we are but a collection of fragile shells...

My LJ works like this:
~art, music, and literature comments/discussions/recs./etc go unlocked
~personal things, my art, and my writings are all friends-only

Truthfully I'm still sorting the whole thing out, so while at some point this post will no doubt be full of eye-catching pictures and interesting reasons why you might (or might not) wish to apply for the friending thing...at present it's much more of a work in progress, and all you get are faux-flowers, and a doll.



Please feel free to comment (I don't usually bite unless it's specifically requested :P)

If you want to be friended I'd like to know:
~who you are
~where you stumbled over me/why you want to be added/where I might know you from


If I do know you chances are I'll add you without a second thought; however, I'm afraid I tend not to friend random people unless something about their LJ interests me.  To my mind that's just common sense.

To this end, if I don't really know you (ie, have never spoken to you before/aren't likely to recognise you from anywhere) and your LJ is friends only, it'd be great if you could add me before commenting, 'cause I definitely don't add people I don't know and can't find any info on.

Oh, and if you ask me to friend you, I assume you're going to add me back.  Fair's fair :P


Thanks! ^^

So I keep seeing things like 'RON MUECK!!!111' all over my f-list.  It's kinda disconcerting to suddenly realise that not only is one of my favourite local artists unknown to overseas peeps...he's unknown to a lot of local ones, too, and it's kind of a pity...

Anyway, it struck me that if many people are only just discovering him (and his work's been in our national gallery for at least a couple of years, now), there are probably lots of other awesome Aussie artists you don't know about either.  So here's my (very - oh time how I wish there was more of you) shortlist ^^  (bar Mueck, naturally, because as I said he seems to be everywhere right now anyway; if you haven't heard of him yet, look here.  It's worth it - though beware completely unsexual nakedness).


Linde Ivimey
I don't love all her work (one never does) but the things I love...wow.  Love.  One look at some of her pieces and anyone who knows me will immediately realise why; bones, cages, faceless 'dolls', even religion...let's just say it appears we share some common interests/materials.

Her figures bring to my mind images of bog bodies and ritual sacrifice, macarbe subjects I know, but ones I've always found fascinating (there's my religious art and artifacts love again ^^;).  I'm sure some people find them quite disturbing, but to me they seem almost cuddle-able >.>  They're particularly enchanting in person, when you can see the scale (the more adult figures average at about 90cm) and texture of them; they give an extroadinary sense of being creatures that are really live in their own way.


Ricky Swallow
...Was very much hyped a few years back, so some of you may know him, but despite being made much of in the Sunday magazines for a while he really does have something.  His subject-matter doesn't necessarily strike me dumb with wonderment...but you've got to respect someone who can make wood flow like silk.

Susan Wraight
Excuisite truly does not begin to describe her work.  Any true Japanophile on my f-list might know the word netsuke; I'm not at all knowledgable about them, myself, though the National Gallery of Victoria website describes them as 'the decorative toggle that forms part of traditional Japanese dress'.  They are very small, intricate sculptural pieces, generally carved from materials such as wood, ivory, amber, etc..  Wraight's work, however, differs from traditional Japanese pieces through her use of Australian native flora and fawna for her subject matter.  My father has a card from one of her exhibitions, that we went to ages ago (I must have been under 10), and I've coveted it ever since >.>

Bill Henson
This is one the photography buffs are pretty likely to recognise.  Henson is one of those artists who I simultaniously adore...and feel very uncomfortable about/about adoring.  His work is...shall we say controversial?  It tends to involve images of models who look very barely legal...but the colours.  The mood.  The images from a purely aesthetic perspective on the rare occasions I can turn off my social/political commentary...  I truly do love his work.  He presents another world without resorting to fantastical sets or clothes.  It's filthy and dangerous and it hurts...and I can't look away.  Serioiusly - getting me through a Henson exhibition is a tricky process involving much arm-tugging and 'come on's :P

He also does some of the most stunning landscape photographs I've ever seen (and I'm including a link because Photobucket is anti-nudity and, like I said, much of that is beautiful - if a little prone to make my skin a touch crawly - too).  And for the record not all his work is blue, just my favourite pieces ^^;


~*~

There are, of course, others; Australia has some interesting art peeps, I think.  But I have an essay to write on Mary Wollstoncraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman so that's it for now.  Maybe I'll do a follow-up post with a more international flavour later on ^^


Also, on a more rl note...not really looking forward to this week -____-  It just hit me that campaigning involves having to talk to lots and lots of random people (particularly the ones I wouldn't want to talk to normally, ironically enough, because of course they're the ones we have to convince to vote for us).  Puddle-of-Nyx here we come *dies in advance*  At least I had a nice weekend ^___~

All distractions welcome.