Adelaide exhibition guide: April 2019

Lupercalia
Adelaide Central School of Art
Until April 26

Curated by Andrew Purvis, Lupercalia includes a range of local and interstate artists who are working with the werewolf motif, or more broadly with the animal-human hybrid motif. These artists work across a variety of media including photography, costume, printmaking, sculpture, and wall drawing exploring ideas which include dual identities, hybridity, race and gender divides, and post-Internet politics.

For instance, recent Adelaide Central School of Art graduate Elsie-Jayne Beinke presents two life-size full-figure portrait photographs, depicting her lion-deer and fox-rabbit creatures which are surprisingly gentle and vulnerable, a stark contrast to monstrous conceptions of the werewolf. Jazmina Cininas discusses female empowerment and the demonisation of female identity through her linocuts depicting female figures as werewolves.

Other artists include Luke Thurgate who presents a large wall drawing and Western Australian artist Susan Flavell who has created a newly commissioned sculpture that captures the moment of transformation between human and canine. Also included are prints from Abdul Abdullah’s series Siege addressing the demonisation of Muslims and how they are depicted as monsters in contemporary political discourse and media coverage.

The mythology of the werewolf penetrates the practice of these artists in very different ways however they are united in the portrayal of it as a sympathetic figure, not a monster.

Tarryn Gill: Guardians
Art Gallery of South Australia
Until 5 May

A major influence on Tarryn Gill’s practice was her 2013 residency at the Freud Museum in London and it has inspired much of her work since, especially the Guardians series. “I am interested in the practice Anna Freud had because in her study she kept a loom, so she could weave whilst she listened to her patients,” says Gill.

Gill’s work is clearly influenced by Sigmund Freud’s enormous collection of antiquities, theatrically arranged in his study. “He connected the practice of archaeology – unearthing these long forgotten treasures to psychology, where he was looking to unearth repressed memories,” she explains.

This is the first time that Gill’s Guardians have been on display at the Art Gallery of South Australia since they were acquired three years ago, following the 2016 Adelaide Biennial. The sound emitting soft sculptures are displayed in a room lined with black velvet creating a very intimate and cavernous experience. These works highlight ideas central to Gill’s practice, including collection, psychology and processing or meditating by working with the hands.

KAB101: Against the Grain
Fontanelle
Until May 5

Street-writing since the early eighties, KAB101 has developed a unique style using spray-paint, inks, markers and brushes to produce works connected to the written word. “My style is derivative from writing and advanced lettering, calligraphic by nature yet also connected to the subculture of graffiti writing,” he explains.

Against the Grain is a selection of paintings combining his writing and symbolism. For KAB101 scaling his work down from large-scale murals to pieces that can be displayed in a gallery setting is challenging. “It’s as if every line has to be concentrative as my techniques were originally developed on a larger scale, it takes a lot longer to build up and execute,” he states.

The works in Against the Grain express personal thoughts, words and names, numerals and glyphs (symbols based on lettering and encrypted messages) and capture different emotions experienced at different times. As well as the paintings on display there are also limited screen prints available through the gallery.

Header image:
Jazmina Cininas’ Kee-On Ee Was A Trail Blazer For Her Kind