HARRIET MURPHY
Interview with Billie Posters
Billie Posters. Untitled (Funeral Masks).2022. 3 pieces, pure zinc. 2022. Image courtesy of Billie Posters.
Billie Posters. Untitled (Death Mask).2022. Pure bismuth. 2022. Image courtesy of Billie Posters.
EXHUMATION OF AN ALIEN
Solo show
AD Space
1-11 June, 2022
Harriet Murphy (HM): What is the underlying current between your works in "Exhumation of an Alien"?
Billie Posters (BP):The exhibition was meant to be an imaginary archaeological exhibit. I guess I wanted to do that because I was thinking about antiques and the political-economic importance of objects and their reliability in recounting history. And I wanted to imagine what ‘prestige objects’ from a society with a queer ruling class would look like if I had made some of them.
The strongest “underlying current” is probably figuration. I was trying to use objects and a reduced pictorial language to give figurative representation to queer bodies that maybe don’t identify anatomically, or very affirmatively to a traditional figure sculpture.
HM: You have used multiple mediums in this collection, what made you choose these mediums?
BP: The different materials reflect this interest in antiquity: bronze statue, ceramic vessels, metal masks. It’s almost a group of things typical in category to the living and archaeological record of a variety of wealth lead cultures across history. Thats the stuff I wanted to reimagine for this series, the cliche.
HM: Were there any roadblocks you faced while creating your works?
BP: Well two of my unfired pots were stolen outside of Coles. And a number of failures occurred in firing and the construction of the work, the shapes were pretty challenging to put together and decorate. Drawing calligraphic curved lines on a round 3D surface took some practice.
HM: How has your art practice evolved?
BP: I feel like I am a lot closer to a style of ceramic decoration that provides me a really rich visual imagination for sculpture, after this series.
HM: Do you have any advice for up and coming artists?
BP: I don’t want to be the blind leading the blind, but just try different things and make the art making the important part of why you want to be an artist, because that will be the rewarding part ultimately, I imagine.
HM: Are you currently working on a new collection?
BP: Yes, I am working on a series of agate ware bottles and jars to show in this year's Annual at UNSW Art and Design. I’m focusing on venerating utilitarian crafts: mother-model potting, court sketches from Britney Spear’s trial and my great grandfather's newspaper cartoons.
Billie Posters. Untitled (Vessel) (detail view). Ceramic. 2022. Image courtesy of Billie Posters.
Billie Posters. Untitled (Vessel) (detail view). Ceramic. 2022. Image courtesy of Billie Posters.
