Camille Wood, Jacket, 2016  Fabric, acrylic paint, resin, cardboard, paper, wax, pvc, nylon,leather, found rajasthani mirror patches, polymer clay, ikea bag strap, glitter, silicone, cellophane, shell, foil, denim jacket. Variable. Photo: Camille Wood

Australiana Diorama

Gabbee Stolp
Camille Wood
Lauralai Wilson

5– 15 September

Thu– Sat 11am-5pm
Sun 12.30-2.30pm

(OPENING)

Sat 7 September, 4-6pm

at 

TooT Artspace

5/17 Irwell St
St Kilda 3182

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

Camille Wood, Neckpillow (she came from a land down under), 2016  Textile, leather, nylon, found ceramic egg cups, polymer clay. Variable. Photo: Camille Wood.

Raised amidst the brightness of ‘Bicentennial Australia’ with all the hope and enthusiasm of Ken Done koala patterns, gumnut babies and the Crocodile Hunter, these three artists feel that as they age the lightness of being Australian has greatly diminished. No longer for them is ‘Australia’ a cute boxing kangaroo mascot or a blokey grandfather in a cork hat. The artists have travelled the world, learnt more, grown wiser and now feel embarrassed by Australia’s parochialisms. They are ashamed of Australia’s racist reputation, the denial of its First Nations people and the continued decimation of its precious environment. Yet there remains a desire for things to be better. Underneath the grief and the cynicism are hopes to fall in love with this country again and for others to feel the optimism we once felt.

@australiana_diorama

Lauralai Wilson, Falling,  2018, silicone, black mica, mytilus, polyester. 300mm x 200mm approx (flexible). Photo: Sarah Weston

(ABOUT THE ARTISTS)
​
Gabbee Stolp’s artistic practice exists across several mediums, with a primary focus on contemporary jewellery, object-making and textiles. Her works explore human interconnectedness with nature, invoking both biological and metaphysical themes and examining the current geological epoch, dubbed the Anthropocene, during which time human impacts on the environment have become indelible. Gabbee completed a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) First Class Honours at RMIT University in 2016. In 2017 she was a finalist in the Victorian Craft Award and a recipient of the Maggie Fairweather Studio Residency, for RMIT Gold and Silversmithing graduates. Gabbee currently resides in Hobart, Tasmania.

Camille Wood wants to get intimate. Pressing her fingers into some Daiso clay or attaching a hairbrush handle to a snake she made from an old bedsheet is her way of telling you how she feels. Her work explores the instability of reality and ones mental state. Everything is seen as if in a hypercolour dream. Moving constantly back and forth from Stockholm to Melbourne has left her in limbo. Languages, cultures, and multiple versions of reality are blended and rebuilt from memory. The objects she makes are the artefacts of her internal landscape. Camille completed a Bachelor of Fine Art in 2016 before moving to Stockholm.

Lauralai Wilson is a maker primarily working in contemporary jewellery. Her practice is informed by a fascination with the imaginary and an awareness of the transformative nature of materials. A strong sense of sentimentality, sensitivity and craftsmanship guide her as she collects and translates minerals and debris into wearable works and imagined creatures with pearlescent surfaces and subtle luminance.