Exhibition

22.05.09 - 20.06.09
Front and Main Gallery
Australian Artists: A Constructed World, Justin Clemens, Gabrielle de Vietri, Danielle Freakley, Simon Pericich, Kiron Robinson, Lani Seligman Singaporean Artists: Heman Chong, Charles Lim, Matthew Ngui, Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Ming Wong Curatorium: Heman Chong, Emily Cormack, Jacqueline Doughty, Alexie Glass, Qinyi Lim, Ahmad Mashadi
And the Difference Is…
Supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation

OPENING: FRIDAY 22 MAY, 6-8PM

ARTISTS TALKS: SATURDAY 23 MAY, 2-3PM

And the Difference is... is part of Gertrude Contemporary Art Space’s ongoing international exhibition series -The Independence Project. This exhibition features work by seven Australian and six Singaporean artists and has been scheduled in acknowledgement of the 10th anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding between Arts Victoria and National Arts Council, Singapore. Conceptually, this exhibition explores the human and personal perspectives that are embedded within agreements such as the Memorandum of Understanding.

Presenting work in a range of media including performance, installation, photography and sculpture the exhibition highlights the way paper agreements remain inanimate and symbolic until actualised through the ambition for genuine exchange and cultural entanglement.

This project places an emphasis on reciprocity and was first presented at the NUS Museum, Singapore in December 2008. The exhibition at GCAS in May 2009 will feature a ‘refreshed’ version of the exhibition, with artists creating new works in response to their experiences in Singapore alongside works that featured in the original exhibition.

And the Difference Is… explores how interpersonal engagement can activate and galvanise aspirational contractual gestures, making true connections and encouraging real exchange between two cultures. These ideas are explored in a new work by Kiron Robinson and Lani Seligman that outlines the many problems and resolutions involved in exhibitions of this kind. Danielle Freakley and Gabrielle de Vietri’s new video works explore the potential for misunderstanding in cross-cultural exchanges. Singaporean artist Charles Lim, and current artist in residence at GCAS, will be enacting a performative work where he invites viewers to sample a durian lolly, exploring cultural stereotypes, and the imposition of cultural values. Many of the works in this exhibition focus on personal interpretations of place and self, examining the potential for cultural difference to be reviewed through emphasizing our shared compulsion to imagine, mythologise and create.

The project sets a new precedent for Australian cross-cultural collaborations, existing across a range of platforms including the exhibitions in Singapore and in Melbourne, a comprehensive publication and a residency exchange.