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Florid series, 2014

This body of work began in the Czech Republic while I was visiting my mother’s homeland. Immersed in such a long history full of beauty and dark passages I developed a further interest in the notion of self.  How an individual is constructed, threaded together by divergent strands of culture as well as the moments of time and place in which we exist. The echo of events and memory that reverberate throughout our lifetimes.  Gentle strands or crude stitches – the pattern of conditioning imposed by external and internal influences, by our simple yet almost all-consuming need to survive – biologically, socially, psychologically.  And our equally strong desire for comfort.

 

I became intrigued by seemingly mundane decorative objects and minutia such as lace hankies and crocheted doilies. I wondered how these inanimate objects dictated certain types of behaviours.  How, for me, these objects evoked a rush of memories from my childhood.  Sitting at the kitchen table on my Dad’s farm while Nanna pours the tea and I wait until biscuits are offered.  Trying not to swing my legs; thongs resting on my big toes and remembering to sit up straight.  These small delicate objects weaved with such care over extended amounts of time are so contrived in their simple, symmetrical patterning yet they dictate so much. –  Mel Dare

 

Exhibited in Florid at 45 Downstairs – Melbourne 25 February – 22 March 2014  and  Turner Galleries – Northbridge, WA  4 July – 2 August 2014.

 

Florid showcased recent works by eight Western Australian mid-career artists who reference histories of decoration in order to explore subjectivity, identity, colonialism and/or nationalism.  Florid is a group exhibition curated by Clare McFarlane and Andrew Nicholls. Participating artists: Olga Cironis, Thea Costantino, Mel Dare, Eva Fernandez, Susan Flavell, Ryan Nazzari, Clare McFarlane & Andrew Nicholls.  This exhibition included sculpture, photography, painting, ceramics and drawing.

 

Review Florid  2014 Artlink

Review Florid 2014 West Australian newspaper

CONTACT

Mobile: +61409937022
Email: melaniedare@hotmail.com
#repost @galleries.ecu @downloader_ __ Throwback #repost @galleries.ecu @downloader_
__

Throwback to the 2021 exhibition 'Pulling Threads' by artist Mel Dare (@meldareartist) and curated by Sue Starcken. Through Dare's solo exhibition, she seeks to convey the intricacies of personal narrative. Dare explores the fabric of our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. The artist asks: when we discover a loose thread do we unpick, resew, cut or pull gently to see where it leads?

https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/arts-and-humanities/ecu-galleries/past-exhibitions/exhibitions/2021/pulling-threads

#westernaustralianartist #sculpture #exhibition #perth #narrative #storytelling #2021
If you haven't seen this year's Joondalup Invitati If you haven't seen this year's Joondalup Invitation Art Prize it's closing this Sunday the 23rd at Westfield Whitford City. Showcasing 30 WA artists including Bori Benko, Holly O’Meehan, Pascale Georgi, Christopher Hummel, Kay Wood, Kirsten Hudson and Mel Dare (see images).

Exhibition closes on Sunday 23 October.
Photos by Shot by Thom.

Recommendation:  don't go last minute Sunday as you may be disappointed (the artworks may be in the process of being packed up).

#artinperth #perthartexhibition #perthart #invitationartprize #cityofjoondalup
Earlier this year I had my first podcast with the Earlier this year I had my first podcast with the wonderful Gabriella Filippi. She has been interviewing creatives in our local community. 

It was a little scary at first but ended up being a great chat. We talked about my work as an artist, artist residencies, working in prison and so much more. If you're interested - check it out! 

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Audible.

This podcast was made with the support of City of Stirling through their Community Creativity Fund.

#meldare @meldareartist @bassogal @citystirlingwa #artistpodcast #perthartist #australianartist
Exhibiting in the Joondalup Invitation Art Prize 2 Exhibiting in the Joondalup Invitation Art Prize 2022 at Westfield Whitford City, Hillarys, WA until the 23rd of October.

Artist statement:  The threads of our experiences create the fabric of our personal narratives. They inform us who we are, how we relate to the world and how it relates to us. Mel Dare is interested in how the self is constructed, threaded together by divergent strands of culture as well as the moments of time and place in which we exist. Patterns of conditioning are formed: our need to survive and our desire for comfort. Personal experience has become an entry point of the artist’s ongoing research. Recently she hiked the gorges of Karijini. The layers of rock, compressed and twisted, writhing and breaking apart over billions of years. The capillaries formed, skin particles and skin layers with pores. 

This experience and her meditation practice gave Dare the space to reflect on the last few years of her struggles with mortality – the passing of her father, overcoming her own health problems as well as the perspective gained from middle age. This propelled the artist to investigate her own patterns, which began in childhood, and the nature of identity itself. “...trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body. This imprint has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present.” Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score.

Artwork details: Mel Dare, The Past Lingers, Acrylic paint and ink plus graphite on Caravaggio linen, 152 x 152cm, 2022

#meldare #joondalupinvitationartprize2022 #contemporaryart #painting #perthartist #artprize #australianartist
If you're interested in seeing a showcase of conte If you're interested in seeing a showcase of contemporary WA art check out the 2022 Joondalup Invitation Art Prize. On display are the artworks of this year's 30 selected visual artists (including myself) for this annual award. Curated by Matthew McAlpine. Open to the public from today until Sunday 23th October 2022 at Westfield Whitford City, Hillarys (ANZ entrance). 

#australianartists #waartists #meldare #groupexhibition #artprize2022 #contemporaryart
Work in progress for the Joondalup Invitation Art Work in progress for the Joondalup Invitation Art Prize 2022.

Inspired by hiking in Karijini gorges, meditating and contemplating mortality. 

#workinprogess #meldare #iap2022 #painting #australianartist #artistinstudio
SOLASTALGIA fundraising art exhibition officially SOLASTALGIA fundraising art exhibition officially opening tonight 6pm @ Lost Eden Creative, Dwellingup. Open: 3 Dec - 6 Feb. 

Over 80 artists have contributed artwork to this good cause. Proceeds of the fundraiser will go to 'Save Dwellingup Discovery Forest' and WA Forest Alliance. More info can be found at
www.dwellingupdiscoveryforest.org

#solastalgiaexhibition #groupexhibition #fundraiserevent @lostedencreative #dwellingup
Exhibiting at the SOLASTALGIA fundraising art exhi Exhibiting at the SOLASTALGIA fundraising art exhibition. Opening tonight 6pm @ Lost Eden Creative, Dwellingup. Finishing 6 February. 

Over 80 artists have contributed artwork to this good cause. Proceeds of the fundraiser will go to 'Save Dwellingup Discovery Forest' and WA Forest Alliance. More info can be found at
www.dwellingupdiscoveryforest.org

Artwork details: Mel Dare, Don't Be Such a Girl 8, acrylic paint and ink on canvas, 30.9 x 30.9cm, 2021. 

#meldare #solastalgiaexhibition #groupexhibition #fundraiserevent @lostedencreative #dwellingup
Last week of Gotham Gets Pickled at Holmes à Cour Last week of Gotham Gets Pickled at Holmes à Court Gallery @ no.10. Finishes this Saturday the 4th December at 5pm. Open Tues - Sat 11am - 5pm. 10 Douglas Street, West Perth

Artist Statement: 

Green. Paddocks of wheat in early Spring. The Avon River in Winter. My favourite turtleneck skivvy when I was five. The sweet moist smell of forest undergrowth.

For the last 20 years I have been interested in personal narrative. Particularly how it is constructed within individual subjectivity. The process of why and how people choose certain events and experiences from their culture, families and day-to-day living to build stories by which they navigate, view and understand their lives.

As a child green was my favourite colour. Peaceful, soothing, full of hope and renewal. Now as an adult the colour green has other meanings. Political, environmental and personal. This body of work investigates a few of these divergent aspects of my relationship with the colour green. Particularly the changes in comprehension, understanding and knowledge which come with the passage of time.

ARTWORK DETAILS:

Mel Dare, Green 1, 2 and 3, acrylic paint and ink on Caravaggio linen, 2021

Image by the artist. 

#meldareartist #gothamgetspickled #groupexhibition @gallery.hac #australianartist #gothamstudios #contemporaryartist #painting
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