Sarah crowEST, accomplished naturally without effort (2012 – 2014), gyprock, pillows, styrofoam, cloth, acrylic elephant eyes, synthetic polymer paint, found sheet. Image by Alex Lofting.
Making, un-making and re-making are fundamental processes in Sarah crowEST’s practice. Her work has always been on the move – packing and unpacking ideas of formation and transformation while humorously commenting on social and environmental agendas. Her assemblages of blobs, lumps, found objects and textiles exemplify crowEST’s multidisciplinary practice and commitment to process. A lot is left to chance; focussing on exploration and experimentation, haphazardly stumbling on an appropriate and concise outcome.
A Serious of Objects at the Australian Experimental Art Foundation is a collection of crowEST’s sculptures and ‘non-paintings’. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the gallery, crowEST’s solo exhibition is not only a fine representation of her current practice, her materials and documentation offer a little insight into her own history with Adelaide and its artistic community.
Lining one wall hangs a series of large pieces of unfinished Belgian linen repurposed as ‘canvases’; strewn over the surface the artist has hand-stitched remnants of cloth leaving exposed marks of paint or aerosol paint – signs of its previous function, and a cue to crowEST’s commitment to sustainable materials and recycling. Similar to an heirloom quilt full of history pertaining to one’s family, crowEST has hoarded (and continues to collect) donations of fabric from friends, family, and influential types. crowEST considers herself a bit of a social recluse believing this to be her attempt at ‘networking’ and documenting her community. The pieces are titled with a list of names who have contributed to the piece, cataloguing their relationship with the artist while sharing ownership of the work without being overly sentimental.
Cycles, processes and experimentation is consistent across the exhibition. A catalogue of images pinned to the wall relay crowEST’s on-going investigations into materiality and highlight some of locations, interactions and influences the artist has felt over time. Again, this piece continues to morph, much like her sculpture, increasing or decreasing in scale. The images are both documents and artworks in themselves, some have been tampered with, and others are records of people and surroundings. While experimenting with ideas of the unknown, crowEST has created a cyclical narrative that exposes the kind of energy which can only be produced through constant exchanges of movement.
Sustainability plays a significant part in crowEST’s oeuvre. She believes in re-using materials and eliminating waste. Her sculptural pieces are constructed from a collection of discarded materials and endure a process of rearticulation with every public presentation. Her piece accomplished naturally without effort (2012-14) is a testament to her philosophy; her lumpy mound sits quietly with wide glass eyes looking out at the exhibition and inhabiting the space almost like a gallery invigilator. These sculptures are curiously funny and quirky and are reminders of crowEST’s process-driven practice. These forms have an embedded history within them – beaten, crafted, and carved into every dent of their surface.
It cannot be denied that the artist’s hand is at work in this show. A Serious of Objects is a fine example of crowEST’s
determined practice while being both playful and critical. Whether this show is an introduction, continuation or finale for some of crowEST’s objects, there is certainly an abundance of possibilities.
Rating:
A Serious of Objects
Sarah crowEST
Australian Experimental Art Foundation, Lion Arts Centre, North Tce
www.aeaf.org.au
23 May – 28 June
