ArtByLynch

The rigour of an artist; the modus operandi
Written by Meredith Frances Lynch, 2011
Illustrated artwork by Christine Simpson

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This article is a general response to the artwork and art making of Christine Simpson. This written commentary comes after Simpson’s participation in the recent exhibition ‘Open Call’ at the University of Sydney Union’s Verge Gallery .

‘Open Call’ was an exhibition of emerging artists, all enrolled in the different studios and at different levels of study at Sydney College of the Arts. ['Open Call’ (25 July – 19 August 2011) Featuring artworks by Isabella Andronos, Vilma Bader, Merryn Bowden, Lucas Davidson, Ellana Kariatlis, Alex H Mack, Jonny Niesche, Meghan Rheynolds, Christine Simpson, Brooke Wagstaff and Tianli Zu. Curated by SCA Union Alumni Meredith Frances Lynch, Nerida Olsen, & Mary Wenholz.] The artwork ‘Carbon Waves II’ by Simpson represented her ongoing creative explorations as an artist but was also an example of the capabilities of a student in the Sydney College of the Arts’ Master of Studio Arts program.

In a recent discussion between the author and the artist Simpson has described deciding to become an art student again as a searching for new developments in her practice. In Simpson’s artist statement she talks of her ongoing investigations with the materiality of art making materials. She describes her recent creation as ‘An artwork that investigates the effects of heat on various materials... Experimenting with hot glass…’ Developing ones method of operating, that is the mode of art making, is an enjoyment of experimentation in the art practice. This is an ongoing concern for many artists.

After many years of competent sculpture practice and amounts of commercial successes - including large scale commissions and a rigorous teaching schedule from the artist’s bush studio. The master sculpture has returned to the art school in search of increasing her intellectual rigour as an artist. Simpson is on a new journey, learning research methodologies and challenging her art practice through peer critiques as well as exploring new methods of art making.

Simpson has described her former sculpting practice where her skilled hand and learnt knowledge of materials lead the direction of the art making and resulted in calculated aesthetic outcomes. In Simpson’s more recent use of the SCA glass studio she has enjoyed an amount of releasing control as materials and elements new to her drive the aesthetic results. Simpson has recently explored burning of the glass. Heat transforms materials in this new work and it directly affects the finished artworks’ composition.

There is a new shift happening in her practise. Simpson talks about her increasing interest in the kinetic as well as memory scape of materials. This idea of memory is literal in the material sense but also symbolic in a greater definition of memory, personal and environmental. The artist often names artworks in ways relating to environmental happenings; employing words such as darling in reference to the river and carbon in reference to the hotly debated Australian carbon tax issues.

Simpson talks of exploring new types of art making as being like a shedding. Her newer works are not as focused on pure artistic solution. The newer artworks allow for poignant tell-tale signs of the journey of the artist. Her new studio work, such as the exhibited ‘Carbon Waves II’, is about the reaction of the materials to the applied elements heat and cold.

For exhibition the artwork was meticulously installed in the gallery with purpose built brackets. In line with the artist’s recent explorations, this clean installation was not understood as complete by the emerging artist. Herein she dusted ash and talc over the installed disk, letting the powder fall to the gallery floor. This was an attempt to extend the artwork into the gallery space. Aesthetically this move by the artist was not integral to the finished artwork on display. However, artistically, this was a move of importance for a developing art practice. In dusting over the otherwise finished artwork the artist publicly displayed her attempt to grow and in doing so she put on show her shifting modus operandi. This is in line with recent behaviour by the artist. It is a move Simpson has described as shifting her practice from considering oneself a sculptor. Her ongoing art practice and newly invested studies are steps in the direction toward becoming what she considers to be ‘an artist’. The dusting over the artwork in the gallery space was an expression of a wanting, or even a need, to shift and to make change. The artist was not fazed by the stillness of the floor dustings being interrupted by gallery visitors’ movements near the work. The artist took delight in this new phase of her art making. When the topic was recently discussed, the artist smiled and said ‘yes! to footprints’. There is an energetic presence about this artist’s intention.

In the Verge gallery, near an otherwise still sculpture that had been neatly attached to the wall, footprints tarnished the dusting of powder and left a trace of viewer activity while the stillness of the artwork was also ever present. There was a feeling, a type of quiet energy that comes from this type of artistic exploration, it is a poetic element. In the application of well-honed sculpting skills in combination with the vitality of this emerging artist, the artworks yet to come from Christine Simpson are well worth keeping an eye out for.

We put out an open call. And this is what we got. Sydney College of the Arts students making art in all different ways and forms.

As graduates of SCA and past members of the SCA Student Association, each member of the curating team have made art and also seen what student organisations offer in terms of support and just as importantly, opportunities.

Making art is not enough, it also needs somewhere to be shown. Verge Gallery, through the support of USU, SCASS and SCA also believe this and the show has been made possible thanks to their support.

Featuring works by Isabella Andronos, Vilma Bader, Merryn Bowden, Lucas Davidson, Ellana Kariatlis, Alex H Mack, Jonny Niesche, Meghan Rheynolds, Christine Simpson, Brooke Wagstaff and Tianli Zu.

Curated by SCA Union Alumni, Meredith Frances Lynch, Nerida Olson and Mary Wenholz and supported by SCASS President, Georgia Banks.

Exhibition on display from Monday 25 July to Friday 19 August.