Awkward Silences

22 April - 22 May 2005

Simon Cuthbert, Rebecca Hobbs, Paul Knight, Darren Sylvester, Toni Wilkinson

Awkward Silences, an exhibition of work by key contemporary Australian photographers exploring present day feelings of alienation and the odd awkward relationships we have with our environments and each other, opens at Linden on Thursday 21 April at 6pm

Curated by Linden's Jan Duffy this exhibition features work that is typical of a new generation of photographers who explore social identity through documentary and conceptual means, with a mix of traditional genres such as landscape, architecture and portraiture.

Tasmanian based photo-media artist Simon Cuthbert has been exhibiting regularly throughout Australia since the 1990s and has a growing international profile. His hyper-real compositions focus on the mechanisms and extent of 21st Century ecocide and alienation.

Rebecca Hobbs combines awkward innocence with unmistakable sexual fetishism in her series of lightjet prints depicting people engaged in leisure activities. Her work for this show was produced while Hobbs was undertaking a Masters degree in Los Angeles as a result of receiving a Samstag Scholarship.

Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2001 Paul Knight has had a number of solo exhibitions in Australia and more recently was part of a group exhibition at the Rotterdam International Art Fair in 2004. He describes his photographs in this exhibition as 'phrases that describe the interplay and relationships between humans, structure and nature'.

Darren Sylvester's photographic scenarios explore the possibilities for human connection within contemporary consumer culture, often with regret for an emotional investment that is sure to show a diminishing return. Sylvester has an extensive exhibition profile with regular national and international exhibitions; most recently he participated in Supernatural Artificial at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.

For this show Perth based artist Toni Wilkinson presents us with school children, awkwardly but dutifully wearing their school uniforms complete with high-minded mottoes, within environments that are overwhelming and confusing. She has exhibited widely throughout Australia since her first exhibition, Tough Pleasures, at Fremantle Arts Centre in 2003.

Linden is assisted by Arts Victoria and the City of Port Phillip and supported by business partners Cummins & Partners, Miele Australia, Melbourne Airport and the Prince Wine Store.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Awkward Silences - Artists floor talks

3pm Sunday 24 April 2005

You are invited to join artists Simon Cuthbert, Paul Knight, Darren Sylvester and Toni Wilkinson at Linden for an informal discussion about their photography; and their diverse practices and working methods.

No Bookings required
Admission FREE

 

 


Simon Cuthbert


Rebecca Hobbs


Paul Knight


Darren Sylvester


Toni Wilkinson