Attempt at Rehab.
Gemma Ben-Ary
Attempt at Rehab IV, 2023
woven aerial photographs, dryandra leaves
30cm x 30cm
photo by the artist
In this series of works I have taken old aerial photographs of mining sites in Kalgoorlie and intervened in various ways. The photographs, on face value, are gorgeous to look at. They have beautiful colours and interesting textures created by the scars and wounds inflicted by mining activities. There are deep red ochres, bright coppers, verdi-gris, emu-egg greens and deep shadowy indigoes. On closer inspection, they also contain scientific data such as latitudes, longitudes, times and dates, and probably other coded information that I am not trained to interpret. The information contained within these images deals with the surface value of the land; they are not designed to have visual appeal, they only serve to illustrate what can be extracted. There is such violence in the beauty, and I can’t help but draw parallels with the way that women’s bodies are depicted – offered as desirable objects, yet under the surface, continuously mined, abused and exploited.
I work into the images by stencilling gold leaf or images of women or lace onto them, then slice them up, and weave them back together, to create something new and possibly stronger or more complex than what was previously there. I add references to native flora and fauna by threading the occasional emu feather or saw-tooth dryandra leaf.
It’s an attempt at healing; a symbolic gesture of rehabilitation.,
These pieces are on display at the Midland Junction Arts Centre as part of the exhibition, Beyond Interpretations.
Beyond Interpretations brings together artworks from the City of Swan Collection that respond to the diverse City environments, animating the textured stories of this unique area through people who call Swan home. Supported with contemporary works by artists Gemma Ben-Ary, Peter Dailey, Sherylle Dovaston, Beverley Iles and Gregory Pryor.
Exhibition dates: Saturday, September 2, 2023 - Sunday, October 29, 2023.
https://www.midlandjunctionartscentre.com.au/exhibitions/beyondinterpretations
Attempt at Rehab IV, 2023
woven aerial photographs, dryandra leaves
30cm x 30cm
photo by the artist
In this series of works I have taken old aerial photographs of mining sites in Kalgoorlie and intervened in various ways. The photographs, on face value, are gorgeous to look at. They have beautiful colours and interesting textures created by the scars and wounds inflicted by mining activities. There are deep red ochres, bright coppers, verdi-gris, emu-egg greens and deep shadowy indigoes. On closer inspection, they also contain scientific data such as latitudes, longitudes, times and dates, and probably other coded information that I am not trained to interpret. The information contained within these images deals with the surface value of the land; they are not designed to have visual appeal, they only serve to illustrate what can be extracted. There is such violence in the beauty, and I can’t help but draw parallels with the way that women’s bodies are depicted – offered as desirable objects, yet under the surface, continuously mined, abused and exploited.
I work into the images by stencilling gold leaf or images of women or lace onto them, then slice them up, and weave them back together, to create something new and possibly stronger or more complex than what was previously there. I add references to native flora and fauna by threading the occasional emu feather or saw-tooth dryandra leaf.
It’s an attempt at healing; a symbolic gesture of rehabilitation.,
These pieces are on display at the Midland Junction Arts Centre as part of the exhibition, Beyond Interpretations.
Beyond Interpretations brings together artworks from the City of Swan Collection that respond to the diverse City environments, animating the textured stories of this unique area through people who call Swan home. Supported with contemporary works by artists Gemma Ben-Ary, Peter Dailey, Sherylle Dovaston, Beverley Iles and Gregory Pryor.
Exhibition dates: Saturday, September 2, 2023 - Sunday, October 29, 2023.
https://www.midlandjunctionartscentre.com.au/exhibitions/beyondinterpretations
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