Vivien Atkinson, Untitled, builders chalk line tool, red chalk, variable. Photo: Vivien Atkinson

Red

OCCUPATION: Artist

Vivien Atkinson (AU/NZ)
Kelly McDonald (AU/NZ)
Becky Bliss (NZ)
Caroline Thomas (UK/NZ)

Nadine Smith (NZ)
Sondra Bacharach (US/NZ)
Bifei Cao (CN)

7– 15 September 

OCCUPATION: Artist members will be in Crossley Street at variable times each day from 7 – 15 September. 

(OPENING)

Sun 8 September, 3-5pm

at 

Crossley St vicinity ​

Crossley St
Melbourne 3000

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

Becky Bliss, Finding Found, 2019, badges, metal foil, paint, variable. Photo: Becky Bliss

OCCUPATION: Artist members will present a series of projects in Crossley Street (formerly called Romeo Lane) under the title Red acknowledging the history of this area from 1854 until gentrification in the early 20th century, as part of the red-light district in Melbourne. Red is also a colour rich in tradition and use by the community of nearby China Town. The group has also looked at the proliferation of common phrases that use red for its symbolic and cultural power. 
The Projects, developed from the diverse practices of these artists cover a variety of approaches including collaborative work with Crossley Street shops, ‘finding found’ jewellery, and participatory performance.
​
Artists from the group will be present in Crossley Street at various times daily during the entire run of Radiant Pavilion.

@occupation.artist  

Kelly McDonald, Sid's Ned, 2018, silver steel tool, 24cmL x 13cmW x 0.5cmH. Photo: Kelly McDonald 

(ABOUT THE ARTISTS)
​
Vivien Atkinson, was born in Australia but is now based in Wellington, New Zealand. She has degrees in Fine Art (Massey University, RMIT) and Applied Art (Whitereia). Her practice is informed by both discourses and an interest in research. Projects deal with memory, identity, social history and relational aesthetics and are resolved through a variety of media. Atkinson was a board-member of the Wellington Sculpture Trust from 2001-16. She is a member of TheSeeHere and OCCUPATION: Artist and was selected for HandShake 4 and 5 projects.

Kelly McDonald completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts at Sydney College of the Arts in the 1990s. Career highlights include selection for both Talente and Schmuck, and the large travelling NZ jewellery exhibition, Wunderruma. Her recent shows include solo exhibition TOOL LOOT & The Mother Lode (The National, Christchurch) and solo installation Portraits at Te Uru (Auckland), both in 2018. Since 2007 she has tutored in jewellery at Whitireia NZ; is a member of the collective Occupation: Artist, and window gallery group, The See Here. Kelly is a current participant in Handshake5 and studying a Masters of Fine Art. 

Becky Bliss has been active in contemporary jewellery since she graduated in 2010. She has been part of Handshake 1, 3 and 5 plus alumni exhibitions in Australia, Germany, Thailand and Sweden. Her work was selected for Schmuck 2015. She is a member of Occupation: Artist and The See Here, and has undertaken many professional development workshops including Peter Bauhuis, David Clarke and Yutaka Kinegishi. She was on the organising committee for the Jemposium symposium. She is also a graphic designer and has worked on several contemporary jewellery books (Handshake, Wunderruma, Karl Fritsch, Lisa Walker).

Caroline Thomas was born in London, England to Kiwi parents in the 1960s and moved to Wellington, New Zealand in 2007. She studied History of Art at Edinburgh University and spent many years working as an image researcher both in the UK and NZ. Thomas completed a Bachelor of Applied Arts, specialising in jewellery design at Whitireia NZ, graduating in 2013. She has exhibited widely in NZ and internationally and is an active member of two artists’ groups OCCUPATION:Artist and The See Here. Thomas is involved in the HANDSHAKE mentorship programme and is currently participating in Handshake5.

Nadine Smith. I live in Wellington and work part time as an artist and nurse. My humanist philosophy and love of New Zealand’s wilderness fuel my practice. Pieces often reference the relationship we have with the developing technological world and how this creates possibilities for enhancement or re-creation of our environment, our lives, even ourselves. Using recycled paraphernalia out of context, I like to create jewellery and objects that have a tension between the familiar and the unknown. My works aim to intrigue, inviting the audience to reflect and make connections from their own life experiences.

Sondra Bacharach is an Associate Professor and Head of the Philosophy Programme at the Victoria University of Wellington. She works primarily in philosophy of art, with recent aesthetic projects including Collaborating Now: Art in the Twenty-first Century (co-edited with Jeremy Booth & Siv Fjaerstad, Routledge, 2016), Lego and Philosophy (co-edited with Roy T Cook, Blackwell, 2017), and a forthcoming monograph about street art (with Bloomsbury). Bacharach joined Occupation: Artist in 2017 and is an active participant in their projects, contributing to the theory-based debate within the group and developing her own craft-based practice.

Bifei Cao  is a native of China. He has a BA and MA from universities in China, an MFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a PhD from the School of Art, Australia National University. He has spent time at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie as an exchange student and has recently undertaken a New Zealand residency through the Wellington Asia Residency Exchange. Cao won the AJF Jewellery Award in 2018. An artist and contemporary jeweller who has exhibited extensively at an international level, he is currently Associate Professor at the School of Art and Design, Guangdong, China.