Jane Skeer, “Ode to the Fisherman”
3 – 26 June 2016
“Ode to the fisherman” presents the first solo exhibition by Jane Skeer, after graduating from an honours degree at Adelaide Central School of Art. Assembler, collector and “awakener of the vitality of matter”, Skeer’s floor and wall based works traverse the divide between painting and sculpture. With a strong ecological commitment. Skeer’s work brings new life to materials which have been abandoned from their original use, shedding light upon the complex interactions of people and objects. In “Ode to the fisherman”, Skeer tackles the deeply emotional subject of the life of her father in law through the materiality of his tools of trade as a professional fisherman:
“My father in law has been placed into a nursing home with Alzheimer’s, leaving behind a shed full of ropes, lines and floats which are now redundant. Using these as my material source I have worked, drawing inspiration and emotion from his life and the life of the working class Australian. This exhibition includes two- and three-dimensional sculptures on the floor and walls of the gallery space. My aim is to invite the viewer in, to reflect on the temporality and materiality of one man’s livelihood.”
Skeer was recently awarded both the Hill Smith Gallery and People’s Choice Awards at the 2015 Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition. Her work Quiet Square was also selected for the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Hatched: Graduate Show 2016.
Opening drinks:
3 June 2016, 6-9pm with guest speaker Sasha Grbich.
Image: “Deep Blue”, rope, lead, aluminium can, float, bamboo cane & nylon 170 x 315 x 10cm, 2016
Opening night wine is provided by Coriole Vineyards.
