Local artist Adam Anderson has been able to explore and expand his artistic abilities after receiving support from Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF).
Opening his Peep Show exhibition in the Vault at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery in November, Adam said he was given opportunities to develop new artworks and further his career as a regional artist.
The Bundaberg artist has described the exhibition, Peep Show, as a voyeuristic installation which traces multiple transformations of identity through ritualistic encounters between costumes and the body.
Immigrating to Bundaberg from Israel in 1998 as a 10-year-old, Adam said the exhibition had been a work in progress for many years, drawing inspiration from a range of life experiences.
“The exhibition was comprised of large unframed photographic prints, small framed photographic prints, jewellery and small objects displayed in vitrines, a projection of handmade animation with sound, and videos displayed on small monitors,” he said.
“The project and funding received drove the production of multiple new performances which were captured in photographic prints and displayed in the exhibition.
“As a part of this, artworks were displayed in new ways, including in small scale inside spray painted frames.
“New jewellery pieces, which are central to the performances, were also made and displayed in custom, handmade ring displays as well as worn in subsequent new performances.”
The overall effect of the formidable exhibition was an immersive experience, with confronting elements that the Bundaberg Region may not have been exposed to in past exhibitions.
Adam said the RADF grant supported a live performance on opening night of his exhibition, and allowed for new artwork, in which previously unseen jewellery, costumes, makeup, and props were displayed to the public, and in return this gained a magnitude of exposure.
“The Peep Show exhibition exposed my artistic practice to new local, state, national, and international audiences, as the show was held during the holiday season when Bundaberg hosted many tourists,” he said.
“The exhibition enabled me to experiment with new methods of display of my work, which will help develop my future work scheduled to be exhibited in Platform Arts in Geelong in April of this year.
“Finally, Peep Show received a favourable independent review by a respected art critic and academic from Brisbane, whose art criticism project, Lemonade, is followed by some of the state’s major private and public galleries and renowned artists, academics, and art organisations.
“The Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery was very generous in allowing me to have a lot of freedom in the way that my work was displayed.”
Reflecting on his exhibition Adam said he learned the importance of display, beyond the work itself, as well as the value in having some curatorial control of artwork displays, and he was grateful for the support provided through the RADF grant.
The exhibition was supported through a Regional Arts Development Fund grant administered by the Bundaberg Regional Council and the Queensland Government.
The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Bundaberg Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
For more information about the Regional Arts Development Fund, click here.
