States and Senses
Sylvia Griffin, Brooke Leigh, Markela Panegyres, Janet Passehl (U.S.) and Cecilia WhiteCurated by Brooke Leigh
Opening: 5-8pm Tuesday 30th April
1st - 18th May 2019
Artists talks: Saturday 11 May from 1-3pm
States and Senses is an interdisciplinary exhibition which explores intense emotional states that are often suppressed —such as grief, rage, loss, fear and anguish, and their drivers. By drawing upon wide ranging experiences of vulnerability––a term commonly associated with reduced agency––the artists in this exhibition cultivate a space for reflection, contemplation and identification.
States and Senses features new work by critically acclaimed U.S. artist, Janet Passehl and Sydney-based artists, Sylvia Griffin, Brooke Leigh, Markela Panegyres and Cecilia White––who each navigate difficult emotional and sensory terrain through different performative practices. Particularly concerned with female perspectives, these artists engage the(ir) body as subject in order to contribute to a growing, globally urgent, examination of challenging social and (inter)personal experiences.
The context of the current international upsurge of new feminist movements––such as #metoo and #TimesUp–– supports the view that the hidden or silenced voice is of critical social and personal importance. There have also been a number of recent exhibitions dedicated to states of mental health––such as The Big Anxiety Festival (UNSW Art & Design, Sydney, 2017), ––and trauma and healing––such as The Fate Of Things: Memory Objects and Art (Jewish Museum Sydney, 2018-2019). States and Senses understands the need to find ways to live differently, and this exhibition could not be more relevant to a conversation that provokes, challenges, and encourages reflection on (inter)personal connection, understanding and validation.
Performance: 'The Wait/Weight of Emotion' by Cecilia White from 6pm Tuesday 30 April Artist Talks: with special guest Noula Diamantopoulos (artist, psychotherapist and founder of BeCause Movement NFP) Artists talks: Saturday 11 May from 1-3pm
States and Senses Interview with Brooke Leigh for Arcadia Magazine
States and Senses Room Sheet (opens in new window)
Image details: Sylvia Griffin & Ellen Dahl, I Just Couldn’t Keep Him Safe (detail), 2019, archival pigment print, 110cm x 67cm
