Contempora (844.8 KB PDF) - National Gallery of Victoria

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Fiona Hall makes works whichare enticing, desirable andprovocative, encouraging theviewer to unravel layers of beauty,wit, political innuendo and seriousagendas. She was born in Sydneyin 1953 and studied painting atthe National Art School in Sydneybetween 1972 and 1975. In 1982,she was awarded a Master of FineArts Photography from the VisualStudies Workshop in Rochester,New York. During her careerHall has worked as a practisingartist and lecturer, and for shortperiods as an Artist in Residenceat the Tasmanian School of Artin 1981 and the Phillip Instituteof Technology, Preston, Victoriain 1990. Hall has had numerousindividual exhibitions and her workhas been included in significantgroup exhibitions both in Australiaand overseas. Her work is widelyrepresented in major state andregional galleries across Australia.Fiona Hall believes that winningthe inaugural Contempora5art prize in 1997 with her workGive a dog a bone provided herwith the impetus to abandon thefinancial security of her teachingposition and take off on her ownas a full-time artist. Whilst sherealised this was a gamble due tothe unpredictable nature of salesin the art world, she has sinceappreciated the freedom bothto focus exclusively on her artpractice and to travel.Hall concedes that the difficultaspect of competitions for an artistis that they involve putting one’sego on the line, but she entersthem if they have the potential tomake a difference to what shecan achieve as an artist. She isrealistic about art competitions,emphasising the elements ofluck and the subjective natureof judging, whilst acknowledgingthat what’s great today mightnot be considered so greatin 50 years’ time.Hall, like many creative people, hasa wide spectrum of interests whichinform her work. The influences onher art practice have changed asher life has unfolded and revealedthe world as more complex thanshe had imagined. Literature andaspects of science were keyinfluences in her early career andshe has an endless fascination fornatural history, particularly botany.Ideas reflecting various forms offriction in the world, and social andenvironmental politics, now play anincreasingly important role.Hall possesses extraordinary artmaking skills and has masteredmultiple practices includingphotography, beading, installation,painting, collage and ceramics.Unlike some other contemporaryartists including Aleks Danko, whocollaborate with specialists, shemakes all of her own works. Thisallows her to make spontaneousdecisions as the project evolvesfrom her initial idea and chosenmaterial. An exception to this was
her design for The fern garden,1998, at the National Gallery ofAustralia, which involved workingwith expert engineers and ablacksmith, an experience sheenjoyed immensely. Apart from thisfreedom to alter the work duringproduction, Hall finds it intenselysatisfying to become totallyproficient in a skill before movingon to the next project.A defining element of Hall’s workis her imaginative transformationof everyday, often dispensableobjects, such as sardine cans,bank notes and video tapes, intometaphors for agendas in life,whereby the material and theconceptual aspect of the workare melded. Whilst these materialobjects often metamorphose intoitems of exquisite beauty, theyremain utilitarian and yet transcendtheir function by becomingsignifiers, offering different ways oflooking at the world.Hall feels fortunate that her workis shown at the National Gallery ofVictoria and the National Galleryof Australia, but tries hard to bringher work to a wider audiencethrough a diverse range of outlets.She believes that displaying herwork in contexts outside the artgallery is desirable – a naturalhistory museum or supermarket,for example, could be interestingvenues providing they madeappropriate connectionswith the work.Hall argues that althoughcontemporary art can’t changethe face of the planet enormously,it should be challenging andencourage the viewer to thinkabout issues they haven’tconsidered before, sometimesresulting in a change of attitude.TEXTSusie May in discussionwith Fiona HallIMAGESMiwulngini (Ngan’gikurunggurr) /Nelumbo nucifera / lotusaluminium & tin24.6 x 12.1 x 3.6 cmVuyu wiri (Adna-mat-na) /Craspedia uniflora /billy’s buttonsaluminium & tin24.5 x 14.8 x 5.0 cmWuuloitch (Tjapwurong) /Themeda australis /kangaroo grassaluminium & tin24.8 x 16.1 x 4.2 cmfrom the seriesParadisus Terrestris Entitled1996Purchased through The ArtFoundation of Victoria with theassistance of the Rudy KomonFund, Governor, 1997.National Gallery of Victoria© Courtesy of the artistDead in the water1999polyvinyl chloride, glass beads,silver wire, glass, wood andtransparent synthetic polymerresin106.2 x 129.1 x 129.2 cm(installation)Purchased, 1999.National Gallery of Victoria© Courtesy of the artist
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Contempora (844.8 KB PDF) - National Gallery of Victoria

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