Exhibition preview: ‘Vital Signs – Interpreting the Archive’ at Blindside, Melbourne

Exhibition dates: Wednesday 9th – Saturday 26th July 2014
Opening: Thursday 10th July 6 – 8pm

Artists: Marcus Bunyan, Penny Byrne, Ray Cook, Deborah Kelly, Peter Lambropoulos, Salote Tawale
Curated by: Angela Bailey and Nick Henderson

 

Nite Art Melbourne: Wednesday 23rd July 6 – 11pm

Short and sharp – on the hour, every hour – featuring artists and curator talks, music and performance. As part of the Nite Art CBD program Blindside is one of many galleries staying open late.

Queering the Archive panel discussion: Saturday 12th July 2.30 – 4pm

A panel discussion on GLBTQI representation in collections and its interpretations with: Susan Long (Artist and SLV Librarian); Nick Henderson (Archivist, AQuA Committee Member); Peter Lambropoulos (Vital Signs Artist). All welcome.

 

 

Penny Byrne. 'Badge of Honour' 2014 (installation detail)

 

Penny Byrne (Australian)
Badge of Honour (installation detail)
2014

 

 

Vital Signs presents a unique opportunity for contemporary artists to engage  with and creatively interpret the collection of the Australian Queer Archives (AQuA). Each of the artists have a rich art practise that considers social justice, activism and GLBTQI cultures and will engage with different aspects of the collection to inform their work.

The Archives (until 2020 the Australian Gay and Lesbian Archives) were established in 1978 and for the last 35 years has actively collected and preserved GLBTQI material from across Australia and actively sought to educate a wider audience about Australian GLBTQI history. The Archives is a community-orientated organisation committed to preserving and sharing the rich and diverse histories of the GLBTQI communities for future generations. The exhibition is presented as part of the Cultural Program of the 2014 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne and considers the shared histories of the GLBTQI and HIV communities in a contemporary representation.

Vital Signs is supported by the National Association of People Living with HIV Australia (NAPWHA), Australian Queer Archives and the Victorian AIDS Council (now Thorne Harbour Health).

Press release from the Blindside website. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

 

 

Peter Lambropoulos. 'Side A' 2014 (video still)

 

Peter Lambropoulos (Australian)
Side A (video still)
2014
Duration 31 minutes
Digital video on iPad (continuous loop)

 

Peter Lambropoulos. 'Side A, Side B and Master' 2014

 

Peter Lambropoulos (Australian)
Side A, Side B and Master (still)
2014
Digital video on iPad (continuous loop)

 

Salote Tawale. 'Pocari Sweat' 2014 (video still)

 

Salote Tawale (Australian born Fiji)
Pocari Sweat (video still)
2014
Video

 

Ray Cook. 'Arm' 2009

 

Ray Cook (Australian, b. 1962)
Arm
2009
Photograph
80 x 80cm
Image courtesy the artist

 

Ray Cook. 'Untitled' from the series 'Conversations with Ancestors' 2014

 

Ray Cook (Australian, b. 1962)
Untitled from the series Conversations with Ancestors
2014
(Lottie, Melbourne 1960’s from the ALGA collection)
Digital photograph

 

Deborah Kelly. 'Acting up' (in memory of the Floral Clock action, 1991) 2014

 

Deborah Kelly (Australian, b. 1962)
Acting up (in memory of the Floral Clock action, 1991)
2014
Paper collage on Stonehenge cotton paper with pigment ink
56 x 76.5cm

 

Marcus Bunyan. 'Untitled' from the series 'Deep Water' 2014

 

Marcus Bunyan (Australian, b. 1958)
Untitled from the series Deep Water
2014
Digital photograph on archival rag paper
70 x 97cm

 

Marcus Bunyan. 'Untitled' from the series 'Deep Water' 2014

 

Marcus Bunyan (Australian, b. 1958)
Untitled from the series Deep Water
2014
Digital photograph on archival rag paper
70 x 97cm

 

 

Blindside
Level 7, Room 14, Nicholas Building
37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
VIC 3000 Australia
Phone: (+61 3) 9650 0093

Opening hours:
Wednesday to Saturday, 12 – 6pm (during exhibition program)
Closed on public holidays

Blindside website

National Association of People Living with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) website Australian Queer Archives website
Thorne Harbour Health website Nite Art Melbourne website

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