Summer Camp launches in Sydney and Melbourne over the first two weekends in November. In development for over two years, the festival swings an irresistible lineup canvassed with diverse local and international talent.
Holly Block’s ‘It’s Love’ (2021) pulls at perception. Its surreal composition with little aesthetic refinement carries charm and unease. The dolls never satisfy in their form, nor does the barred-back, worn setting echo the multiverse to which they belong than beckon the unrecognisable. Behind the dolls, a mirror with a vintage frame smeared with Vaseline obscures reflection. On inspection, the words ‘You are beautiful’ become apparent.
Groundwork exists with both humble and dynamic energy, a duality owing to Mark Galea’s spatial and colour awareness transfixing his work with a presence open to the viewer’s approach.
Rebecca Belmore’s corpulent force carries Turbulent Water, Australia’s first solo of the celebrated Lac Seul First Nation (Anishinaabe) artist. Showing at Buxton Contemporary until May, the exhibition broadly positions Belmore’s works: video projections with performance and sculptural elements which nurture Indigenous peoples’ cultural bonds and abrasions.
A non-linear narrative spun by its emotional axis risks not engaging some audience members with more substance. But, whatever the outcome, He/r doesn’t shirk away from its sensitive nature. The production centres on the unfettered psychology of queer women, coming full bloom through organic emotions instead of a clear cut socio-political takeaway. Although teetering toward overly stimulating and elusive, He/r mediates friendship with a raw, mesmerising quality.
Through an extravagant pose plastered on a billboard, Thai-Australian artist Kawita Vatanajyankur asks viewers to consider the human labour expended within their consumption habits.