Adelaide exhibition guide: February 2019

BMG
Janine Dello: Notes To Self
February 2 – 16

These works continue Dello’s focus on issues surrounding contemporary female culture, particularly the obsession with self-image – not only how women see themselves, but the constant concern of how others see them.

“I find inspiration through my own emotions and the experiences of the females around me – the face we present to the world and the layers we conceal,” explains Dello.

Dello’s paintings explore themes such as love, desire, our vanities and vulnerabilities and deliberate use provocative images to highlight women’s unhealthy obsession with body image. Through her paintings Dello seeks to explain why women worry about their appearance, yet don’t want to be judged or objectified and delves into the complexities of the female gaze.

Essential forms
GAGPROJECTS
February 6 – 21

Launching GAGPROJECTS’ 2019 exhibition programme is, Essential Forms, curated by Harriet McKay. The exhibition brings together local artists Sam Gold, Anna Gore and Emmaline Zanelli who are linked conceptually by their understanding of the natural world. For all three artists the natural world is an extensive source of influence as they explore the connections and differences between the artificial and natural worlds. Zanelli’s surreal photographs portray man-made implements and natural forms which are forced together with Zanelli capturing the tension between the two. Gore’s painting and installation practice uses natural motifs to express both an inward and external experience.

Gold, a ceramic installation artist is interested in geological forms that have been created through consistent pressure over time. Gold previously worked as an art therapist and this permeates her work. “The act of making is a cathartic release and speaks to a human need to touch or physically make a mark on materials,” says McKay.

West Gallery Thebarton
Sue Michael and Mark Thomson: Settled Areas
February 14 – March 17, 2019

The term “Settled Areas” refers to the farming country settled in the 19th century which was ploughed and mined and became a central part of Australian Culture. It was a prosperous time in the Mid North, the Mallee and Eyre Peninsula but with tougher conditions and fewer family farms surviving the populations are declining, impacting the small communities.

Artists Sue Michael and Mark Thomson share a profound fondness for these lands and delve into the fabric of what drives these communities. “Within the simple twigs, dust and modest domestic objects lies a life force, a momentum that overcomes the geographical challenges of these places,” says Michael.

Michael presents a selection of landscape paintings capturing the challenging conditions of these lands but also projecting an uplifting mood and highlighting the stoic nature of these communities.

Thomson’s photographs and audio snippets share a similar sentiment, as he finds beauty in the harsh landscape and the everyday. He says: “There’s a gritty determination to be found in the places and people… yet also a kind of grace and a generosity of spirit. There is an unlikely beauty to be found everywhere, even in the screeching of the galahs as they settle down for the night.”

Find more Adelaide events at our Adelaide Review Event Guide