Tasmanian Art & Design: The August Round-Up
By Art & Design Sub-Editor Elliott Nimmo
Every month, Art & Design Sub-Editor Elliott Nimmo brings his round-up of the artists and designers to watch (and invest in) in lutruwita/Tasmania right now. Here’s what’s hot in August.
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PHILIP WOLFHAGEN
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Philip is one of the most significant artists working today. A longtime resident of Longford, he finds his subject matter in the surrounding landscape. Each tableau is a meditation on place and time - an image of rolling hills and a single, pink cloud - but the meaning is layered as each new, lustrous layer is applied with his trusty palette knife.
VISIT
GAVIN MACSPORRAN
There's something deeply elemental about Gavin's pieces: metals formed by fire, quenched by water, hammered by hand. Each ring, earring or necklace is oxidised and patinaed, as if it has lived its own life before it reaches you.
VISIT
245MACQUARIE
Think old canvas from a Landrover, an army greatcoat liner and a piano lifting sling have nothing in common? Think again. Adam, the artist/owner of 245Macquarie, creates bags of all kinds from old, unloved materials—and he can seemingly create any style of bag, you only need to ask.
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NICHOLAS BLOWERS
There is a monumentality to Nicholas' paintings: a sense of importance, that we are witness to the passage of time, that we are memorialising the site that he has depicted. This is realism at its height - the stuff that seeps into your soul.
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LAURA MCCUSKER
Laura has built a loyal clientele in the twenty-odd years she's been living and working in Tasmania. She also personally delivers each piece to you (although, perhaps not the sixty-metre-long table she created for Mona-owner David Walsh's wedding).
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RENGIN GUNER
The alloy of twentieth-century Modernism and the rugged Tasmanian landscape is imbued in these subtle, silver amulets - and in the process, Rengin distills into each piece an essential, clean-lined resolution. Her metal of choice is silver, rarely embellished, and it catches the light like reflections off the water.
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GEOFFREY CAMERON MARSHALL
Geoffrey's practice traverses interior lighting and surfboards (seemingly disparate interests, but he has a background as an electrician, and is an avid surfer). Informed by the ocean's curves, each piece is testament to his craftsmanship and commitment to aesthetic functionality.
VISIT
ILEIGH HELLIER
Landscape is a fertile subject matter for artists - it's been interpreted for hundreds and hundreds of years. But it is so exciting when you come across a fresh point of view. Ileigh tackles this perennial subject with freshness in brushstrokes, composition and palette.
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JOCK YOUNG
Jock's paintings immediately transport you to the sea: the salty air, the drift of sailboats, and the white-hot Tasmanian sun on your neck. His colours are pure and unmuddied, his scenes beautifully constructed.
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ISLA
Helmed by local designer Emily Bye, Isla is the luxe outerwear label that we all need in Tasmania. Giving the puffer jacket a much-needed refresh, Isla offers three sleek silhouettes crafted proudly onshore and from recycled PET bottles.
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NANNA WOO
Handmade on Bruny Island, Nanna Woo's ceramics are pure joy: from the playful splashes of liquefied clay comes a riotous selection of spoons, vessels and plates - any piece will put a smile on your face.
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STUART WILLIAMS
Stuart's work is deeply Tasmanian, but inflected with a worldly influence. After recently returning from a stint in Spain, he's devoted to creating objects with personality through form, scale and composition.
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