Frescoes

Frescoes comprised hundreds of colourful plaster and mixed media objects positioned at different heights on the wall. At the centre of the gallery was a single pillar that I painted with pink vegetable dye and surrounded with a base of plaster.

There were shelves with objects cast into plastic bags; plaster poured over boxes of chalk; blocks of plaster embedded with shells and light bulbs; sticks dipped in colourful plaster; green dyed sponges embedded in plaster.

Plaster is an inherently transformational material, changing in form from liquid to solid, generating heat as it hardens, with a centrifugal force drawing embedded colours to the surface. The intensity of this colour varies depending on the humidity of the surrounding air. The process of working with it is messy, playful and exploratory.

In the foyer outside the gallery I filled an existing display cabinet with vintage toilet paper found in the basement of the building.

Frescoes was an exhibited at Canberra School of Art, Australian National University in 1991,  at the conclusion of a three month residency in the Painting Department.


Date
1991-05-04
Gallery
Canberra School of Art Gallery, Canberra
Materials
plaster , dye, mixed media , paper