“Swishy Slashy”
Jessie Angwin
7 July → 22 July 2006

The body of work explores a violent aesthetic inspired by Samurai culture, Manga and Japanese Horror. The works incorporate hand-cut paper elements and position these alongside painting, installation, electronic motors and LEDs.

The artist captures herself and her female model literally playing with toy knives. Their poses and costumes give them sometimes childlike, sometimes monstrous appearances. Representations of the artist in hand-cut paper are installed with push-button operated LED lights and the viewer is invited to push the artist’s buttons.

Like the home in which the work is set, the gallery becomes a safe space sheltered from the threat of what goes on in the world outside, where notions of identity and sexuality are not assumed and play is permitted and encouraged.

Jessie Angwin has held previous solo shows at Seventh, Artist Running Space, Blindside, Linden and West Space and been involved in group projects in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. She is currently undertaking an MFA at the VCA.

This project was sponsored by the NAVA Visual and Craft Artists' Grant, managed by NAVA with financial assistance from the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council and private donations.