Six women artists – 2 cultures – shared values

“Not so secret” Women’s Business

Opening Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September at 1pm

then daily from 10am- 4pm until 9th October

Laurier Street Gallery, 20 Laurier Street, Annerley

What is actually no secret to many women is that their relationships with other women is a great source of nurture and sustenance. Now, more than ever women need to return to the ancient sense of belonging that is achieved by women in close association. So in the spirit of nurture, cooperation and reconciliation, six female artists (three Indigenous and three non-indigenous) have come together to present a tribute to the feminine.

Meet the artists

Glennys Briggsis a Taungwurrung-Yorta-Yorta woman from North Central Victoria. Each person born of aboriginal blood has a firm connection with the country of their blood line through the kinship system. “We are the Caretakers/Custodians of that country and the onus is on each generation to develop ways to fulfil the responsibilities of that role. I hope that the work I am presenting here goes some way towards achieving in everyone, a sense of the connection, of unconditional love of land and place, wherever they may be in this country. My art work has been featured in galleries in Australia and France”. Glennysalso teaches at GriffithUniversity and is a singer-song writer who regularly tours Australia singing with her husband Ian.

Denise Dillon Bollandis a people watcher, a story teller, an art therapist and researcher. While deconstructing and reconstructing junk and precious objects magic happens. Stories appear – stories of hope, dreams, love and loss. She is inspired by the people she meets and the stories they tell. One of her installations “Meet the Family” (made from found objects) hung, until recently, for more than fifteen years in different spaces in the Wesley hospital. Her art practice is her soul food and her commitment is to use her art to tell stories that touch the heart and give a voice to people who are not usually heard.

Lily Karmatz is a visual artist, an Ikebana artist and teacher. She has taught Sogetsu Ikebana for more than ten years. Not only is she an installations artist, she is also an accomplished painter, sculptor, ceramist and mixed media artist. Her work is often ephemeral in nature and large inscale. In both 2008 and 2012, Lily was invited to be the Artist in Residence at the Cary Art Centre in North Carolina, USA. From 2011 to 2014 she was selected as one of the Artists on Tour by Flying Arts. In 2010, she was invited as Artist in Residence for Eco Ephemeral Art, NorthStradbrokeIsland. During her residencies she creates installations and conducts Ikebana art workshops for adults and children.

Marie Robertsonis an emerging, self taught Brisbaneartist, and a mother of five who works from her home studio in Tingalpa. Using acrylics to capture the emotional essence of the subject she is painting she is currently producing abstracts which flow from unconscious thoughts, dreams and memories. The resultant work is striking and colourful.

Debbie Taylor is a mother, an artist and Gamillaroi, originally from northwest NSW. “The first time I saw a Gamillaroi carved tree (dendroglyph), it was like coming home. It was as if my place in the world was finally realised. As the Gamillaroi are primary carvers, rather than painters, I found that the leather hard clay is a beautiful medium to carve, hence began my love for working with clay. My pottery, whether a functional vessel or as a piece of beautiful art, carved with the designs inspired by the dendroglyphs, have become a signature of my work. I am also passionate about education”. Teaching at GriffithUniversity, within the TAFE system and conducting workshops in both cultural and Indigenous art, has provided Debbie with an opportunity to shed light on Indigenous perspectives.

Carol McGregor is of Wathaurung (Victoria) and Scottish descent – a multi media disciplinarian working with ephemeral natural fibres, metal, and paper. Through her artistic practice she explores the rich cultural identity of diverse ancestry and lived experiences. As an artist she seeks to adapt and embrace new technologies to reclaim and connect to cultural expression, whilst exposing hidden histories with the landscape. She is currently a Fine Arts PhD student at Queensland College of Art, GriffithUniversity, investigating the material culture of possum skin cloaks in South East Queensland (SEQ). Her research has generated the revitalisation of contemporary possum skin cloak making in SEQ through facilitating workshops with communities. With support from the State Library Queenslnd this has culminated in the exhibition Art of the Skins (June – November 2016). www.

A collaborative exhibition Art of the Skins by Glennys Briggs and Carol McGregor is currently displayed on two floors of the State Library, Queensland until November, 2016)