At The Vanishing Point

At The Vanishing Point – Contemporary Art invites you to …

The Floating World Just Got Media Saturated

by Peter McGuiness

Springtime of Salad Days

by Louise Brissenden, Mitra Jovanovic and Simona Jovanovic

Ghost

by Naomi Oliver

May 31 – June 17, 2007

Opening launch Thursday May 31, 6pm-9pm.

565 King Street Newtown

Following the huge success of the gallery’s opening season, At The Vanishing Point – Contemporary Art kicks off its winter exhibition program with three new shows that explore notions of femininity, emotion, materiality and the media through the use of installation, object making, collage and video production in a colourful and playful yet often profoundly serious display.

Marrickville artist and filmmaker, Peter McGuiness brings us ‘The Floating World Just Got Media-Saturated’; large scale collaged paintings exploring contemporary cultural, environmental and spiritual concerns. These paintings – or lan(guage)scapes - employ ripped-out headlines from the Sydney Morning Herald and other community newspapers. The artworks subvert the original context and meaning of the headlines to bring new de-contextualised symbolism, requiring a reinterpretation through the juxtaposition of the headlines and other imagery that evoke politically charged

re-relationships. McGuiness’s work is an amalgamation of the genres of appropriation art and abstract landscape painting. He is influenced by such artists as Imants Tillers and Rosalie Gascoigne, two of Australia’s prominent artists of the late 20^th Century.

Newtown emerging artists Mitra and Simona Jovanovic join Louise Brissenden in a collaborative installation titled ‘Springtime of Salad Days’. The trio explore issues of femininity, isolation and rebellion through the potentiality of fabric and children’s art and craft materials. Employing playfulness and the use of vivid colour in their object making, assemblages and childlike portraits, the use of such mechanisms highlight the complex relationships and paradoxes as the artists tackle searching issues to do with contemporary being, femineity and youth in the technological age.

Blue Mountains artist Naomi Oliver’s exhibition ‘Ghosttrain’ is a video work that addresses the artist’s interest in public displays of emotion, especially when expressed out of context. Ghosttrain is part of Oliver’s on-going exploration of the social taboos surrounding not only the expression of certain emotions, but particularly the public demonstration of them, where there is a blurring of the zones of comfort and discomfort for both the performer and the audience. Come and see this fascinating work as Oliver re-lives the Luna Park Ghost Train ride that she encountered so distressingly in her childhood.

As part of the exhibition the gallery will be holding a children’s Collage and Self Portrait Workshop, where participants will make self portraits using cut-outs from magazines, newspapers, reverse garbage, paint, pastel and pencil. Cost $10 each child, materials supplied. Suitable for ages 5-12 years. Saturday 16^th June 1pm-3pm. Bookings essential (02) 9519 2340.

Also on Saturday 16^th June there will be a free Guided Tour and Artist Floor Talks from 3pm-4pm. All Welcome.

Gallery hours Wed-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm

(or by appointment). Entry is free. All are welcome.

Regards,

Brendan Penzer
ATVP - Contemporary Art
565 King Street
Newtown NSW 2042
(02) 95192340
0430 083 364

www.atthevanishingpoint.com.au

Recycling is the way to be!

Julie Paterson
Common Ground
Opening Saturday 2nd June 5-7pm
Until 23rd June
Sheffer Gallery
38 Lander St, Darlington 2008 Sydney

HUNGER STRIKE AT VILLAWOOD

Further to Ian's media release. We've just heard that Ms Yuan started to eat yesterday (Fri) afternoon. This means that there is one male asylum seeker left on hunger strike (now 54 days). He is still in stage 2 at Villawood. We are investigating further ways to get publicity for his situation in order to pressure the minister.

Mark

ps: a reminder that NSW RAC is currently meeting on the first Monday of the month, 6pm at the Teachers Federation (23 Mary St, Surry Hills). Next meeting will be Mon 5 June.

Ian Rintoul wrote:

Dear All,
Below is the press release for the 50th day of the Villawood hunger strike.
It is now 53 days. The situation is just the same. We have no further
information about Ms Yuan being force fed. I have been able to confirm that the Chinese man in Stage 1 (who was transferred from Baxter) came off hunger strike four days ago.

I will paste in Kevin Andrews contact details if people can phone or fax his office to urge him to act in this matter, that would be appreciated.

Ian

MEDIA RELEASE

50 DAYS: REFUGEE SUPPORTERS HOLD VIGIL FOR VILLAWOOD HUNGER STRIKE

Refugee supporters will hold a protest vigil outside the Department of
Immigration office, 26 Lee Street, Sydney, from 4.00pm-5.30pm to mark the 50th day of the hunger strike by two Chinese asylum seekers in Villawood detention centre.

The strike began on 28 March following the deportation of Chinese asylum seeker. There are grave fears concerning the welfare of the hunger strikers.
Ms Yuan has been in hospital for over two weeks but is still refusing food.
She suffered kidney problems after only two weeks into the hunger strike.

Reports from the hospital a few days ago indicated that Immigration may be planning to force-feed Ms Yuan.

The Refugee Action Coalition understands that Ms Yuan would have to be determined to be “incompetent” before such a step could be taken. There are strict ethical guidelines for doctors intervening in political protests.

Villawood management is now refusing to allow other detainees to visit the hunger strikers.

“W are pleading with the Minister to urgently intervene to review the cases
of people at Villawood. The fate of these people is in the Ministers hands.
Chinese asylum seekers have said they would rather die here than at the
hands of the Chinese authorities,” aid Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the
Refugee Action Coalition.

“Australia has a responsibility not to send asylum seekers anywhere they may face persecution. The hunger strikers have consistently asked for the Minister to end the forced deportations to China or anywhere else, yet the Minister has forcibly deported at least four people to China while the hunger strike has been on.”

“The government promised a different Immigration department following the revelations of Cornelia Rau and Vivian Solon,” said Ian Rintoul, “but Kevin Andrews has taken the department back to the punitive days of Philip Ruddock. The Minister has behaved recklessly with the lives of those who are supposed to be in his care.”

“We do not want to see a tragedy in Villawood. These people may already have suffered permanent damage to their health on top of the suffering of the months and years of detention.”

For more information contact: Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713




Kevin Andrews: Please phone or send a fax to Immigration Minister Kevin
Andrews (ph 6277 7860; fax 6273 4144) expressing your concern for the people
on hunger strike and urging him to act to end the forced deportations and
announcing a review of the asylum cases and long-term detention. In 2005,
the government promised that long-term detention would be ended but people
are still behind the wire in Villawood for up to 4 years.

Australia has an obligation under the Refugee Convention not to return
asylum seekers anywhere they may face danger. The record of human rights
abuses by the Chinese authorities is well known. The hunger strikers are
demanding that the government follow up those who have been deported to make
sure that they are safe.

EXHIBITIONS

Alpha House Sketch-Club will hold its annual show for a week, from Saturday 26th of May to Sunday 3rd of June 2007. Exhibition opened on Saturday 26th of May, 6to 8 pm, then visit on appointment only, contact person Andrew, 0411 88 45 43.

The May Show at the Mori Gallery, running from Wednesday 9th to Saturday 26th May 2007, comprises Giles Alexander, Matt and Greer Rochford, Erika Harrison and Anna Belhalfaoui. Willurei Kirkbright-Burney, who should have been part of the show, had an accident and couldn't make it. Best wishes for her convalescence.
Giles is presenting exquisitely distorted big format paintings of interior churches in subtels hues of sepia and black and white photographic quality, sometimes agrementad of a big random stain of blue or pink, as in an iconoclastic gesture;
Erika is showing magnificent aerial views of salt lakes from the Northern Territories, format 84x120 cm: it gives you space for a desert dream - so beautiful when you're not stuck in the middle of it!
Matt and Greer have installed a small dark room in between the inner and outer space of the gallery and offer us a direct insight on the inside as well as a audio and video invitation to critically look at the image.
Anna has drawn 52 countries outlines, then drawn a funny face in each on a background of grid reminding of the parallel and meridian system the earth is mapped with; each one is monochromatic, but they're all hanged in a narrow corridor allowing a close view of the humanoid features and a colourful patchwork effect reminding us that the world is above all made of diversity.