Athenaeum Library

Photograph by Harvard Wang

I had one of the most amazing time during my residency at the Athenaeum Library last week.
I met so many wonderful people from here, interstates as well as overseas throughout the week, as we had Rare Book Week, AIDS Conference, the Nite Art and Open House Melbourne all coincided in one week!

Photograph by Harvard Wang

Thank you so so much everyone at the Athenaeum Library, especially Sue, Tom, James, Clare and so many lovely volunteer people.

I felt so respected and supported throughout the week and it was such a privilege to be able to work in a place where I could see the weight of the history.

It was so fortunate to have taken part in such a great program in the exciting week!

Photograph by Harvard Wang

Special thank you to one of my oldest friends and my favourite photographer in Melbourne, Harvard Wang who took lots of beautiful photos of the library and my work.

Photograph by Harvard Wang

Tunnel books and Other Illuminations

If you are in Melbourne city in the week starting Monday 21 July, I would love to invite you to the historic Melbourne Athenaeum Library where I'll be making a series of tunnel books based on Japanese ghost stories and folklores with illuminations like festival lanterns.

Cat festival, 2014

I'm giving talks for Nite Art, 6pm Wednesday 23 July and the Rare Book Week, 12:30pm Thursday 24 July. 

It also coincides with Open House Melbourne, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 July.

The library will get over 4000 guests over the weekend!!

Tunnel books and other illuminations

Monday 21 to Sunday 27 July

Melbourne Athenaeum Library

Level 1, 188 Collins Street

Melbourne

9650 3100

Talks

- Wednesday 23 July, 6pm (Library will be open until 11pm!)

- Thursday 24 July, 12:30pm 

It's so cold in Melbourne but there are so many exciting events happening around town during the mid-winter!

BOOKED - exhibition

I'm taking part in a group exhibition Booked, presented by Knock Knock Contemporary Artists’ Initiative held at KickArts.

Booked features book based sculptural forms, artist books and text-based works from regional, interstate and overseas artists curated by Rose Rigley.

Featured artists: 
Raewyn Biggs (QLD), Louisa Boyd (UK), Fiona Dempster (QLD), Barbara Dover (QLD), Louisa Ennis-Thomas (QLD), Vide Freiberg (QLD), Ania Gilmore (US), Mandy Gunn (VIC), Kyoko Imazu (VIC), Liz Jeneid (NSW), Susan Porteous (US) and Rose Rigley (QLD)

I feel so honoured to be included in this exhibition with great artists who creates superb works from or with books. 
Please do have a look at their websites (as well as going to see the show if you are in Cairns) - they are fantastic!

I made this book for the exhibition.
It's what might happen in a dark forest when you are sleeping..

In the dark forest, 2014

Booked
17 February - 22 March
KickArts Contemporary Arts
96 Abbott Street
Cairns
Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm

Rabbit hunt

Rabbit hunt, 2013

Rabbit hunt is a miniature book I made during an artist-in-residence at Australian Tapestry Workshop.
It's a conflict between humans who hunt and rabbits who fight back!

Rabbit hunt, 2013

I was inspired to make this when I was flipping through books on medieval tapestries.
"Rabbit Hunt with Ferrets" in 15th century and the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries in the late 15th - 16 century really caught my eyes.

I knew Unicorn tapestries as they are often used in popular culture but it is after I started learning to weave, I realised their significance.

Rabbit hunt, 2013

There is also another suit of unicorn tapestry that really grabbed my attention called The Lady and the Unicorn.

In contrast to the Hunt of Unicorn, The suit of six lady tapestries depict five senses (taste, hearing, touch, smell and sight) plus one obscure one with beautiful red colour with dazzling millefleurs.

They are in the collection at Musée de Cluny in Paris. 

In January 2014, I'm going to see these tapestries in Paris! 

Rabbit hunt, 2013

It's a leather book!
More details are on my website.

Latest artist books

Here are the latest artist books being exhibited at Adore in Bird's Gallery.
More details are available on my website.

Invasion

Invasion, 2013

Details, Invasion, 2013

Snake forest

Snake forest, 2013

Details, Snake forest, 2013

Rachel book

Rachel book, 2013

Rachel book, 2013

These books are on display during the exhibition at Bird's Gallery until 11 May.

Bird's Gallery
236 High Street
Kew

I'll be making more books this year when I have the residency at Australian Tapestry Workshop from July to September this year. Can't wait!

Adore - opening

Thank you so much for coming to the exhibition opening at Bird's Gallery earlier this week!

It was amazing to see many new as well as familiar faces.

Thank you so much also to the gallery owner and artist Brigita La made such a lovely space and turn this opening into a great event!

Another special thank you to Jazmina Cininas, artist and my ex-lecturer at RMIT University, who made a sweet and warm speech to open my exhibition. 

She is in fact my first teacher who showed me the inky world of printmaking in TAFE back in 2004. 

I then followed her to do my Bachelor of Fine Art in printmaking where she moved from TAFE.

It was fun to listen to her when she read my work assessment written by her as well as her first impression on me.

Thank you so much to everyone! It's become such an unforgettable event for me.