LOCAL artists from the Nambucca Valley join artists from the Coffs Coast in the Borderline exhibition opening at The Art Space Urunga on Saturday 9 April.

Borderline was conceived and coordinated by Adrienne Hmelnitsky, one of The Art Space’s founding members and an award-winning sculptor.

Adrienne curates this exhibition and her passion for soul stirring art is reflected in this exceptional collection of drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints and multimedia works.

When pondering what theme to set for this exhibition, Adrienne chose the single word Borderline, a word that she personally felt would inspire literal, psychological and emotional responses by the artists.

“I knew it would be broadly interpreted, giving the artists freedom to explore a myriad of ideas and directions with their artworks.”

For an artist, a themed show is a chance to revel in pure creativity: to follow a concept where it will lead without focusing on commercial concerns.

It’s a chance to play and expand technically and creatively.

“The selected artists were chosen because I respect and admire their art and art practices.

“They are highly acclaimed in their individual discipline and this show exhibits the extraordinary diversity, both in the media used and conceptually, of the work they have produced,” said Adrienne.

Artist Sally Hook from Newee Creek made the following statement about her work, ‘Great Barrier Wreath’.

“The images we see of chalky dead coral instead of the vibrant, kaleidoscopic corals we remember – shake us.

“Flabbergast us.

“We perceive in impotent sadness the loss of something we thought timeless and untouchable.

“We live in the borderline between life and death for our natural world.

“This wreath is a self-explanatory piece; it beautifully forms a ghostly testament to our loss,” Sally said.

Sara Wade from Talarm spoke about a piece of her work called “Crossing the Line”.

“The creative explorer and inventor moves the borderline, challenges the barriers of ‘status quo’ and shifts the creative experience.

“When I began these works, I wanted to shift my creative experience and turn my thinking about materials.

“All those boxes and packets caught my eye.

“They were loaded with references of waste, recycling, rubbish, but I saw them as pre-shaped surfaces ready-made to be reformed.

“Through random arrangement according to my visual aesthetic ‘industrial’ abstracts emerged creating edges, lines and borders,” Sara said.

Borderline is a not-to-be-missed display of fine arts that is not only original but thought provoking and emotionally powerful.

The Opening Night celebration is on Saturday 9 April from 5pm – 7pm.

The exhibition runs from 9 April through until 30 April.

Opening hours are 10am to 4pm, seven days a week at The Art Space, 13 Bonville St, Urunga.

 

By Andrea FERRARI