since 2019 I've been making a collaborative multi-artform project in the form of a queer insurrectionary science fiction climate change religion called CREATION. Some of the material presented in this exhibition is physical traces of CREATION and some is its ancestral lineage." -
-
-
Elnaz Nourizadeh (b.1985)
"I create and play with shapes and forms to understand my complex being. I dove into my feelings and emotions, and I watch my thoughts. They are showing me my true self under the pail of lines, shapes of meaning, and descriptions the culture and society give me. Tomorrow is another day; I break through every day, every second, step by step; what matters is the form I am now. I'll learn to face more of the masks I didn't even know I had until now. I'm strong as I choose to carry the sky, which is honest and pure, whether it is stormy, cloudy or a beautiful sunny day." -
-
Emily Valentine (b.1952)
“I have made new work in my popular Dog Flu series where I have introduced jewellery showing how we pamper our pets. The platypus broach reflects the declining state of the Australian habitat causing the threatened state of many of our birds, plants, animals and insects. I wish to stimulate the viewer, and to question our callous treatment of birds, and ask how we sub consciously classify animals – pet or pest, valued or worthless, beautiful or plain and why.”
-
Anna Parsons (B.1973)
CLAY RECEIVES ME
WEAVING INSTINCTIVELY
BOUNCING OFF MY INNER PSYCHOLOGY
MATERIALITY...CHEMISTRY...BODILY
I CAST SHADOWS
"There is a respect for the material in my work. I am not alone, the clay has a memory and an intelligence. As I give to it, it gives to me, a friendly medium, an easy opening - drawing me in physically and revealing what is inside. "
-
-
Janice Raynor (b.1953)
This exhibition, "LIBRE: the art of being ..." with its focus on freedom, inspired "LIBERTY Leading the MARDI GALAHS" which whimsically references Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People," commemorating the July Revolution in Paris in 1830. The traditional French TRICOLOUR now references the TRANS Flag and their fight for acceptance, while the Mardi Galah figures acknowledge the multi-talented Performance artists, innovative couturiers, and activists for Queer Rights, Koala protection and freedom of artistic expression, the fabulous HUXLEYS!
-
Artist Talks
Gallery LNL is pleased to invite you to an engaging series of artist talks with Christine Dean, Janice Raynor and Jayanto Tan. This special event offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from these three remarkable artists as they discuss their creative practices, inspirations, and recent works.Book Now
Saturday 08 March, 2-3pm
Christine DeanChristine Dean is an artist and historian whose work investigates the intersections of colour, abstraction and text. Known for her deep engagement with modernist aesthetics, Dean’s paintings and research challenge traditional narratives of art and design. In her talk, she will share insights on how colour theory and historical influences shape her contemporary practice and how, through her work, she discusses issues relating to gender and art history.Saturday 22 March, 11-12:15pm
Janice RaynorJanice Raynor has been exhibiting in these shows for more than 20 years, first as part of Mura Clay Gallery. She has been instrumental in highlighting LGBTQIA+ stories and commentary through her work. She will share insights into her practice and works created for this year’s exhibition theme that explores the pursuit of freedom.Jayanto TanJayanto Tan’s multidisciplinary work is steeped in storytelling, memory, and heritage. Drawing on his Indonesian-Chinese background, Tan creates whimsical yet poignant ceramic sculptures and installations that evoke childhood nostalgia, folklore, and themes of migration. His talk will delve into his personal experiences and the way they inform his art.
