Curated by the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia
Various venues across Adelaide
Late in 2010 the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia staged possibly one of the most significant overviews of contemporary SA artists ever to be undertaken. Including 47 artists, numerous sites across Adelaide and a hefty publication this was a project that had been a long time coming.
My contribution to the project is a series of picnic tables that have been altered and placed in both Victoria and Whitmore Squares. They have images of significant Australian paintings from the Art Gallery of South Australia’s collection carved into their tops, which double as printing plates. For me, this project is an exploration of the values placed on cultural residues such as graffiti. I find the scratchings on various public furniture to be as engaging as some of the greatest paintings that are in major institutions. I have adapted images from Roberts, Gould and Boyd, each of which portray particular notions of Australian colonialism and social identity that can still be reflected upon today.
One of the tables is to be carved on site, allowing the opportunity to interact with the general public and extend the project via discussion. Viewers are invited to add their initials or names to the surfaces of the tables.