Emerging artists exhibit in public art Gallery

Ashburton Art Gallery

Media Release: 27 June 2013

Ashburton Art Gallery

Emerging artists exhibit in public art Gallery.

Hannah Batty & Sophie Jones

Sophie Jones grew up in Ashburton and is a recent graduate of Sculpture from the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts. Her practice stems from an obsession with repetition and labour in art, resulting in geometric works that are built up gradually and produce optical effects. Both her sculpture and her drawing practice respond to each other and explore similar ideas of repeated action. The visual outcome of her drawings is an optical texture, which establishes movement and perceptual shifts created by the contrast in line density. Jones employs these repetitive processes in her sculptural practice to transform everyday objects, such as toothpicks, into unexpected three dimensional works.

Hannah Batty's practice involves methodically generating geometric forms through drawing. Subtleties, mistakes and small changes are built upon to produce a body of work that explore the relationships within a series. She has particular interest in creating a catalogue of work that constantly builds upon itself, contextualizing each form as part of a greater body of work. This is evident in the obsessive nature of its production, the continual regeneration of the same formal elements. Recent works on paper have been in response to the considerations of shifting. Simple in their construction they build into a series of greater complexity. Small changes in formal elements, such as line and scale become evidence of my practice in building each form. This sense of labour gives a physicality to the work, both optically and in the time spent. Shifts and irregulataties in the patterns give a pictorial intimacy in each work, while also contextualizing each drawing as part of a series.

Lunchtime talk with Hannah & Sophie

We cannot think of a better way to end the week than by taking part in an exciting and captivating talk by two contemporary emerging artists. Join us over a light lunch as Hannah Batty and Sophie Jones explore the themes and concepts behind their first major public exhibition. Delving into their inspirations and motivations, both artists will help us gain a better understanding of their practice and contemporary sculpture. This informal setting will create a wonderful opportunity to engage with artists and their creations. All welcome. Friday 12 July 12:00pm.

Opening & Artist Talks 6 July 1:30pm
6 July - 28 July 2013

Image: Sophie Jones (detail) Weave, toothpicks and hot glue, 60x60cm, Feb 2013

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