W H I T E C U B E

ACCA - Crescendo and NGV - Melbourne Now

Crescendo, an exhibition held at Australian Centre for Contemporary Arts (ACCA) revolves around the theme of the journey through life. Through the use of video, excellent cinematography and dark spaces the entire exhibition exudes the mysterious past of European history. The ACCA space is perfect for the “cinema” experience. The use of the large velvet curtain for the main entrance and exit references the cinema environment. As you enter the space through the curtain, it is very dark, again making reference to the movie-house environment. The audience first encounters a video work titled “Parade”, that is set up like a cinema room, with seats and a stage, the audience is “invited” to view the work in a quite and “cinema-like” environment. The space is set up so the audience moves from one space to the next, moving from one room to another. When the audience reaches the last of the spaces/rooms they are forced to trace their way back to the beginning, making the audience experience the works again. Making the exit the same door as the entrance again takes reference from the cinema layout. Since all the spaces are dark and quiet the viewers feel a sense of calmness but also isolation. In contrast the National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) Melbourne Now consists of artworks by an array of practicing Australian artists. The size of Melbourne Now in contrast to Crescendo is on a much larger scale. The size of the actual gallery also plays a major role in the navigation of the space; the multiple levels give the audience freedom and choice of what and where they view. Some aspects of Melbourne Now also have a more traditional presentation while some spaces have a more contemporary layout, with works displayed on the ground, which causes the audience to view and navigate around the space differently. 

STUART RINGHOLT REFLECTION

  If there was one word to describe Stuart Ringholt, ‘fearless’ is probably most apt. Ringholt’s work, including naturist tours of art galleries and anger-management workshops, has never been shy of controversy and his new exhibition, Kraft, is no exception. The most profiled work in Ringholt’s exhibition, a nude disco called Club Purple, is a confronting work that perfectly encapsulates Ringholt’s ‘no inhibitions’ approach to art.

  One of the many benefits of being a part of the Visual Arts program at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School is the privilege to work with an artist of Stuart Ringholt’s calibre. My fellow students and I received an exclusive tour of Kraft by MUMA director, Charlotte Day, and Ringholt himself. Students then completed a workshop based upon the collages featured in Ringholt’s exhibition led by the artist, who showed pupils a variety of different techniques and approaches to collage. Working with Stuart was an incredible opportunity and an honour to work with one of Australia’s most celebrated artists.

  I was particularly inspired by Ringholt’s concept of narrative throughout his collage works. Whilst viewing the artist’s series of ‘nude’ compilations, Ringholt informed of students of how he creates narrative within his work. I was influenced by this concept in the creation of my work, my intention to develop an ambiguous narrative within my collages for audience interpretation.

On the 18th of February 2014, our visual arts specialist class had the opportunity to work with one of Australia's most renowned, innovative and fearless contemporary artists Stuart Ringholt. Having the privilege of getting a workshop and a one on one tour of his exhibition 'Kraft' at MUMA was definitely an experience to remember. The tour of 'Kraft' provided us the insight of Ringholt's thinking and the conceptual ideas behind his works. We first had a detailed discussion of Ringholt's controversial work 'Club Purple'. A work that is based on the idea of self-acceptance and embarrassment, a constant theme in Ringholt's work. As a group we had the ultimate privilege of viewing 'Club Purple' (fully clothed of course), and experiencing first hand what the space was like. The atmosphere of 'Club Purple' was surprisingly comfortable and dark, I was shocked at the darkness of the room, if I was to dance nude in the space I would be very confident because it was that dark. Next we entered the room which consisted of Ringholt's collages, these collages are what our workshop is based on and following his process of producing collages. Ringholt's collages are based off personal narratives of the artist, although they are personal the viewer is left to interpret the slightly humorous narrative their own way. His process of creating the collages start off with the basis of a magazine page, then simply merging another aspect of a magazine together. I think this process is accompanied by trial and error as I experienced during the workshop.