“Watching”
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Anna Louise Richardson
14 May → 10 July 2022
Woollen loops, chains and links, 15 May, 1 – 4 am
Artist Talk, 15 May, 4:30 – 5:30 am
Watching embodies the sensation of being approached, watched or singled out by animals, either wild or domestic, and the emotive resonance of these moments - reflecting ideas of death, fear and preternatural communication with the natural world. Raising a young family in a rural environment the exhibition builds on the artists' shared experiences to articulate a personal lore that voices their relationships with other living creatures. Renewing mythologies about the cyclical processes of life Watching embraces both the magical thinking of childhood and the pragmatism of living in close proximity to nature.
This exhibition is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts: Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups, and Regional Arts Fellowship (WA).
Public Program
Opening Celebration
Saturday 14th May, 3pm - 5pm, West Space, Collingwood Yards.
Childcare will be provided, please email sebastian@westspace.org.au to register.
Woollen loops, chains and links
Sunday 15th May, 11am - 2pm, West Space, Collingwood Yards.
A crochet workshop with Jill Paynter-O'Meehan and Holly O'Meehan of Golden Wattle Hookers.
Perfect for beginners, you will learn a collection of basic stitches to create your very own crocheted pouch to take home.
Artist Talk
Sunday 15th May, 2:30pm, West Space, Collingwood Yards.
A conversation between Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Anna Louise Richardson, created specifically for families. No registration necessary.
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah is a West Australian artist whose practice explores the different ways that memory can inhabit and emerge from familial spaces. Drawing on the narrative capacity of animal archetypes, crafted objects and the human presence, Abdul-Rahman aims to articulate physical dialogues between the natural world, identity and the agency of culture. Living and working in rural Western Australia, he provides unique perspectives across intersecting communities, foregrounding shared understandings of individual identity and new mythologies in a cross-cultural context.
Anna Louise Richardson is an artist and freelance curator investigating rural Australian identity and associated mythologies. Richardson works primarily in charcoal and graphite on cement fibreboard, using a realistic approach, flattened perspective, cut-out shapes and manipulated scale to amplify the subject matter. The complexities of human relationships with the natural world and the intergenerational qualities of these relationships are driving themes throughout her practice.