TarraWarra Biennial 2014: Whisper in My Mask
Where the wine and art meet on a grand scale, so too do secrets, echoes and polystyrene balls. ‘Whisper in My Mask’, at the idyllic grounds of the TarraWarra Museum of Art (TWMA), attempts to investigate the figurative and literal masking interwoven in the fabric of Australian artistic practice. Not created as a survey, the exhibition aims to be a re-reading or examination of Australian contemporary practice. A joint effort between curators Natalie King and Djon Mundine, ‘Whisper in My Mask’ does not want to reflect the commercialised and global art world; rather, through the small selection of artists, the exhibition is positioned as the central catalyst for a series of interventions and events throughout the local area. With seventeen artists and collectives participating, the exhibition delves into institutional racism, and hierarchies, it challenges history and proposes alternative stories.
Taken from the Grace Jones song ‘Art Groupie’ (1981), the title ‘Whisper in My Mask’ suggests an experience of subterfuge and secrets, power and play. The curatorial rationale finds its strength in the work of artists such as Fiona Foley, Tony Garifalakis, Daniel Boyd and collaborators Gabriella and Silvana Mangano. The exhibition does expose the strong undercurrent of racism, gender inequality and power plays dominating land issues within Australian culture, however as a whole it sits disjointedly.
Masking — whether literal or figurative — is a well of plenty when dissecting identity, race, politics and gender in Australia. It is no surprise that these issues ring very loudly within the echoing halls of the museum.
Except for that pesky fan. Elizabeth Pedler’s Smokescreen, an immersive and environmentally unfriendly work consisting of a room of polystyrene balls, not unlike the ones
Daniel Boyd, Untitled, 2014. Oil, charcoal and archival glue on canvas, 81.5 x 71cm. Courtesy of STATION, Melbourne.
Tony Garifalakis, Untitled, 2014. Enamel on C type print, 60 x 40cm. Courtesy of the artist.
