sarah ryan and kylie johnson
With the pearlescent wink of a sea of ivory invitations glinting under the glowing bulb above the doorway, a relaxed yet stylishly clad crowd mingled in the lounge room cum gallery of Sarah Ryan's inner city flat. Brought together for What the World Needs Now (WTWNN), an exhibition of new work by Tasmania's brightest young things, Sarah Ryan and Kylie Johnson, WTWNN was a casual, clandestine affair of chilled sophistication with all the compact delights of home. Held in conjunction with the launch of a corresponding publication featuring the literary exploits of a handful of Australia 's best known artists and writers, the exclusive one night only event was eagerly anticipated by those lucky enough to have scored an invitation.
Cleared of furniture to re-create the minimal white washed scene of a gallery, the art space was like a sparsely decorated jewellery box flanked by the closed doors of bedrooms and bathrooms. In the adjoining hallway, luminescent goldfish swam over the shiny surface of black river stones and a door slightly ajar revealed the porcelain cheeks of a loo. Gaudy gestures and loud smiles bounced off the walls as clusters of perfectly wind blown guests picked their way through generous servings of canapes and wine. The television was on and knee high photographs of grey interiors leaned sleepily against the walls. Perhaps slightly perturbed by the domestic setting, the crowd soon trickled down to conclude and converse amongst the moonlit shadows of the roof garden.
A self confessed addict of glossy magazines, Sarah Ryan's work blissfully celebrated the slick banality of the 'infotainment' industry. Referencing an advertising style favoured by Prada, Versace and Saba, Ryan's digital lenticular photographs skimmed the surface of