Proliferation, 1 - 13 July 2010, Gaffa Gallery

Opening: Thurs 1 July, 6-8 pm
Artist talk: Sat 10 July, 2 pm

Proliferation is a new installation by Kath Fries at Gaffa Sydney, that fills the gallery space with hundreds of feathers. The gallery space will appear to be bursting at the seams as hidden stuffing spews forth and strands of feathers trail down the walls and explode out of the cracks between floorboards. The artist will tend the installation daily and viewers will be able to see the installation change and grow over this period.

Feathers have featured as a consistent motif in Fries’ work over the past three years. In Proliferation the artist has used recycled feathers — reclaimed stuffing from an old sofa, an inconsequential material usually dismissed as debris — to comment on humanity's destructive urges and continued environmental abuse. The use of feathers within this context provokes emotionally volatile responses from attraction to repulsion.

In this installation Fries creates a space that conjures dreamlike connections and evokes cautionary myths and fables. Proliferation’s fleeting and temporal qualities resonate a sense of tension, balancing between the immediate present and the possibilities of the unknown.

An artist’s book titled Feather will also accompany the installation. This publication features a selection of photographs taken by the artist that present an illuminating insight into her ongoing explorations of this material. Fries’ photography is both informed and complementary to her installation practice and offers a unique perspective of her art practice.

Kath Fries completed a Masters of Visual Art at Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney in 2008. She has been exhibiting at Gaffa Gallery since 2006 and has created site-sensitive temporal installations for numerous national art festivals including Rockingham WA, Hunter Valley NSW, Drummoyne NSW, Lake George NSW and Bryon Bay NSW. She recently completed an artist-residency at Laughing Waters VIC and was awarded a ‘Facetnate’ scholarship from the Japan Foundation’s Emerging Artist Program.

For more information please contact Kath Fries kathfries@gmail.com

Above image: Kath Fries, Feather (detail), 2010, artist book


Gaffa

Gallery Three, Level One

281 Clarence St, Sydney CBD, NSW 2000

Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am-5pm.

Ph 02 9283 4273 www.gaffa.com.au


Kath Fries' new artist book, Feather, will be launched at the opening of Proliferation, Thurs 1 July, 6-8pm, Gaffa Galleries 281 Clarence St Sydney.

Preview the book now -

PechaKucha Comments

"Congratulations on your pechakucha presentation yesterday. Evon and I both really enjoyed it. All the presentations had a different style and delivery and it was fantastic that yours also boasted a unique quality - which was the beautiful reading of the story of the bamboo cutter to the backdrop of your wonderful artwork. As I said, being up on stage isn't the best seat in the house so its very hard to guage the full experience yourself. I can assure you, it was a really nice part of the night and everyone was all ears. Plus I think yours had the cleanest ending because the instant you finished your last word, the final slide ended which seemed do ring out like a sort of 'silent gunshot' around the room which quite honestly was very cool. I'm sure you'll agree that the others were really fun and interesting too. It's a really good thing to go to. I'm looking forward to the next one. おつかれさまでした!"
David Freeman, Programme Coordinator | Arts & Culture Dept.
The Japan Foundation, Sydney www.jpf.org.au

Image: Kath Fries, PechaKucha # 16 slideshow 17/06/10

PechaKucha Night | 17.6.10

On Thursday 17th June, I'll be speaking at PechaKucha about Grove, my upcoming 'Facenate' project at the Japan Foundation.

PechaKucha Nights are informal and fun gatherings where people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts, passions, quirky collections and just about anything else. The popular PechaKucha Nights have now spread to over 280 cities worldwide. As part of the 17th Biennale of Sydney, the people of Sydney have an opportunity to contribute their creativity and perspectives into the mix.

Bookings are not necessary and entry is free!
Thursday 17 June 2010, 7.30 pm - 10 pm
SuperDeluxe@Artspace 43 - 51 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo