You know when something just hits right? Well, (SC)OOT(ER)ING around Su san Cohn and Eugenia Raskopoulos is one such exhibition, currently on view at TarraWarra Museum of Art situated in Victoria’s picturesque Yarra Valley.
This may sound unprofessional – judging an exhibition based on “vibe” – but there are a few reasons it’s OK to trust that first-impression instinct in the context of these two matriarchal artists.
Both Cohn and Raskopoulos have been practising in their respective fields for decades and are deeply engaged with the sensorial aspects of the body, whether that be through gesture, physical imprints, wearable pieces or even x-rays. Stepping inside (SC)OOT(ER)ING around, this exploration is immediately felt through several key works that impact a viewer’s perception of light and space, ultimately changing how we navigate our own bodies through the exhibition.
Lying on a slightly elevated platform in the centre of the first gallery is Cohn’s Catch me (1998), a ring constructed of 10,000 bolt catches, with every ninth catch created in gold. It sets the space up in a ritualistic atmosphere, with Raskopoulos’ neon the other is within the self (2021) casting a bright pink glow.
Raskopoulos’ text-based neon signs in both Greek and English (though equally illegible by intention) can be seen as a play on language and identity that seeks to cast away presumptions around race, age and gender. self-portrait #2 (2024) is a more recent neon work, displayed near the exit/entrance marking the end of the exhibition. Cast in what would now be described as “Brat” green, the large loopy installation invites viewers to decipher the words, or simply be mesmerised by the flickering, pulsing neon.
The motifs of rings and circles comes back time and again in (SC)OOT(ER)ING around and, in one particular pairing, signal the artistic exchange between the two artists. swapping me for you (2024) consists of Raskopoulos’ photographed drawing made with pink lipstick in an interlinking series of gestural circles and Cohn’s doughnut bangle covered in a deep magenta shade using L’Oréal‘s “Magnolia Irreverent” lipstick. The metallic surfaces adopted in both works seem to remove an overly feminine reading and, instead, highlight the bodily against the industrial.
Cohn is known for creating wearable pieces that critically engage with topics of technology, freedom, ageing, gender, surveillance and conflict. The exhibition includes several imaginative wearable devices, such as Cosmetic manipulations: eye, nose, chin, ear (1992) – designed to elegantly lift up sagging skin – and techno-jewellery, HubHead (2002-3) embedded with a brain jack and computer chip.
The most powerful of them is Last the blast (2006), a project where Cohn worked with a mathematician to create a pendant that would survive a bomb explosion. This was made in response to the 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali in which 88 Australians died. According to the Australian Federal Police, 60% of the victims could only be identified through dental analysis. Cohn’s blast-resistant pendant contains two titanium message tags, one with the identity of the wearer and the other with a personal message for loved ones.
If Cohn’s piece can act as a bridge between the dead and the living, Raskopoulos’ monumental neon installation, and the beat goes on … (2022-24) honours mortality with dignity and tenderness. Set against an entire wall in the second gallery, the installation comprises red neon transcriptions of the electrocardiograms of 96 female artists aged 47 and above. It’s a tribute to the artist’s grandmother, who died at the age of 96 when Raskopoulos was 47.
Accompanying the installation is a sound recording of the beating hearts put together by sound engineer Robbie Balatincz. The work also has a life of its own, as whenever one of the artists dies, her cardiogram will be cast in bronze, and a new neon heartbeat will take its place.
While the pieces in this exhibition are often deeply personal, they also are reflective of the social and cultural environment around what it means to be a woman and an artist. Cohn’s major video and object installation then there is me (2024) consists of doughnut bracelets that symbolise different stages of her career and those who have inspired her.
The artists also collaborated on two videos that literally speak to each other in word of mouth (2024). In them, Cohn seeks to reclaim sexist and gendered terms while Raskopoulos interweaves English and Greek to voice hurtful phrases, some of which have come from her own experiences. A third screen in Raskopoulos’ work counts down from the number 39 to one, bringing to attention the number of women killed through domestic violence in Australia in the first half of 2024 alone. It’s a sobering reminder with a powerful presence.
Read: Exhibition review: Generation Clay, Bunjil Place Gallery
There are also other works in (SC)OOT(ER)ING around that evoke an emotive and even bodily response, furthering this underlying notion of intuition in the process of both making and viewing. The title of the exhibition itself – incorporating the artists’ initials, SC and ER – marks a deep collaborative and complementary process, resulting in an engaging and reflective display.
(SC)OOT(ER)ING around has been expertly curated by TarraWarra Director Victoria Lynn, who allows each of the works to seamlessly inhabit the museum’s vast gallery and cast their glow without interference from the space’s natural light features.
SC)OOT(ER)ING around Su san Cohn and Eugenia Raskopoulos is on view at TarraWarra Museum of Art until 10 November; tickets.
