Linden New Art acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate, the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation and pays our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
We are re-opening soon
Linden is re-opening on Tuesday 9 June 2020
and we look forward to welcoming you back at the gallery.
IMAGE > Karla Dickens, Mother’s Little Helpers V, 2019, inkjet print, 67 x 120 cm.
Image courtesy of the artist and Andrew Baker Art Dealer.
Karla
KARLA DICKENS
My Mother’s Keeper
22 February 2020 > 30 August 2020
My Mother’s Keeper will feature a film and a series of new photographs produced as a result of a collaboration between
the artist Karla Dickens and writer Bruce Pascoe. Initiated by the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation, the work focusses on the urgent
need for us to protect and conserve the land and our environment.
Jacqui Stockdale
The Long Shot
22 February 2020 > 30 August 2020
This new body of work extends Stockdale’s long-held fascination with early colonial times in Australia. The Long Shot explores
the dominant narratives of Australian folk history, mythology and iconography and challenges their potency within a contemporary context.
Based on extensive research, Stockdale presents a new version of Ned Kelly’s family history, with a focus on the experiences of Kelly’s
mother, Ellen.
Jacqui
IMAGE > Jacqui Stockdale, Historia [detail], 2015-2020, C-type print, 140 x 110cm.
Image courtesy of the artist.
IMAGE > Robert Fielding, Echoes #2 (Kapi Pilki Kapi Ilu) [detail], 2019, C-type print on lustre paper, 80 x 120 cm. Image courtesy of
the artist, Mimili Maku Arts and Blackartprojects.
Robert
Robert Fielding
Routes / Roots
22 February 2020 > 30 August 2020
Robert Fielding is a contemporary artist of Pakistani, Afghan, Western Arrente and Yankunytjatjara descent, who lives in
Mimili Community in the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Fielding’s work combines strong cultural roots with
contemporary perspectives.
Isolate with Linden
The Linden team is happy to share some great links and art activities with you during the closure of the gallery.
Tips for surviving isolation | Kids Activities | Podcasts
we recommend |
Food Obsession | Well-being | Craft Activities |
Links from Galleries
TIPS FOR SURVIVING SELF ISOLATION
IMAGE > Robert Fielding working on new works in the studio. Image courtesy of Mimili Maku Arts
Tips from
Mimili Maku Arts
Mimili Maku Arts
Anna Wattler, Manager at Mimili Maku Arts, has shared an update on how the Mimili community have been handling the government restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Though this has been a challenging time, it has also brought new opportunities to the community.
"Mimili is on the APY Lands, a region in the far northwest of South Australia. We have been under the Commonwealth Biosecurity Act since mid-March. This means that entry to our region is strictly restricted, and requires 14 days of self-isolation.
Whist those measures may seem extreme, it has been absolutely essential for keeping everyone in community safe. Like many remote Aboriginal communities we experience severe levels of social disadvantage, manifested – amongst other things – in poor health and living conditions that make it hard to impossible to enact best-practice hygiene for prevention of community transmission of COVID. With high rates of diabetes, asthma and kidney disease, large parts of the population out here are considered high-risk when exposed to the virus. That is why the strategy of restricting access to the APY Lands was enacted very early on, and has been strictly executed since."
KATIE GRAY
Katie Gray is an emerging artist who is also part of our team of volunteers. We asked Katie how she has maintained her creative drive during
lockdown.
"I would say the most important thing in order to stay creatively focused is to invest in yourself and your mental health. Then seek
some inspiration. Take your time with it, to gather enough that you feel ready to create again. And take time to rest if you need it. Pick
some type of project to focus on - something that has an achievable end goal. In such trying times with no control over how long the
circumstance will last, it's important to give your brain something to focus on; something that is in your control, and something that you
can see the achievable outcome and finish line for."
Erin Coates
Erin Coates exhibited in Dark Water with
Anna Nazzari at Linden in 2019.
“My practice is quite strongly connected to ideas I’ve formed around endurance and physicality – at first it was rock climbing, and now it’s
free-diving. I need these activities to drive the conceptual aspects of my work and also maintain a sense of physical and creative
endurance.
Reading Haruki Murakami’s book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running was like a road to Damascus moment for me. So obviously,
being cooped up during COVID-19 is pretty hard! Luckily, in WA, I can still get out for a nearby run and some free diving training in the
Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River). This is allowing me to have long studio days. I’m working on several new pieces. Some require a lot of
concentration and I find I can only have instrumental background music on. Film soundtracks are great for this. I like quite dark stuff,
such as the scores to Under the Skin, Annihilation, Sicario, Bladerunner 2049. For other studio work I can listen to podcasts and
audiobooks. My current favourites are: 99% Invisible (fascinating design stories), The Allusionist (all
things linguistics, very entertaining), ABC’s Bookshelf and Conversations, and I love the podcast The Scissor Sisters – women
filmmakers discussing genre, action and horror films. My life goal at the moment is to be a guest on there.”
Anna Nazzari
Anna Nazzari exhibited Dark Water with Erin Coates at
Linden in 2019.
“As a self-diagnosed introvert, I thought working from home would be a breeze - I would be able to avoid peak hour
traffic and have more time for making art. The reality has been a lot harder, work often bleeds into my
art practice time, so establishing boundaries has been the most difficult thing for me. I have
found time to focus on my practice and … it is the first time in 18 years that I can just enjoy
playing/experimenting without a deadline looming.
Currently, I am interested in exploring a sort of transhuman transmigration, in which everyone may have to migrate in some
way, shape or form after the impact of a major disaster or climate change. In this space, I don’t just want to focus on
human migrating bodies after a disaster I also want to include human/animal hybrids. I guess I am most interested
in questioning what a transhumanist transmigration might look like i.e. is it moving
to a liminal place in which humanity has evolved beyond its physical and mental limitations or is it
a familiar place but one “humans” do not normally inhabit such as the ocean?
When I am thinking about this and painting, I love to listen to music and I find what is getting me through at
this time is live music videos on Instagram. In particular, I am a fan of the Isol-Aid festival. The voyeur in me
likes seeing the artist’s home environment as well as the raw nervous energy of artists performing alone (or trying hard to social
distance). I am also enjoying Beinart Gallery’s one-on-one artist talks and some of
Saatchi Gallery’s live presentations.
Importantly though, I’m doing okay and I hope you are also fairing well in these strange times.”
NATALIE RYAN
Natalie Ryan exhibited a series of photographs and sculptures in an exhibition titled Imaging
the Dead at
Linden in 2018. We asked Natalie to share her thoughts on isolation and to let us know what she’s currently working on.
“I believe working within restrictions can allow for new opportunities to develop. It’s important to try and adjust to keep moving and
motivated. I know it can be easier said than done but we have time to explore how. I am currently working from home due to restricted
studio and kiln access, for me this means I am changing the medium I predominately work in.
I usually work in clay - either firing the work to finish as ceramic or making moulds of the work to cast in other materials. As I am
unable to use these materials at the moment I will be developing a series of drawings and also jewellery works which I will be able to
sculpt on a very small scale and finish in safer times. It’s important during this time of adjustment to not be hard on yourself as we’ll
all need a bit of warm up time to set new routines and negotiate workarounds for multiple parts of our lives – I’ve started several drawings
and haven’t been able to stick with one yet!
I am quite used to working in isolation in the studio but I always make sure that when I take my breaks I communicate with people –
either social media, phone calls, text etc. I think this is really important as it can pick up your mood and change the your headspace. When
working I also listen to music or podcasts. I’m currently being a bit nostalgic and listening to some albums from the past, as for
podcasts a bit of true crime but at the moment I’m enjoying Clementine Ford’s ‘Big Sister Hotline’ for a bit of fun
and David Zwirner’s ‘Dialogues’ which has some interesting conversations between creatives. I’m reading ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’
by Gabriel García Márquez which was a gift.
I’ve just watched a British Crime series ‘The Capture’ on ABC, which was great, and I’ve been watching measured doses of the ABC News
who I believe are providing the most informative and useful information. I’m loving making lots of yummy and healthy food, we are getting
fresh fruit and veg and a cheeky wine delivered by the Local Drop - a company that has started delivering local produce to your door
contact-free that would have normally gone to restaurants. I think it’s really important to take moments everyday that are just for you,
simple pleasures and time away from all the noise are everything.”
NICOLE NEWMAN
Nicole Newman exhibited with Linden in 2017 at the
headquarters of the National Trust in Melbourne.
“Being a sculptor or any artist is a solitary profession, so for me it has been no great change. Will see if that holds true in 6
months. I become engrossed in work until I'm not, so then the multi streaming platforms come into their own.
I watch documentaries on art, history and even cooking, although I don't like to cook and I don't. By the end, the day has gone. P.S.
If you are a member of a library you can download KANOPY app which allows you 10 free views a month of their art house movies, documentaries
and courses.”
JACQUI STOCKDALE
Jacqui Stockdale is an artist and currently installed at Linden with her exhibition The
Long Shot.
I actually flourish well with very little noise. I live in an old house in Preston with lots of trees so there are always birds
chatting, even at night.I
only listen to podcasts when I am driving or jogging (very slowly). Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now is one I have on repeat, Maria Stoljar,
Talking with Painters is great. Not much else actually. People keep giving me their faves but I still prefer to listen to surround sounds…I
love music from my stereo but I save it for Global Village on PBS every Sunday from 5pm. I
am a big fan of live music with brass instruments. Most of my friends seem to be performers drawn to gypsy, balkan, swing styles. Now that
all the work for my recent solo exhibition project, The Long Shot, is over I can let myself read a novel. It's called, Wanting by Richard
Flanagan. However, most of my reading is for research for my art. I
watch films on SBS On Demand, latest one is Strange Colours directed by Alena Lodkina. It’s set in Lightning Ridge, NSW and many of the
actors are non-actors, you can tell, they are so real. It is very sparse and moving film. My son and I watch 'You Cant Ask That' together
on ABC TV’s iView. I listen to Radio National when I am in the kitchen to catch up on the world. Cooking is my de-stress go to. With the
last of our leeks I am making a potato, leek and cheese pie, I might throw in some grated zucchini as we grew too many. I cook like I make
art, 'it's all a collage', I say. I nick figs from around the neighbourhood to make into fig preserve so that we have figs for winter to go
with yoghurt.
HANA VASAK
Hana Vasak is a Linden Gallery Administrator and ceramic artist.
Working from home can definitely be a positive. Over the years I have come to enjoy the solitary nature of having a home studio. It has
allowed me to embrace having a relaxed routine including creating my own working hours, at times working in my PJ’s.Probably not the best
studio practice but these are the wonderful benefits that working from home can bring. I’ve discovered the ways I work best and found a
routine that has helped me stayed focused when I am on my own. I like to start my day in the studio by having my cup of coffee, making a to
do list – I like to draw the pieces I will create that day. This is usually followed by catching up on my weekly dose of the news on the 7AM
podcast and like many others I enjoy listening to true crime, though this is definitely mood dependent and in the later afternoon I listen
to music. I enjoy spending a bit of time preparing my lunch and eating this in my garden. When I finish for the day I like to get out of the
house and go for a walk along the Merri Creek which helps clear my mind. I think creating your own simple pleasures that you can instil
into your everyday can provide you with those small moments of enjoyment.
YILIN ZHAO
Yilin Zhao is a Linden volunteer. She has now entered her second month of self-isolation in China and provided us with this update.
As I have kept self-isolation for nearly two months, I have to find myself something to do at home - I'm now taking French classes with
my tutor online every weekday afternoon!As
for some small "self-care at home" tips, I believe keeping a regular daily schedule really works. Keep moderate exercises, have good meals,
keep social distance and most importantly, wear a mask when you come into contact with others. Washing hands is essential but don't forget
to sanitize your phones and doorknobs - anything you would touch frequently. Also, I would advise to stock some food at home to minimize the
amount of purchases. Keeping self-isolation really helps since it actually protects yourself, doctors and nurses and the country's medical
resources to lower the fatality
kids Activities
Found Objects Sculptures
Artist Jonathan Kim’s work considers the importance between objects and the environment they inhabit, while asking the viewer to contemplate their own relationship with the material world. As winter begins to arrive and we all start rugging up inside, we invite you to take the time to consider the materials and space in which you inhabit.
+ Read more
Autumn Flora Sculptures
As autumn sets in and the leaves begin to change colour, kids are invited to create fauna-based sculptures made from autumn flora elements.
Inspired by Linden past exhibition Leith Maguire, Heads
or Tails (2016)
Snail Mail Project
Linden New Art has joined East Gippsland Art Gallery to connect our stay-at-home communities through the art of letters.
Kids are invited to become a pen pal by sending a meaningful message to someone who has to stay home just like you.
ON HOLIDAY AT LINDEN > KELLY HORSES
Make your own 3D horse called Music with artist Jacqui Stockdale.
+ Read moreOur favourite podcasts
We also recommend:
Food obsession!
Keep healthy and creative during your isolation. The kitchen is the place to be.
IMAGE > Jean Francois-Millet, Woman Baking Bread [detail], 1854.
Image courtesy of the Kroller-Muller Museum.
Cook like Millet
MILLET’S BREAD ROLLS
This week we have gone for a recipe that would allow you some meditation time whilst baking, as well as the therapeutic pleasure of kneading dough. This is a recipe that was enjoyed by Monet and Millet, presumably because it left them plenty of time for painting as they waited for their rolls to rise.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225ml) milk
- 5 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh yeast OR 1 packet dried yeast
- 4 cups (560g) flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 egg yolk, mixed with 3 tablespoons milk
Method
Heat the milk with the sugar to just below a boil. Leave it to cool until lukewarm. Add the salt and butter. Meanwhile, in a bowl sprinkle the yeast over 1 cup of warm water. Stir in 4 tablespoons of flour. Leave in a warm place for 20 minutes, by which time the mixture should be spongy. Add the rest of the flour.
Mix the lukewarm milk mixture with the eggs. Beat it into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.
Sprinkle four on a board and knead the dough on it for another 5 minutes. Use a warmed knife to cut the dough into 29 pieces and roll each of these into the shape of a fat cigar, about 1 inch by 3 inches. Place the rolls in a warm place, cover with a damp cloth and leave for 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 230 degrees. Flour 2 baking sheets. Place the rolls on the baking sheets and brush them with the egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake for 10 minutes.
Monet Chestnut Cookies recipe
This week Juliette, our Curator, has been in the kitchen again and this time she has made a recipe that was a favourite of Claude Monet. This recipe is a great one to try right now because chestnuts are in season. When roasting chestnuts, it is imperative to score them first, otherwise, as Juliette found out, they explode loudly with great force, coating the inside of your oven with millions of tiny chestnut fragments.
+ Read more
Delivery Services
South Melbourne Market is an excellent option to stock up on seasonal fruit and veg, and it is now even easier to be healthy as you can drop into their drive-through.
+ Read more
Blueberry Poles
Our curator Juliette Hanson has created this beautiful activity called 'Blueberry Poles', tribute to Jackson Pollock's artwork 'Blue Poles', that you can do with your children.
+ Read more
Mirka & Georges Cook book, A Culinary Affair
Meet the legendary Mirka Mora and Georges Mora, with classic French recipes, untold anecdotes, photographs and Mirka’s sensuous and colourful artworks.
+ Read moreTake care of yourself and your family
Need a Moment of Zen?
The Rubin Museum is using its Buddhist Art collection to offer daily mindfulness tips and guided meditation sessions. The museum is posting daily Instagram videos exploring Himalayan wellness traditions you can practice at home.
+ Read more
Sound meditation by Mona Ruijs
Support local artists and meditate with Mona Ruijs' 45-minute sound meditation on bandcamp ($5 AUD download for a limited time of one week).
+ Read more
Write a letter to the future
Futureme allows you to reflect and write something to your future self. Set the time you want the letter to be delivered and then... wait.
+ Read more
Maintaining good mental health
Discussions and concerns around the coronavirus outbreak and practising self-isolation can be stressful and impact our mental health and wellbeing. It’s natural to feel a range of emotions, such as stress, worry, anxiety, boredom, or low mood.
+ Read more
If you're concerned or if you require some help. Have a look at the headtohealth
website here.
You can also call the Coronavirus mental wellbeing support service on 1800 512 348.
The Lifeline Crisis Support Chat is also
available to help if you need.
You can also call Beyond Blue at 1800 512 348 or visit their website
here.
Add a bit of art & craft in your life
Introduction to eco-dyeing
This method of dyeing is free of harmful chemicals and showcases the beauty of nature. The process relies on trust and patience.
+ Read more
crafty ways to stay zen
Ever heard of meditative stitching? Well we hadn’t either, until we hand-picked our way through contemporary Australian artists to find the best and most crafty ways to stay zen.
+ Read more
Art activity pack
UK's Firstsite Gallery has created a great activity pack to download. Anyone can have a go – there are no specialist materials required, ‘Art is where the home is’ can be downloaded for free.
+ Read more
LEARN-TO-WEAVE KIT
Start weaving your own baskets using this kick-starter pack with the Tjanpi Desert Weavers + online video tutorial featuring Loria Heffernan!
+ Read moreFew links from galleries around the world
Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Infinite Mirrored Room’
Experience an immersive environment of light and sound in the spirit of Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room
+ Read more
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
From Station to the Renovated Musée d'Orsay. Jump in the history of the museum, of its building. The museum was installed in the former Orsay railway station, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900.
+ Read more
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Visit the iconinc Guggenheim Museum. Founded in 1937, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of art.
+ Read more
MUSEO FRIDA KAHLO, Mexico
Visit La Casa Azul! The Blue House was the place where Frida Kahlo, the most renowned Latin American artist in the world, came into this world, lived, and took her last breath.
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