News

Gertrude welcomes incoming Studio Artists for 2010

Gertrude welcomes incoming artists Trevelyan Clay, Emily Ferretti, Susan Jacobs, Sanne Mestrom, Kate Smith, Selina Ou and Alex Vivian to the Studio Program for 2010.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

2011 Gertrude Exhibition program - applications close Monday 3rd of May, 2010.

2011 Gertrude "Studio 18" International and interstate residency program for artists and curators - applications close Monday 5th of July, 2010.

Gertrude Studios program 2011 - applications close Friday 27th of August, 2010.

For all application requirements, click on the 'How to apply' section of the website.

GERTRUDE CLOSED FOR SUMMER

Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces will be closed for the summer break from 12 December 2009 and will reopen on 5 February 2010.

NICK SELENITSCH: WINNER OF QANTAS TRAVELLING ART AWARD

Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Qantas and the Australia Council for the Arts are pleased to announce Nick Selenitsch as the winner of the Qantas Foundation’s second annual Qantas Foundation Encouragement of Australian Contemporary Art Award.

This prestigious award is one of the richest annual art prizes in Australia and is awarded to one emerging artist from each state and territory. This award is unique in that judges consider the artists entire body of work, rather than basing their decisions on a single piece. The winners receive $13,000 cash and air travel to the value of $10,000. This award offers significant opportunities for emerging artists to develop their practice, facilitating pivotal opportunities for international travel, and encouraging artists to engage with arts practice in a global context.

Nick Selenitsch was a Studio Artist at GCAS from 2006-2008. His work explores ideas of meaningful meaninglessness, revealing the junctures where the serious meets the playful. In his cross-disciplinary practice Selenitsch references Western abstraction and the absurd in his critiques of our goal- oriented existence.

Qantas Sponsorship Manager and Award Judge, Ken Groves, said the Qantas Foundation was privileged to have some of Australia’s eminent art identities on the judging panel, including Kon Gouriotis representing the Australia Council for the Arts, Edmund Capon from the Art Gallery of NSW, Alan Dodge, a former Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, renowned collector Pat Corrigan and Elizabeth Ann MacGregor from Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

“The Qantas Foundation is very proud to have assembled some of the champions of Australian art on our judging panel for the Qantas Foundation Encouragement of Australian Contemporary Art Award,” Mr Groves said. “These are all people who share the Qantas Foundation’s commitment to encouraging Australian artists, and we are very proud to work with the arts sector to highlight the importance of corporate Australia supporting the arts in our community, particularly in these critical economic circumstances.”

Chief Executive of the Australia Council for the Arts, Kathy Keele stated: “The Australia Council congratulates Qantas for leading corporate Australia in partnering with the arts, particularly during these difficult economic times.”

The state and territory winners are: ACT Tiffany Cole, NSW Izabela Pluta, NT Mariana Murdilnga, QLD Laith McGregor, SA Peter McKay TAS James Newitt, VIC Nick Selenitsch, WA Nicole Andrijevic and Tanya Schultz (Pip and Pop)

Nick Selenitsch is represented by Sutton Gallery, Melbourne

Matthew Shannon exhibitions in Paris and Amsterdam

Studio artist Matthew Shannon will be a part of two performances of Raimundas Malašauskas Hypnotic show at the Kadist Foundation in Paris and at Kunstverein in Amsterdam this november.

Moya McKenna at NADA Art Fair, Miami

Neon Parc will be presenting painting by GCAS Studio Artist Moya McKenna at the New Art Dealers Association Art Fair in Miami from 3-6 December 2009. It will be McKenna's first exhibition in the United States and is expected to comprise five works from her Good Fortune series.

Nicki Wynnychuk has work in the group show Addition and Erasure.

Opening on Thursday 18 February and continuing until 20 March 2010, the group show Addition and Erasure has been curated by Luke Beesley and Doug Heslop at VCA Margaret Lawrence Gallery. As well as work by current Studio Artist Nicki Wynnychuk, the exhibition also features work by Luke Beesley, Michael Farrell, Doug Heslop, Helen Johnson, Margaret Mayhem, Sebastian Moody, Peter O'Mara and Simon Pericich. Artists talks will be held on Friday 19 February. For more information see www.vca.unimelb.edu.au/art/gallery.

Rob McLeish has work in the group show Canadian Pharmacy.

Opening Thursday 4 February and continuing until 27th February 2010, Neon Parc presents a group show entitled Canadian Pharmacy. As well as featuring work by Current Gertrude Studio artist Rob McLeish, the exhibition also includes work by Dan Arps, Hugo Atkins, Stuart Bailey, Stephen Bush, Gabrielle De Veitri, Danielle Freakley, Ian Haig, Greatest Hits, Andy Holden, The Kingpins, Sarah Lanarch, Jan Lucas & Mike Brown, Elizabeth Newman, Alexander Ouchtomsky, Sean Peoples, Gareth Sansom and Alex Vivian. See neonparc.com.au for more information.

TRIBUTE TO NICK WATERLOW

It is with great sadness that Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces pays tribute to the passing of Nick Waterlow, Director of Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney.

Two weeks ago GCAS was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work closely with Nick Waterlow on an exhibition Don’t Trust the Artist at the Ivan Dougherty Gallery. This exhibition featured seven of Gertrude’s studio artists and was curated by GCAS Director, Alexie Glass-Kantor – a former student of Waterlow’s.

As Alexie Glass-Kantor states “Nick made a profound impact on all whom he met and engaged with and his legacy will endure through the creative, gracious and authentic spirit with which he undertook his work and his life. He will be sorely missed by all of GCAS’s staff, artists and members of the wider Melbourne art community.”

We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of Nick Waterlow and his daughter Chloe Waterlow.

Richard Lewer will show work in the PICA screen space

In 2009, Lewer makes his anticipated return to PICA, this time transforming the screen space with his eerie, liminal animation work In Between. Last year Richard Lewer’s mixed media work, I Must Learn to Like Myself, was a feature of the PICA group show, Better Places.

In Between is an exploration of the supernatural, inspired by real stories of ghosts and the paranormal as told by three different individuals that Lewer has illustrated with his hand-drawn pencil animations. Howling winds and clattering horse hooves accompany this dark and unsettling short film.

PICA Screen Space Opening: 30 October, 6pm. Exhibition: 31 October – 20 December 2009 For more information see www.pica.org.au

Nicki Wynnychuk will have work in the 2009 Amsterdam Biennale

Opening on the 17 October, Nicki Wynnychuk will be exhibiting at the Amsterdam Biennale 2009 alongside Sean Bailey, Courtney Lucas, curated by Helen Grogan. The stand will represent Melbourne. Please find more information at www.mediamatic.net/page/97484/en.

The Amsterdam Biennale 2009 presents the underground art scene from all over the world. More than thirty international curators from the Mediamatic network provide their view of contemporary art in their city.

Nicki Wynnychuk is currently exhibiting at the Waikato Museum, Hamilton New Zealand.

Nicki Wynnychuk is currently exhibiting at the Waikato Museum, Hamilton New Zealand part of the finalists exhibition for the National Contemporary Art Award from 5 September 2009 to 25 January 2010. For more information please see www.waikatomuseum.org.nz.

EVERYONE IS SMILING: SALE SUCCESS RAISES $40,500 FOR GERTRUDE CONTEMPORARY ART SPACES

GCAS is very pleased to announce that the Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation has generated a tremendous donation provided in support for one of Melbourne’s leading contemporary art spaces.

As part of Nelson Alexander’s Foundation Day fund-raiser the Nelson Alexander office in Fitzroy agreed to donate their 2% commission from a selected property to a chosen not-for-profit organisation and for 2009 the organisation was GCAS.

Nelson Alexander Fitzroy selected for auction a beautifully converted warehouse apartment at 110 Gertrude St, owned by Natalie and Simon Herd (Director, Myer Foundation), who offered to match the donation made by the Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation if the property sold for more than $1,000,000.

In an unprecedented sales success the property sold for $1,011,500! Due to this excellent sale price the owners have matched the contribution from sale commission resulting in a combined donation from the Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation with Simon and Natalie Herd to the value of $40,500.

GCAS is an organisation that has been on Gertrude Street for 25 years and provides a destination for audiences, and professional support to artists in all stages of their careers through exhibitions, studio’s, cultural exchange, education, and public pro- grams. This donation is a very real gesture of support in turbulent times. Alexie Glass, Director with Troy Hey, Chair and the Board of Management Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces would like to publicly express their sincere thanks to Simon and Natalie Herd (owners), Peter Stephens from the Fitzroy office of Nelson Alexander and the Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation for their generosity and support.

Richard Lewer shows at Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide

Richard Lewer will show new work for a solo exhibition at Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide. The exhibition opens 3 December until 19 December. For more information please see www.hugomichellgallery.com

Kate Just will have work in "Nothing Out of the Ordinary"

Kate Just is exhibiting work in the curated show, 'Nothing Out of the Ordinary' at Nellie Gastan Gallery from the 26 November to the 19 December 2009. For more information please go to www.nelliecastangallery.com

Ash Keating has two upcoming projects in Melbourne in November & December 2009

Keating has a solo exhibition at Shifted Gallery in Richmond, opening Wed 11th of Nov running through until Nov 28 (www.shifted.net.au ), and will be exhibiting part of the same project (Eur-Eco Revolution) in a group exhibition curated by Jill Orr, at the new Colour Factory Gallery in Gore St Fitzroy, opening Thurs 19th Nov, and running through until Dec 19th. See www.colourfactory.com.au

Keating also was involved in an ambitious project in Aug/Sept, with the newly formed Slow Art Collective, who are presenting documentation and launching a catalogue of their project TS2, opening at Bus Gallery on November 24th, running through until Dec 11. See www.busprojects.com.au.

Keating is also a finalist in the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize at Monash Gallery of Art, where the winner will be announced at 6:30pm on Thursday the 26th of November.

Ash Keating's work as part of The South Project in Indonesia

Ash Keating's site-specific project Timuran, completed during The South Project Gathering in October in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, has been included in the 2009 Jogjakarta Biennale 'Jogja Jammin', curated by Samuel Indramata.

Keating's installation project on a piece of land in the community of Timuran, covered with rubble from the 2006 earthquake, will be marked on the Biennale map, and the projects process will be presented in a fold-out poster format, which will be pasted up around Jogja and available at most of the Biennale sites.

This project will be presented in Melbourne at an exhibition of The South Project Jogja Gathering at Bus Gallery, opening Tuesday 15th of December

Incoming Studio 18 Artists for 2009

Visiting international artists and curators in Studio 18 for 2009 include: Manuel Ocampo, Chicks on Speed, Gavin Murphy, Charles Lim, Jesse Jones, Sadia Sadia, Chris Sharp, Harrell Fletcher and Gonkar Gyatso.