New exhibition at Blacktown Arts Centre Challenges ideas behind “the Art Market”
Thursday, August 9, 2007
New exhibition at Blacktown Arts Centre
Challenges ideas behind "the Art Market"
The Western Sydney artists' collective, The Gift Project, challenges the ideas associated with the monetary value of art and exchange in the exhibition Fray, which opened at Blacktown Arts Centre (78 Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown) on Saturday 4 August and will run until 29 September, 2007.
The Gift Project is a group of young, emerging arts practitioners dedicated to the exploration of unconventional exhibition methods. All recent graduates from the University of Western Sydney, members of the group include Samuel Bruce, Vaughan O'Connor, Vincent O'Connor, John Newman, Raymond Haber, Ryan Hickey and Stella Rufus. Projects undertaken by the group, including the exhibition Fray, explore a diverse sense of community through gift exchanges in public, private and commercial spaces.
"I think that Fray has been a project that has really engaged a wide cross section of the community," exhibition co-ordinator Vaughan O'Connor said. "It's a very accessible show and it offers people a chance to engage with contemporary, emerging experimental work in a really playful way," he said.
The Gift Project explores social and cultural economies outside of monetary values, alleviating sensations of social isolation and fostering a diverse sense of community. Its postcard initiative was an open source community project which called for anonymous postcard submissions for "Places that don't exist". Similar to other items within The Gift Project Packages, the postcard serves as an aesthetic object which presents the opportunity for exchange and interaction beyond the gallery setting.
ARTIST TALKS
11am Saturday 11 August
Join the artist from The Gift Project collective as they discuss their artistic practice.
