The group show, curated by Chiara Serri with artworks by Mari Hirata, Fiona Kennedy Altoft, Kate McCarthy and Hannah Smith, is entitled "Aussie Girls" which references the youth and homeland of the artists, and also portrays a playful, fresh observation of form, fashion and the world of childhood.
Chiara Serri writes: «If Mari Hirata works in the darkroom placing glass slippers on emulsified paper to obtain symmetric images with lighting and shadows that investigate our personalities like Rorschach inkblots, Fiona Kennedy Altoft and Kate McCarthy capture the essence of childhood, describing, through the use of different colors and collage, a parallel universe, inhabited by anthropomorphic and surreal animals, while Hannah Smith, repeating obsessively a sharp sign on paper, gives rise to mysterious forms that refer to the organic world».
Mari Hirata, born in 1981 in Yokohama (Japan), lives and works on the Gold Coast (Australia). After studying at the Queensland College of Art, in 2001 she held her first exhibition, "Discombobulate” (Queensland College of Art Graduate Exhibition, Gold Coast City Art Gallery) and stand-out solo exhibitions, "Domestic Bliss" (Art Galleries Schubert, Gold Coast, Queensland, 2007) and "If The Shoe Fits" (Metro Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, 2008). She is represented by Lorraine Pilgrim Art (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia). Website: www.marihirata.com.
Fiona Kennedy Altoft, born in 1972 in Roma (Queensland, Australia), lives and works on the Gold Coast (Australia). After graduating in Visual Arts and entering the teaching profession, in 1997 she presented her first exhibition, entitled "So Far ..." (Campbell Mahoney, Brisbane), followed by "Doggone good fun" (Robyn Bauer Gallery, Brisbane, 2009) and "Offspring" (Gold Coast Regional Art Gallery, Gold Coast, 2011), as well as "Melbourne Affordable Art Fair" (Royal Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, 2009). She is represented by Retrospect Galleries (Byron Bay). Website: www.fionakennedyaltoft.com.
Kate McCarthy, born in 1974 in Brisbane (Australia), lives and works in Binalong Bay (Tasmania, Australia). She attempted study three times, without completion at Queensland College of Art, Victoria University and Curtin University. Previous solo exhibitions include “’78 Series” (Wursthaus on Oliver, Launceston, Tasmania, 2008), “Self” (The Wall Exhibition Space, Arts Tasmania Arts Centre Department Environment, Parks, Heritage and the Arts, Hobart Tasmania, 2009) and “Chux Redux” (CSArt Vetrina, Reggio Emilia, 2010). She is represented by 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace (Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast) and Gilligan Grant Gallery (Collingwood, Victoria). Website: www.katemccarthyart.com.
Hannah Smith, born in 1986 in Brisbane (Australia), lives and works in Melbourne (Australia). She graduated in Visual Media specialising in Theory and Drawing at the Queensland College of Art and she has recently received a special mention to Lloyd Rees Youth Art Awards in Sydney. After her first exhibition in 2008, she has participated in several group shows, including "Eat, Sleep, Have Visions" (19 Karen Contemporary Art Space, Gold Coast, 2009) and "Harvest" (Ninelives, Brisbane, 2010). She is represented by Lorraine Pilgrim Gallery (Gold Coast). Website: www.hannah-esmith.blogspot.com.
Opening Saturday, February 26, at 17.00 and running until March 31, 2011.
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