Alyssa Fritzlaff
LOCAL artists have explored pain, in their exhibition Vast, Mapping our Pain.
Held at Arc Yinnar, the exhibition includes the projects of three artists, Lizzie Tyler, Sheena Jones and Melissa Thomson.
The exhibition opened on Saturday, November 27, and will continue until Sunday, December 19.
Ms Tyler, and Ms Jones’ pieces were mixed media sculptures, while Ms Thomson displayed a collection of photographs.
Ms Tyler said working with the two other women has been “really good”, as they are able to work on similar themes.
The women help each other to keep creating through encouraging each other and organising exhibitions and events like Vast, Ms Tyler explained.
“It’s easy to become not motivated… working on things together helps with that.”
Ms Tyler has a background at the Gippsland School of Art and completed an honours degree at Monash University in 2000.
Her piece, called ‘Gutted’, came from her fascination with how connected the human brain and gut are, and how the gut feels emotion.
Each of her 4D pieces depict floating white intestinal type structures in different positions. One of the three pieces represents waiting for death, while another is representative of resurrection.
“While we are presenting heavy stuff we keep the lightness,” Ms Tyler explained.
Sheena Jones, has worked as in installation artist and has a degree in Visual Art. According to the other artists has been a big part of organising the exhibition.
Her piece represents “the notion of loss”.
“Any loss … and the balance between ‘I wish’ and the weight of something being no more,” she said.
The art depicts infant shaped beings caught in sticks suspended from the ceiling.
Photographer Melissa Thomson has always enjoyed taking photographs. For her, the artform was an outlet during the loss of her son from an illness.
Mr Thomson’s photographs are focused around the word vast, she used the human body the re-created landscapes in one section of her display. Inspired by Psalm 135, she was interested in “how were are all created by god, and all the detail in that”.
In another collection of photos displayed, she used trees at Boolarra Cemetery.
The close up images for the tree bark look like images from an old map, she explained.
She said the other artists in the exhibition “have been very supportive,” and a great source of friendship.
To learn more about the Vast exhibition visit, https://www.arcyinnar.org/events
