Artwork above by Fatos Palushi - Albanian artist
| Art is the signature of a generation;
artists have a way of defining the times.. . . . just occasionally a certain
group of creative individuals meet and click in a way not forseen. A creative
energy flows through the group and prolific work and activity seem to happen
easily . . . . . . . if art can ever be said to happen easily. Just such
an occurrence seems to have happened with the artists group 'Mixed Visions'.
Formed for support, information and social contact early in 1995, the group comprises 50 professional artists of non-English speaking backgrounds working in the visual arts field in mediums as diverse as their backgrounds. From traditional Japanese stencil cuts to contemporary metal jewellery, as well as sculpture and painting. Many members of the group have professional backgrounds as architects, graphic designers, curators and art teachers. Some are working in their chosen professions, others are finding difficulty breaking into the mainstream arts world because of language barriers and their past lack of access to funding and promotion. 'Peregrination' was chosen as the title for this exhibition as best expressing the one point the artists have in common, the fact that they have all travelled from one point to another: whether it was from a war-torn country to Australia, from one state to another or from one point of mind to another, they have journeyed far. . . . Artworks were selected for the exhibition by a panel consisting of Tim Morrell from the Queensland Art Gallery, Frank McBride, Director of City Hall Gallery, Andrew Arnaotoupolos, a visual artist represented in many major galleries in Australia, and Julia Buss, the Exhibitions Officer for Brisbane's Metro Gallery. While the works did not represent every artist in the group, they were chosen as those best presenting a thematic thread to the viewing public. |