EXHIBITIONS / PRESTON–NOLAN–ARTLIST#1
2011
Gaffa Gallery 19-31 May
Traditionally, domestic handicrafts have been associated with women and the private sphere and opposed to what was considered ‘high’ art - historically the domain of men. This aesthetic dichotomy between art and craft which privileges mediums such as painting and sculpture over needlework, embroidery and sewing was called into question by feminist artists in the 1970s. These artists sought to reconceptualise craft as a legitimate artistic activity by reclaiming it as a means to explore notions of the “feminine” and the founding of a uniquely “female aesthetic”. At first glance, the work of Sarah Nolan appears continuous with this tradition. Her hand sewn fabric works, which combine a range of plain and printed textiles embellished at times with sequins and fringing and on which she stitches words and images, do problematise the art/craft hierarchy, and they also raise questions about the (still masculine) hegemony of the contemporary art world. But there is a subversive twist to her use of craft-based materials. Rather than the materiality being a primary conceptual concern of her practice, it functions as a camouflage for its provocative subject matter: the sometimes harsh commercial reality of the world of the artist. This is obfuscated with a decorative flourish, a “feminine” touch. In Nolan’s latest series of work, the artist presents the viewer with a sardonic and sceptical take on the machinations of the art world, not through an obvious and literal critique, but by taking the modernist grid and remaking it in domestic fabric. On the individual material squares of ‘Sincerely’, for example, are stitched fragments of text taken from rejection letters from galleries and arts organisations: ‘I’m sorry to inform you’...This is a continuation of Nolan’s ongoing desire to question the status quo of the art world – “a means of trying to understand and make sense of how the ‘art world’ functions and to highlight the forms of communication and language that is used”, as she puts it. Instead of being narrowly concerned with the possibilities of a feminist craft-based aesthetic then, her practice can be better understood within a tradition of text-based work which is often associated with painting and photography. In this sense, her work is much closer in its aims to those artists who incorporate text in their work in order to question dominant cultural assumptions and reveal the ambiguity of language through humour rather than direct confrontation. Nolan challenges us, not through overt political statements, but with a playful wit which belies the subversiveness of what she is saying. by Carrie Miller, March 2011 PLEASE SEE MEDIA FOR THE FULL CATALOGUE
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN?, 2011
Various fabrics, threads, sequins and beads.
65x55cm
Please email for further enquiries.
UPANDCOMING, 2010
Various fabrics, threads, sequins and beads.
60x45cm
Please email for further enquiries.
THAT'S THE SHIT!, 2011
Various fabrics, threads and beads.
63x64cm
Please email for further enquiries.
SOUGHT AFTER, 2010
Silk and metallic threads, chalk pastel on Stonehenge 245gsm.
38x56cm
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
21x30cm
Various fabrics and silk thread.
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Please email for further enquiries.
Sincerely, 2011
Varius fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
Sincerely, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
21x30cm
SINCERELY, 2011
Various fabrics and silk thread.
ROLL CALL (detail), 2010
ROLL CALL, 2010
Various fabrics, silk and polyester threads, sequins.
78x43cm
Finalist entry in the Marrickville Contemporary Art Prize 2010
NEXT BIG THING, 2011
Various fabrics, threads and sequins.
32x26cm
Please email for further enquiries.
MAKING BREAKING, 2011
Various fabrics, threads and sequins.
47x65cm
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I COULD DO THAT, 2011
Various fabrics, threads and sequins.
37x37cm
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GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, 2011
Fabric letters, acrylic paint, polymer gloss varnish, glitter paint, fringing.
30x20x3.2cm
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GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, 2011
Fabric letters, acrylic paint, polymer gloss varnish, glitter paint, fringing.
30x20x3.2cm
Please email for further enquiries.
GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, 2011
Fabric letters, acrylic paint, polymer gloss varnish, glitter paint, fringing.
30x20x3.2cm
Please email for further enquiries.
GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, 2011
Fabric letters, acrylic paint, polymer gloss varnish, glitter paint, fringing.
30x20x3.2cm
Please email for further enquiries.
GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, 2011
Fabric letters, acrylic paint, polymer gloss varnish, glitter paint, various fringes.
30x20x3.2cm
Please email for further enquiries.
GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, 2011
Fabric letters, acrylic paint, polymer gloss varnish, glitter paint, fringing.
30x20x3.2cm
Please email for further enquiries.
EMBRACED DROPPED, 2010
Various fabrics and threads.
42x60cm
Please email for further enquiries.
