Top talent at Art Fair

Clifton School of Arts members and volunteers are gearing up for the first ever CSA Contemporary Art Fair which will be opened by Professor Tim Flannery on Friday, 21 January at 6.30pm.

Curated by David Roach and Vyvian Wilson, the Art Fair’s theme is “On the Other Side”. The idea was initially developed to support local artists during last year’s multiple Covid lockdowns. While some artists found the isolation extremely challenging, others saw it as a time to reflect. Painter Ashley Frost said it gave him space to experiment without the pressure of exhibiting.

Showcasing some of the finest (and most collectable) artists of our region, the 2022 Clifton Contemporary Art Fair is a fundraising event with a percentage of all sales going towards the CSA’s building project. The plans will mean that for the first time in 110 years the CSA will have accessible parking, wheelchair access and facilities for all members of our community.

With the buzz already building from collectors, the CSA is offering a special Early Bird preview on Friday, 21 January, from 4-6pm. Tickets $20, $15 for CSA members. Only a few spots left so booking is essential. Email Vyvian: vyvwilson@gmail.com.

Meet the artists

Paul Ryan has been dubbed “one of the most sought after contemporary painters in the country”.  A finalist 13 times in the Archibald Prize, Paul’s powerful and provocative paintings feature in collections around the world. As a long-time surfer, Paul’s work often draws on the Illawarra’s wild coastline and its sometimes brutal history.

Stephen Dupont’s searing photographs have earned him the most prestigious prizes in the world including a Robert Capa Gold Medal, first place in World Press Photo and the 2015 Olivier Rebbot Award. Drawn to fragile cultures and hostile environments, Dupont’s images urge us not to look away.

Ivor Fabok takes inspiration from the freewheeling improvisation in jazz: “When I listen to music I see colours. I read music as forms and structures.” A teacher at the National Art School, Fabok’s studio practice sees him moving seamlessly between sculpture, painting, drawing and collage.

Michele Elliot creates emotive textile works. A groundbreaking artist in her exploration of the poignant rituals around bereavement, Michele steeps cloth in natural dyes, weaves and stitches, transforming familiar materials into complex meditations on love, loss and memory.

Ashley Frost says he immerses himself in “a convergence of light and space”. In 2021 he was a finalist in both the Wynne and Sulman prizes. His evocative paintings are almost as tactile as the environments that he is drawn to: reflective coastal landscapes, gritty city streets, the serpentine limbs of angophora on the edge of the escarpment.

Karen Hook’s practice ranges across digital media, drawing, painting and analogue photography. Subtle and delicate in tone and colour, Hook’s work is inspired by flaws and imperfections that she says can sometimes hold the key to beauty and mystery.

Anita Johnson uses salvaged, familiar objects in her sculptures as a kind of shorthand material language. She imagines the parallel lives of these objects and out of them constructs intimate, playful and poetic sculptures that connect powerfully to feelings of longing and evoke memories of place and experience.

Hal Pratt draws in graphite and paints in watercolour. A Thirroul local, Hal spends much of his time on painting trips to the Outback, sleeping under the stars. His work captures that country’s brilliant colours and sculptural forms.

David Roach is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker. His work explores ideas of loose continuity and implied motion. He works in “two and a half dimensions” constructing repeating forms that blur the boundary between painting and sculpture. Utilising wax, cedar and pigments, he starts from detailed studies then allows chance, accident and serendipity to lead the work in unexpected directions.

Catriona Stanton says weaving her delicate skeletal forms of cane and bamboo is like “drawing in space”. She constructs works out of a maelstrom of toothpicks that appear to flow in swirling eddies. Catriona has recently completed major public commissions in the Northern Territory.

Vyvian Wilson is “intoxicated and seduced by light”. Her dappled, layered work reflects a deep connection to land and memory. Shifting gestural surface markings and sometimes collaged elements appear to float above a candescent strata of colour.

Tanya Stubbles describes wandering into Arthur Boyd’s paint-splattered studio when she was four and watching him paint. She has been making artwork almost ever since. Her intricate, abstract constructions are a vivid expression of the rural and industrial landscapes where she fossicks for her materials.

For more information about the show: www.artsclifton.org