Focus on Femininity at City’s Gallery

The exhibition, Los Adornos de Venus meaning ‘the adornments of Venus’ is to run from Friday, 29 January to Sunday, 7 March 2010. The exhibition is to be opened by Susan Flavell at 6.00pm on Thursday, 28 January 2010.

This is the first major exhibition for both artists and it will enable them to show a body of work, although each has previously shown individual works. The artists said they saw strong links in their work and had decided to work together to explore conceptual convergences and commonalities.

Paula Cristoffanini, a Margaret River artist who was born and raised in Chile, said her work was concerned with conventional notions of femininity and the role of garments, accessories and adornments as masks or disguises. “I am particularly interested in exploring the part they play as markers of identity and in defining and constraining its wearer. Among the influences on my work are my mixed Chilean and Italian heritage, my experience as an immigrant, and as a woman in changing times,” she said.

Paula’s work to date includes small and large sculptures in metal and ceramics although more recently she has been delving into photography, video and digital presentations. Her exhibitions include New Work New Faces in 2008 and the City of Melville’s Piney Lakes Sculpture Walk in 2008 and 2009, among many others. She welcomes the opportunity to show her sculptural pieces in interaction with the human figure.

Rizzy is a young artist who resides in a long-term residence, appointed by Artsource, in East Perth. She has also been involved with the City’s Piney Lakes Sculpture Walk in 2007 and 2008 as a studio assistant, as well as having exhibited at various metropolitan and regional venues including Hatched, the National Graduates Show at PICA, in 2008. She is currently working on a privately commissioned sculpture for an open garden in Capel, as well as having created a series of ephemeral works in sand for the Southbound music and art festival. In this exhibition, Rizzy welcomes the opportunity to show larger-scale installations.

Rizzy said through her work in Los Adornos de Venus she explored the essence of femininity. “Notions of purity, softness and society’s expectations of women are examined using materials that reference the female experience. My multi-disciplinary practice incorporates installation, photography, performance, print and sculpture,” she said.

City of Melville Curator Soula Veyradier said this exhibition challenged conventional notions of femininity, while referencing identity markers from popular culture and the work of other feminist artists. “Both the artists have rich backgrounds and their work is fascinating and provocative. We encourage people to take the time to visit this exhibition, which is strikingly unique and a perfect start to the 2010 program,” she said.

Heathcote Museum and Gallery is on Duncraig Road, Applecross. It is open Tuesday to Friday from 10.00am to 3.00pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11.00am to 3.00pm. For more information, phone the gallery on 9364 5666.