Free time
Curator: Philip Watkins
2004 has been particularly busy for galleries in Hobart. lnflight Gallery has moved from the chilly Letitia Street Studios in North Hobart to Elizabeth Street in the CBD. Criterion Gallery, Hobart's newest commercial art space opened its doors in April and has quickly become a close rival to CAST Gallery in its presentation of cutting edge art. Offering a new outlet for collectors and widening the breadth of contemporary art seen in Tasmania, Criterion Gallery represents prominent young Tasmanian art stars Megan Keating, Neil Haddon and Matt Calvert, alongside national art heavy weights Deborah Paauwe and Derek O'Connor.
Following the August 2003 departure of well-known Tasmanian arts luminary and former CAST Director, Sean Kelly (now at the helm of Ireland 's National Sculpture Factory), Contemporary Art Services Tasmania has undergone an administrative overhaul. At times criticised, perhaps unfairly, for its choice of exhibitions and close-knit gang of committee members, CAST has taken a turn for the better under the deft hand of new Director, Michael Edwards.
CAST's first solo exhibition for 2004 was 'Promises, Promises' by Sharyn Woods, an artist known for working closely with the surfaces of industrial materials. At first glance, blocky objects and wall-sized panels of looming proportions appeared sparsely spaced around the gallery. On closer inspection, the defining nature of Woods' work became apparent. Festering over the surface of each work were corrosive marks; burnt, scratched and torn into recycled MDF, plaster and steel.
The measured aggression evident throughout Promises, Promises was particularly menacing in Gift, 2004. Several caramel wooden blocks arranged in the shape of a 'gift box' were bound tightly with an ominous black bow, scorched, and bleeding its ebony colour with vein-like precision