OOO
Brooke Babington, Hedwig Houben, Renee Jaeger, Sanne Mestrom, Ilia Rosli, curated by Anusha Kenny
8 September - 8 October 2011
OOO explores artistic practices that engage with objects and materials on their own terms. The exhibition’s title is drawn from the philosophy of object-oriented ontology, which suggests that things are central to the study of existence and that conscious and unconscious entities ‘exist’ on equal footing. This conceptual backdrop allows otherwise overlooked aspects of the artists’ works to come into focus. It becomes apparent, for example, that the artists presented in OOO treat their working materials as if they have something to say about themselves, and the person — the artist — is a mere facilitator to the process. This allows for the interaction between objects and materials to be foregrounded, and for the wit and obliqueness of the works to raise questions about the properties of consciousness.
Brooke Babington lives and works in Melbourne. She recently completed her BFA at the Victorian College of the Arts, and also holds a degree with First Class Honours in Art History and Curatorship from Australian National University. Recent exhibitions include Working Holiday at Rearview Gallery, and Hans Arp if you like Dada at Art Beat, Melbourne.
Hedwig Houben studied at the Art Academy St. Joost, Breda (NL), Art Academy Düsseldorf (DE) and is currently at the Higher Institute for Fine Arts Flanders (HISK), Ghent (BE). Houben’s work was included in the exhibition Making is Thinking, Witte de With, Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam (2011). Recent performances include Theater Aan Zee, Oostende, theater/performance festival; It’s Not A Contest, OPEN, Düsseldorf; Who Stole the Tarts? TENT, Rotterdam; Overzicht Tentoonstelling, project together with Galerie Gallery at Kunstvlaai, Amsterdam (all 2010). Group shows include Gasthoven, Aarschot; 100 x 100, Zwervende Tentoonstelling #15, Rotterdam; Déjà vu, Fabriek, Eindhoven; Pleasure Ground, Lokaal 01, Breda (all 2010).
Renee Jaeger has recently completed her BFA (Drawing) at the Victorian College of the Arts. Recent exhibitions include a solo exhibition at Seventh Gallery, and Impossible Objects II, Utopian Slumps (all 2011).
Sanné Mestrom is a Melbourne-based artist and current studio resident at Gertrude Contemporary. Recent solo exhibitions and projects include Shaker Peg, 2010 and Things fall down. Sometimes we look up, 2009, both at Chalk Horse, Sydney. Recent group exhibitions include Social Sculpture, curated by Charlotte Day, 2011, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Sydney, and The Nothing, curated by Kelly Fliedner, West Space, Melbourne and Chalk Horse, Sydney, 2010. Mestrom is winner of the 2011 John Fries Memorial Prize.
Born in Geelong and raised in Malaysia, Ilia Rosli is currently living and working in Melbourne and recently completed her BFA (Honours) at the Victorian College of the Arts. Previous group exhibitions include Post-Grad Show Show at Y3K, Magic Eye at Platform Contemporary Art Spaces, and she also held a solo exhibition at Bus Projects in 2010. Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts, Rosli has been a finalist in the Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellowship 2011.
