OBJETS D'ARTS

I've mentioned the Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre before and I had another chance to visit it last weekend. Susan and I had a delightful lunch catching up with cousin Andrew and his partner Debra in the grounds of the Arts Centre. It was the perfect day to be sitting out under the shade of some trees. I've often felt ghosts in places that have previously been mental asylums or prisons but not in this building. Maybe because no matter how difficult life was for the inmates, they could come outside and enjoy the sea breeze and the sunshine.

After lunch we went in to see an exhibition of a Fremantle artist Theo Koning (1950-2022). The exhibition includes artworks spanning his entire oeuvre with examples of assemblage, sculpture, repurposed materials, paintings, drawings, collage and print editions, including artist books and examples of his poster art. Over many rooms, this tells a story of a man who must have lived every day for his art, always on the lookout for something to turn into art, always capturing moments of the day in art, as well as addressing the political issues of the day. He initially used Super 8 and 16-mm film to add to his collection as well as adopting new techology such as Instagram.

I didn't know it was his work but in the 1970s and 80s I collected Perth Festival posters to put on my walls at home or at work and I had a copy of his 1985 one. A couple of people recently have commented that they miss the Festival's posters but they were all of my age so a younger generation may not even see it as a useful piece of marketing let alone art. 

I don't necessarily like all of Koning's work but individual pieces caught me attention:

  • Staked Shapes (1986) - columns of painted/stained wood including one with a dozen table tennis bats
  • Art Attack v Art Gallery - a witty black and white series of photos of a boxer with text about problems with the gallery
  • A large painted canvas entitled La Cabaret Fantasia, A Temple of Love.
I found an obituary about Theo Koning and these words capture the nature this exhibition:

Theo Koning is recognised for his spontaneous, inventive, and ingenious creativity, from which he fostered an irrepressible commitment to art-making that traversed all media and formats, spanning more than five decades....Combined with his instinctive collecting, fabrication, and material sensibilities he produced unpretentious artworks that moved between sculpture, assemblage, installation, and painting, using found objects and materials with equal sensitivity and poise.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VALE INDIGO

Image
Today, we sent our companion of nearly 17 years, Indigo, across the rainbox bridge. That's a phrase a friend uses when you have to say goodbye to a pet. With the help of a gentle vet, we put Indigo to sleep.  She's been an indoor cat all her life and apart from a couple of weeks, most of it has been spent within the confines of the Pink House. We knew that it was going to be a risk disrupting the life of a cat who in human terms was in her 80s. She's had more homes in the last couple of months than in her entire life. First there was Glenlyon Rd, then a 4 hour flight to Perth, a short stay in South Fremantle, a longer stay in Loch St and 10 days in the Furbaby Retreat while Susan and I were at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. We were open to the fact that she might not survive the transition and even said so to the vet when we went for her "Fit to Fly" certificate. But it's one thing to say it and another to face up to it. The lovely owner of the Furbaby Retreat ...
Read more

FARWELL TO THE PINK HOUSE

Image
Susan and I decided to say 'goodbye' to 14 Ward Grove, Pascoe Vale South by sharing the moment with friends. Although the house was full of packed boxes, we invited people over to say farewell...and take a momento. We both made bold decisions about art and craft that had been part of our lives for years. For example, I'd had a Gustav Klimt print hanging on various bedroom walls since the 1970s. A tea pot I'd bought from a ceramist in Canberra last century. A Boda vase that I'd been given. There were smaller pieces from ceramic pots to glassware, vases, both antique and modern, knick knacks from all over the world, and even hats. And in contemplating a new home, we needed to leave some space for new acquisitions. This was a clean out where we knew each piece was going to bring pleasure to someone else and so it was much easier to let it go. Debora, Glenda, Jesse, Murray & Loretta Kath, Susan & Julie Gemma, Pam, Dale & David
Read more

CHECKING THE IDEA

Image
In July 2024, on my return from a (wonderful) couple of months in Europe, I called into Perth to check the validity of my spreadsheets. Was it possible to buy a home with all the requirements that Susan and I needed for a home: - a pool - 3 to 4 bedrooms (so Sebastian & our Eastern States friends could come to visit)  - 2 living areas (because we have such different tastes in television) - single story (Susan in particular is over stairs) - close to a good beach...and to Perth friends. I enlisted my real estate researcher friend Stephanie and we drove all over the city looking at suburbs - north as far as Gwelup and south as far as Hamilton Hill. What had looked good on paper was starting to look dodgy because the Perth real estate market took off in 2024. By the end of the year prices had increased by 25% while the Melbourne market had sunk by 5%. What we could afford was looking further and further away from ideal locations. However, traipsing around the town with Stephanie w...
Read more