Fairy Bread
Exhibition review by Anna Woods
Fairy Bread has been sprinkled in the Australian vernacular for generations now. It is nothing more than triangles of white bread covered with butter and topped with ‘hundreds and thousands’. However, its simplicity is as nostalgic for young Australian millennials as Yowie’s, Cadbury Furry Friends, Playschool with Monica Trapaga and Simon Burke, meeting Harold in the Life Ed van and watching the Adventures of Blinky Bill on ABC Kids.
The Fairy Bread exhibition curated by students Molly James and Shân Primrose and mounted at the Brunswick Street Gallery from 15 – 27 September was a cartoonish, comical display of colour and excitement.
A collection of artists featured in the show – Jesse Gaut, Rico Santos and Anna Woods – all have ties to ACU. The brightly coloured tinsel curtains at the entrance of the exhibition revealed something of the aesthetic of the exhibition. Once inside, one would think they had transported back into the early 2000s. A consortium of 12 artists participated in the exhibition.
Anna Woods merged found objects with pre-loved childhood toys, creating an interesting dynamic between the loved and lost.
Jarrod Burgess, aka Easyasart, perfected a signature style exuding energy, humor and characteristically Aussie charm.
Emma Daniels reflected rainbow colours that were associated with both subconscious dreaming and the surrealist movement.
George Diamandis’ artwork was intense, energetic, kaleidoscopic, metamorphic, and portrayed a macro and micro sense of cosmic time and space.
Jesse Gaut says that “vivid colours and geometric shapes of Suburban Melbourne inspire him greatly along with influences from media in the form of music videos, cereal boxes and cartoons, shown to him by his older siblings growing up.”
Joel Dirt created a body of work to explore texture, form and colour as well as the relationship it has with the nostalgia of vintage cartoons, the adult subculture of jokes and the psychedelic experience that fits nicely alongside them.
Kell Kitsch drew styled characters and landscapes who she identifies with.
Luna Tunes created semi-conscious, figurative imagery of unrelated objects that are tied together by his specific style of drawing and digital editing.
Molly James is multidisciplinary artist whose practice brings together a wide range of media to create vibrantly coloured, otherworldly objects and experiences.
Ohki included references to film, comics and pop culture in his art, making his works relatable and topical.
Shan Primrose’s art is heavily inspired by characters from 90’s and early 2000’s animated TV shows on channels such as ABC Kids and Nickelodeon.
Rico Jo Santos explored momentous cultural stamps that brings back the sensation of childhood by portraying characters under his style.
The primary colours used by many of the artists prompted a dreamlike atmosphere. The opening night revealed the popularity of the exhibition. Being squashed into the gallery space like sardines was awkward at the time but it showed the genuine appeal of the exhibition. By the end of the night, many pieces were given a little sticker indicating a fresh sale, a great result for many of the young artists involved in the show. A refreshing exhibition curated and created by emerging artists was a breath of garden-fresh air!
2017