Yo Melbourne We're from Philly!
September 21, 2019
"Yo Melbourne, We’re from Philly! brings together artists from Arts Project Australia with artists from supported studios across Philadelphia, United States in a celebration of cross-cultural dialogue and exciting juxtaposition.
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Curated by Alex Baker, Director of Fleisher/Ollman in Philadelphia and former Senior Curator, Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, Yo Melbourne, We’re from Philly! is energised by Baker’s experiences working with Arts Project Australia during his time in Melbourne, as well as working with artists in his hometown, Philadelphia, who work in disability studio programs.
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While the exhibition eschews any overarching thesis or subject, themes can be teased from this bounty of expression, including forays into infrastructure and the built environment, portraiture, observation and nature, landscape, perspectival oscillation, abstraction, text, ceramic whimsies and fantastical things."
MELBOURNE ARTISTS
Michael Camakaris, Samraing Chea, James MacSporran, Jenny Ngo, Chris O’Brien, Georgia Szmerling, and Amani Tia
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PHILADELPHIA ARTISTS
Queen Nancy Bell, Dwayne Boone, Jenny Cox, Paige Donovan, Knicoma Frederick, Eliseo Gonzalez, Geraldo Gonzalez, Alonzo Humphrey, Natasha Plaza, and Woodley White
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The Philadelphia-based artists herald from several disability and behavioural health studio centers, including: IDEATE (Dwayne Boone and Alonzo Humphrey); Center for Creative Works (Jenny Cox, Paige Donovan, and Natasha Plaza); Artworks/Community Integrated Services (Woodley White); Creative Vision Factory (Knicoma Frederick, Eliseo Gonzalez, and Geraldo Gonzalez), and Queen Nancy Bell, who now works independently, but was formerly associated with Oasis, a now defunct art center.
