ARTISTS
Justene Williams: I Am Your Recep颅tor, You Are My Transmitter
Justene Williams鈥� solo exhi颅bi颅tion I Am Your Recep颅tor / You Are My Trans颅mit颅ter fea颅tures a series of futur颅is颅tic trans颅mor颅phic fig颅ures based on the rep颅re颅sen颅ta颅tion of women. A key fig颅ure in the Aus颅tralian art world since the 1990s, Williams is known for large-scale works, video per颅for颅mances, sculp颅tures and instal颅la颅tions that con颅front the view颅er with par颅o颅dy and the absur颅di颅ties of mime, rec颅ol颅lec颅tion and identity.
Often inspired by the lyri颅cal vocab颅u颅lar颅ies of Dada and the rad颅i颅cal颅ism of the 20th Cen颅tu颅ry Avant-Garde, the artist rewrites our col颅lec颅tive his颅to颅ry by lay颅er颅ing exist颅ing art颅works, sal颅vaged objects and mate颅ri颅als, as a process of recla颅ma颅tion, renew颅al and rebirth, into new envi颅ron颅ments. For this exhi颅bi颅tion, Williams has reformed con颅cep颅tu颅al ele颅ments of Futur颅ist, Umber颅to Boccioni鈥檚 icon颅ic sculp颅ture Unique Forms of Con颅ti颅nu颅ity in Space, 1913 into robust fig颅ures of vary颅ing scales鈥夆�撯�塴arge, mechan颅i颅cal, lan颅guid and loom颅ing in presence.
In pur颅su颅ing a metaphor颅i颅cal link between the female body and the machine, each sil颅hou颅ette artic颅u颅lates the ten颅sions between men颅tal and phys颅i颅cal resilience. Williams鈥� abil颅i颅ty to trans颅form the triv颅i颅al颅i颅ty of sub颅ur颅ban ver颅nac颅u颅lar and the banal颅i颅ty of the every颅day into bizarre envi颅ron颅ments full of satire, play, para颅dox and the uncan颅ny, ren颅ders a strange lim颅i颅nal space; some颅where between a hal颅lu颅ci颅na颅to颅ry dream and a sci颅ence fic颅tion novella.
A for颅mer cabaret artist and dancer, her sculp颅tur颅al assem颅blage is staged as a futur颅is颅tic dance, where each fig颅ure per颅forms mun颅dane tasks in the pur颅suit of per颅fec颅tion. Act颅ing as a con颅duit between tem颅po颅ral颅i颅ties and dif颅fer颅ent states of being, these bod颅ies in motion become trans颅mis颅sions or ori颅fices to an imma颅te颅r颅i颅al or inter颅stel颅lar realm. Here, Williams com颅bines ele颅ments of both cer颅e颅mo颅ni颅al rit颅u颅al with avant-garde motifs, where bod颅ies are reimag颅ined into psy颅chopomps, per颅form颅ers, moth颅ers, daugh颅ters and lim颅i颅nal bod颅ies. As the artist states: 鈥嬧�淢y prac颅tice is obsessed with inces颅sant con颅ti颅nu颅ity, the end颅less颅ness of human effort. Its con颅text derives from an unend颅ing ful颅fil颅ment of the present time, with no per颅ceiv颅able begin颅ning or end. Recy颅cling things and ideas is an attempt at 鈥嬧�榥ew颅ness鈥�. Holes and mir颅rors are revis颅it颅ed as por颅tals, aper颅tures, and ori颅fices, func颅tion颅ing as con颅duits between times and places.鈥�
Cen颅tral to her pre颅oc颅cu颅pa颅tion with res颅ur颅rect颅ing over颅looked or for颅got颅ten fig颅ures from his颅to颅ry, Williams pays homage to the ancient god颅dess of the divine fem颅i颅nine Sheela鈥夆�撯�塏a鈥夆�撯�塆ig, and male icons, such as Russ颅ian avant-garde artist Kaz颅imir Male颅vich, the artists鈥� father and San颅ta Claus which have been recon颅tex颅tu颅al颅ized into a female form. Aside from redefin颅ing notions of mim颅ic颅ry, Williams estab颅lish颅es an exchange between fic颅tion and truth, and myth and mag颅ic. The artists鈥� abil颅i颅ty to inhab颅it dif颅fer颅ent per颅son颅ae chal颅lenges the view颅er to con颅front their own per颅cep颅tions of self and soci颅ety, invit颅ing con颅tem颅pla颅tion for reori颅en颅ta颅tion and transformation.
Employ颅ing makeshift mate颅ri颅als such as auto颅mo颅tive car颅pet, heli颅um bal颅loons, cell foam, fibre颅glass, plas颅tic man颅nequins, builder鈥檚 bog and insu颅la颅tion tape, Williams鈥� intel颅li颅gi颅ble struc颅tures have been rough颅ly hewn by hand with chain颅saws and shov颅els. Key works include: Moon颅walk颅ing Mum颅ma, 2024, a ges颅ture to Michael Jackson鈥檚 1980s dance, Boc颅cioni Babe, 2024 and Con颅gen颅i颅tal Pedestal, 2024 ref颅er颅enc颅ing Brazil颅ian artist Lygia Clark鈥檚 Bichos and archi颅tec颅tur颅al sculp颅tures often con颅struct颅ed from met颅al planes under颅pin颅ning the idea of the mon颅u颅men颅tal sculp颅ture, the plinth or the pedestal.
As a kind of robot颅ic chore颅og颅ra颅phy, com颅bin颅ing per颅son颅al nar颅ra颅tive, meta颅mor颅pho颅sis and spir颅its from our col颅lec颅tive his颅to颅ry; in Williams鈥� exhi颅bi颅tion I Am Your Recep颅tor / You Are My Trans颅mit颅ter view颅ers are trans颅port颅ed into a strange pat颅a颅phys颅i颅cal and pseu颅do-psy颅cho颅log颅i颅cal space, cel颅e颅brat颅ing the absur颅di颅ty of the human con颅di颅tion and our inces颅sant need for preservation.
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Justene Williams鈥� solo exhi颅bi颅tion I Am Your Recep颅tor / You Are My Trans颅mit颅ter fea颅tures a series of futur颅is颅tic trans颅mor颅phic fig颅ures based on the rep颅re颅sen颅ta颅tion of women. A key fig颅ure in the Aus颅tralian art world since the 1990s, Williams is known for large-scale works, video per颅for颅mances, sculp颅tures and instal颅la颅tions that con颅front the view颅er with par颅o颅dy and the absur颅di颅ties of mime, rec颅ol颅lec颅tion and identity.
Often inspired by the lyri颅cal vocab颅u颅lar颅ies of Dada and the rad颅i颅cal颅ism of the 20th Cen颅tu颅ry Avant-Garde, the artist rewrites our col颅lec颅tive his颅to颅ry by lay颅er颅ing exist颅ing art颅works, sal颅vaged objects and mate颅ri颅als, as a process of recla颅ma颅tion, renew颅al and rebirth, into new envi颅ron颅ments. For this exhi颅bi颅tion, Williams has reformed con颅cep颅tu颅al ele颅ments of Futur颅ist, Umber颅to Boccioni鈥檚 icon颅ic sculp颅ture Unique Forms of Con颅ti颅nu颅ity in Space, 1913 into robust fig颅ures of vary颅ing scales鈥夆�撯�塴arge, mechan颅i颅cal, lan颅guid and loom颅ing in presence.
In pur颅su颅ing a metaphor颅i颅cal link between the female body and the machine, each sil颅hou颅ette artic颅u颅lates the ten颅sions between men颅tal and phys颅i颅cal resilience. Williams鈥� abil颅i颅ty to trans颅form the triv颅i颅al颅i颅ty of sub颅ur颅ban ver颅nac颅u颅lar and the banal颅i颅ty of the every颅day into bizarre envi颅ron颅ments full of satire, play, para颅dox and the uncan颅ny, ren颅ders a strange lim颅i颅nal space; some颅where between a hal颅lu颅ci颅na颅to颅ry dream and a sci颅ence fic颅tion novella.
A for颅mer cabaret artist and dancer, her sculp颅tur颅al assem颅blage is staged as a futur颅is颅tic dance, where each fig颅ure per颅forms mun颅dane tasks in the pur颅suit of per颅fec颅tion. Act颅ing as a con颅duit between tem颅po颅ral颅i颅ties and dif颅fer颅ent states of being, these bod颅ies in motion become trans颅mis颅sions or ori颅fices to an imma颅te颅r颅i颅al or inter颅stel颅lar realm. Here, Williams com颅bines ele颅ments of both cer颅e颅mo颅ni颅al rit颅u颅al with avant-garde motifs, where bod颅ies are reimag颅ined into psy颅chopomps, per颅form颅ers, moth颅ers, daugh颅ters and lim颅i颅nal bod颅ies. As the artist states: 鈥嬧�淢y prac颅tice is obsessed with inces颅sant con颅ti颅nu颅ity, the end颅less颅ness of human effort. Its con颅text derives from an unend颅ing ful颅fil颅ment of the present time, with no per颅ceiv颅able begin颅ning or end. Recy颅cling things and ideas is an attempt at 鈥嬧�榥ew颅ness鈥�. Holes and mir颅rors are revis颅it颅ed as por颅tals, aper颅tures, and ori颅fices, func颅tion颅ing as con颅duits between times and places.鈥�
Cen颅tral to her pre颅oc颅cu颅pa颅tion with res颅ur颅rect颅ing over颅looked or for颅got颅ten fig颅ures from his颅to颅ry, Williams pays homage to the ancient god颅dess of the divine fem颅i颅nine Sheela鈥夆�撯�塏a鈥夆�撯�塆ig, and male icons, such as Russ颅ian avant-garde artist Kaz颅imir Male颅vich, the artists鈥� father and San颅ta Claus which have been recon颅tex颅tu颅al颅ized into a female form. Aside from redefin颅ing notions of mim颅ic颅ry, Williams estab颅lish颅es an exchange between fic颅tion and truth, and myth and mag颅ic. The artists鈥� abil颅i颅ty to inhab颅it dif颅fer颅ent per颅son颅ae chal颅lenges the view颅er to con颅front their own per颅cep颅tions of self and soci颅ety, invit颅ing con颅tem颅pla颅tion for reori颅en颅ta颅tion and transformation.
Employ颅ing makeshift mate颅ri颅als such as auto颅mo颅tive car颅pet, heli颅um bal颅loons, cell foam, fibre颅glass, plas颅tic man颅nequins, builder鈥檚 bog and insu颅la颅tion tape, Williams鈥� intel颅li颅gi颅ble struc颅tures have been rough颅ly hewn by hand with chain颅saws and shov颅els. Key works include: Moon颅walk颅ing Mum颅ma, 2024, a ges颅ture to Michael Jackson鈥檚 1980s dance, Boc颅cioni Babe, 2024 and Con颅gen颅i颅tal Pedestal, 2024 ref颅er颅enc颅ing Brazil颅ian artist Lygia Clark鈥檚 Bichos and archi颅tec颅tur颅al sculp颅tures often con颅struct颅ed from met颅al planes under颅pin颅ning the idea of the mon颅u颅men颅tal sculp颅ture, the plinth or the pedestal.
As a kind of robot颅ic chore颅og颅ra颅phy, com颅bin颅ing per颅son颅al nar颅ra颅tive, meta颅mor颅pho颅sis and spir颅its from our col颅lec颅tive his颅to颅ry; in Williams鈥� exhi颅bi颅tion I Am Your Recep颅tor / You Are My Trans颅mit颅ter view颅ers are trans颅port颅ed into a strange pat颅a颅phys颅i颅cal and pseu颅do-psy颅cho颅log颅i颅cal space, cel颅e颅brat颅ing the absur颅di颅ty of the human con颅di颅tion and our inces颅sant need for preservation.
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