I just found out my painting “Wallmatter 17” has selected to be presented as a digital display at, The Biennial Project’s extravagant, event in Venice, Italy, during the opening/press week of The Venice Biennale 57. “La Biennale di Venezia”
Thank you The Biennial Project!
TITLE Wallmatter 17
MED Acrylic paint, lime, sand, cement, sealer on canvas. (Contemporary washed veneer wooden frame)
In the media we are bombarded with images relating to the massive global refugee problem. Links to the landscape, tracing the inhuman, nomadic chaos of the exiled, wandering the earth at this time in history. Each painting has been created, using acrylic paints and oil pigment on stretched canvas. Varies sizes.
Title – Deep Blue Walking
Title – Blue on Ochre on Cream
Title – Blue on Ochre on Grey
Title – Yellow Walking
Title – White Trail Walking
Château of Versailles and the beginnings of something.
Walking through the hundreds of rooms at Château of Versailles, I couldn’t help but notice, the old, stuffy smell and the sound of squeaky, footsteps upon the ancient floors. So, I made a sound video and took close up shots of the wallpapers and other surfaces.
I mainly had a fascination with the “over the top” décor, decorative surfaces and patterns.
Below the surfaces of this show of power and extravagance, was a history of passion, debauchery, sex, treachery, brutality, corruption, torture and death. I imagined the exotic and beautiful people, the power of the Kings, the abuse of women, Marie Antoinette and the peasants who starved in villages.
I also was taken back to my childhood, when, I enjoyed being in my own little world creating, away from the real world. My mum used to make gorgeous clothes with beautiful fabrics and trimmings and I was given the leftover’s. I taught myself to make collage’s, wall hangings, to decorate my room from a very young age.
When I was older, I decorated my bedroom with scarves, scraps of fabric and tacked up old bedspreads, made from cotton and woven fringes. The bedspreads became a wallpaper backdrop for my bed that I made into a couch.
I made heaps of cushions and would sit for hours reading, Go Set and TV Week, magazines. The pop star posters were stuck onto the other 3 walls and ceiling.
Since returning from France, I haven’t forgotten the over the top extravagance of Château of Versailles and have been playing around with a few ideas and may look into having an arts residency, nearby in the future.
More textures from Versailles Palace and Chateau d’Asnieres sur Seine.
Inspirational surfaces I found at the Palace of Versailles and the Chateau d’ Asnieres sur Seine around the corner from where my daughter lives.
Versailles palace and grounds in France are extremely lavish and over the top, with gold everywhere. During my visit , I enjoyed the eclectic mix of textures and patterns of the wallpapers, the swaths of lush curtaining at the windows and the textiles on the furniture, elegant and beautiful.
Each piece in the palace was finished off to perfection with lots of intricate patterns and pure gold, gilding. The floors were creaky, but full of character. There were, extravagant marble walls, flooring and decorative marble fireplaces everywhere.
Below is a sample of some of the surfaces at Versailles and work in progress I am making from my little studio in France.
Gathering Inspiration in Paris.
Its been a awhile since I’ve been in Paris but feels like I haven’t been away at all, this time. I’ve spent the week soaking up the atmosphere, the smells, the heat, the food.
Its a really busy, vibrant, city and far from the peace and quite of the Yarra Valley, but, being out of my comfort zone allows me to explore and experiment other ways of working and documenting experiences.
Today I played around with a few ideas. I have been particularly drawn to the architecture especially, the small intricate, decorative patterns within.
I’m looking forward to a visit to Versailles palace to see all the decorative bits. Especially the antique furniture wallpaper and textile designs.
Found Abstractions
Manholes utility holes, cable chambers, access chambers, inspection chambers, maintenance holes, confined spaces) Top openings to underground spaces.
Photographs taken in Paris, France and England by Jenny Davis. 2005,2007 & 2009.
I find Frottage rubbings are fun to do. I did the rubbings, when I was an artist in residency in Spain. The rustic farmhouse was over 200 years old and once a winery. It had amazing textures throughout and the studio’s. were very generous in size.
Underground Spaces & Art. Beneath the City of Paris. Throughout the world underground complexes criss cross beneath the surface of the above-ground world. There is a thriving underground world where the average person never gets to see…unless that person knows where to look. Fascinating subterranean cities and hidden underground spaces that dwell beneath our feet.
For instance, beneath the city of Paris below the Metro tunnels under the railway, stations, is another thriving world where people work 24hr’s maintaining the entire transport system to keep it working at its peak. There’s the famous underground cemetery the Catacombs”les carrières de Paris” full of caverns and tunnels. The walls are laden with an interesting installations of skulls and bones.
Wherever I go, I like to explore hidden underground spaces. In Paris I found a very special space under an apartment. Down there, I create stories, art and listen to the silence & chatter of the walls. I like to set up little dioramas between the red doors, damp earth walls and the ground. I then photograph and make little video’s of the scenes for later projects.
I just love this story …inspires me to keep working on my art projects which link back to my own treks of working in underground spaces below Paris over the past 5 years.
Thirty years ago, in the dead of night, a group of six Parisian teenagers pulled off what would prove to be a fateful theft. They met up at a small café near the Eiffel Tower to review their plans—again—before heading out into the dark. Read full story by Jon Lackman …
I believe art can no longer be only confined within the walls of established art institutions and be thought as only painting or sculpture. At a time when we are at the peak of global creativity I see artists refusing to be labelled and contained. Art venues and spaces are struggling to keep up and are experimenting with new ways to present this explosion of creative output artists for multidisciplinary and multidimensional.
When I was in Paris last time, I saw evidence of this. In a city of almost 300,000 living artists Paris seems to find creative outlets for multidisciplinary and multidimensional. Little “Hybrid art” spaces are popping up everywhere in the streets. Artists themselves have had to think of innovative ways to get their art seen. Many making their home an art space open to the public.
Art squats, sandwiched between homes in residential areas, art has taken over abandoned buildings where a rich cultural life of concerts, debates, exhibitions, lectures and workshops unravels in clandestine venues.
When I’m in Paris I have a couple of creative spaces I made out of necessity. “Studioinabox” and “The Dungeon”
“Studioinabox” is a wooden trunk in the apartment living room where all my creative materials are stored. I create the work on top of the box or the floor space. I may even display or exhibit in side the box. As I move from country to country, my “nomad art’ has to be small and transportable. I enjoy the challenge creating in the immediate space and using only items, I collect from the streets,used packaging and a few other bought art supplies that I can fit into my “Studioinabox’
‘The Dungeon” is a space underneath an apartment block in Paris. It’s damp, smelly and creepy with dark corridors, full of earth walls with red wooden doors. The lights are on a timer and go out every minute, so you can be stuck in a very unearthly dark abyss, if you don’t press one of the buttons on the wall quick enough. I have devised a way to stop them turning off and over the years, I have become more brave and allow myself to connect to the dark hole, for longer periods. Eventually I want to open the space and show my video and photography down there. I also have ideas of a performance in the space.
In Australia, I find there are too many artists and not enough art spaces as well. So, I’m playing around with a few ideas using my home and website, as my art space for all sorts of creative experiments. Nothing, is fully formulated or resolved yet, and will keep you all informed of my progress from this blog.
Do you have a special space where you create and show your work?
WATCH my…
Gleaning Paris for Art Materials video. From the streets of Paris I collect stuff,junk to create with, plus other inspirations behind my ideas. Works in progress from my studio’s in Paris, Spain and Australia. Photos taken in Paris, Spain and Australia.
All artwork copyright to Jenny Davis
Thank you very much to John R. Math at Light Space & Time Gallery for choosing my painting, VM IMP. Berlin as 2nd. prize in the Abstracts Art Exhibition .My work was chosen from 550 other artists from all over the world.
All winners will now be featured on the Light Space & Time website for the month of July 2011. Thereafter, the artworks and links to the artist’s websites will remain online in the Light Space & Time Archives. Congratulations to our artists who made our Abstracts Art Exhibition so successful this month. At any time, we invite our winners and other interested visitors to link their websites to the Gallery’s archive page for further ongoing promotion.
2nd Place Winner – Jenny Davis – “VM6 IMP. Berlin”
Jenny Davis is an Australian artist, working from studio’s in Victoria Australia and Paris France, where she sometimes lives. As an artist, she enjoys working in many disciplines including: painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, collage, recycled design, sound and virtual worlds. Jenny has shown her work in many countries, including Australia, Germany, Spain, France and USA. Her work is in private and public collections across Australia, UK, Europe and the U.S.A. Outlook8studio
Upstairs at Duroc is an English language literary and art journal based in Paris.
The next issue no. 13 of Upstairs at Duroc will be out late 2011
Why am I pleased ? because 2 of my art pieces “Parisgrit” and “250 Degrees” have been selected to be published alongside notable writers.
I will let you know more about this exciting news when Upstairs at Duroc No. 13 magazine is out and ready to read.
My French son-in-law can be so much fun. When I go over to Paris we both go out and glean stuff off the streets. We do it on foot as we don’t have a car. Usually we leave my daughter at home as she is not as keen as us, to collect what we like. Once we are back at the apartment with our stash, I sift through it and set aside a little to play with and then I send the rest back home to Australia.
I haven’t been to France for over a year now and today I received a mysterious brown box in the post from Paris.I wasn’t expecting anything so, I was very excited to open it.
I eagerly opened the box and inside was a gorgeous pile of stuff. When I say stuff, I don’t mean glamorous things from Paris, like Loreal , Chanel or Louis Vuitton hand bags. I mean, the box was a treasure trove of French ‘detritus” litter, junk, rubbish. Stuff that usually goes into landfill, stuff gleaned from the streets of Paris. Food packaging, pretty boxes, champagne bottle tops, clothing tags, fabric scraps, glow in the dark bits of plastic, advertising and all kind of paper ephemera plus a replenish supply of baguette bags for my handmade books ….
All this wonderful stuff I reclaim and use in my collage and sculpture.
Merci, Merci , Merci ! Davidx
View my video on “Gleaning Paris for Art Materials”
My art is inspired by underground spaces and the debris left behind in the streets.
Graffiti, graphics and consumer packaging I collect from cities worldwide.
Have your speakers on and please enjoy my video! “Urban Strazz”
MEET THE TENANT BOOK (20% discount)
During the week I was cleaning out my book shelves and came across my book, “Meet the Tenant”. An underground survey of Paris. It’s an unusual photographic survey of Paris. My photographs in this book are a “non-clichéd” look at Paris. Instead of focusing on the famous monuments, I zoom in on what is beneath the surface, photographing hidden places, including a storage area under an apartment.
I know I’m crazy but, I love spaces underground.
“There’s a life underneath the earth, and people don’t know about it, but it’s very busy and living,” she said.“I have taken photos of the Eiffel Tower but I go under it, and look at closer fragments.”
If you would like to buy a copy of my book…
DESCRIPTION: ” Meet the Tenant” Photography in Paris Australian Artist Jenny Davis. After a venture into the dungeon area under a Paris apartment. I could feel past lives lurking within its damp walls and eerie narrow chambers of numbered red doors. I spent many days down there alone soaking in the atmosphere of the space in order to connect to some sort of creative energy which eventually took off in all directions. I am fascinated by the beauty in the unseen the contained and murky, sometimes thought of as dirty and ugly.
11 Feb 11 @ 06:01am by Kimberley Seedy
Jenny Davis shows some of the paintings and photographs at her Burrinja Cafe exhibition.s LAWRENCE PINDER N33FP405
A COLLECTION of paintings and photographs featuring some overseas locations are on display in a new exhibition in Upwey. Abstraction and Beyond, featuring the work of artist Jenny Davis, is on at the Burrinja Cafe until March 1.
It consists of seven framed abstract oil paintings on paper, created in Barcelona in 2005, together with mounted night photographs shot in underground locations in Paris in 2010.
Davis describes her photographs as a “non-cliched” look at Paris.
Instead of focusing on the famous monuments, she zoomed in on what was beneath the surface, photographing hidden places, including a storage area under an apartment.
Davis said she loved the spaces underground.
“There’s a life underneath the earth, and people don’t know about it, but it’s very busy and living,” she said.
“I have taken photos of the Eiffel Tower but I go under it, and look at closer fragments.”
Thank you Tyrrell’s wine, Mirvac and Sebel Heritage
“Outlook View”
Thinking of my home when I was in Europe.
This is the digital art print created from a
section of one of my original oil paintings for a wine label
Last night I attended a cocktail evening at the Sebel Heritage in the Yarra Valley. The whole idea of the evening was to introduce exhibiting artists to the new manager to chat about the current Yarra Valley Arts exhibition displayed at the resort.What a nice surprise I had when they announced my painting “Outlook View” was the winning entry for the Tyrrell’s Wine label competition. I was so excited, especially as I’d forgotten I entered the competition.
As an artist I love the idea that my art will travel, “Nomad Art” on a wine bottle.
Why should art be only framed on a gallery wall?
Although I didn’t get paid in money for my design I couldn’t think of a better marketing tool for getting my art seen and tasted:). The exposure for my art will be extensive, especially as Tyrrell’s wine is sold widely in Australia and exported all over the world. I was also presented with the new wine label beautifully framed, a gift card from Mirvac hotels & resorts and the most beautiful bunch of flowers. In the future I may even receive a case of the wine with my artwork.
Winning the competition also got me thinking a lot about the art on a wine label…
I know, when I buy a bottle of wine, I choose it primarily for its label. If the label is dull and boring visually, I won’t buy it. I also think the design of a wine label could make or break a new wine introduced to the market.
Do you choose a wine by the label?
A list of artists who have created a Château Mouton Rothschild label. Many of the artists received no payment for the work, but were given cases of wine, including of the vintage which they have illustrated.
• 1924: Jean Carlu
• 1945: Philippe Jullian
• 1946: Jean Hugo
• 1947: Jean Cocteau
• 1948: Marie Laurencin
• 1949: André Dignimont
• 1950: Arnulf
• 1951: Marcel Vertès
• 1952: Léonor Fini
• 1953: Centenary year commemoration
• 1954: Jean Carzou
• 1955: Georges Braque
• 1956: Pavel Techelitchew
• 1957: André Masson
• 1958: Salvador Dalí
• 1959: Richard Lippold
• 1960: Jacques Villon
• 1961: Georges Mathieu
• 1962: Matta
• 1963: Bernard Dufour
• 1964: Henry Moore
• 1965: Dorothea Tanning
• 1966: Pierre Alechinsky
• 1967: César
• 1968: Bona
• 1969: Joan Miró
• 1970: Marc Chagall
• 1971: Wassily Kandinsky
• 1972: Serge Poliakoff
• 1973: Pablo Picasso (posthumous recognition – in memoriam, as he had died in Mougins in April of that year)
• 1974: Robert Motherwell
• 1975: Andy Warhol
• 1976: Pierre Soulages
• 1977: Tribute to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who stayed at the chateau in April 1977
• 1978: Jean-Paul Riopelle (2 labels)
• 1979: Hisao Domoto
• 1980: Hans Hartung
• 1981: Arman
• 1982: John Huston
• 1983: Saul Steinberg
• 1984: Agam
• 1985: Paul Delvaux
• 1986: Bernard Séjourné
• 1987: Hans Erni
• 1988: Keith Haring
• 1989: Georg Baselitz
• 1990: Francis Bacon
• 1991: Setsuko
• 1992: Per Kirkeby
• 1993: Balthus (2 labels)
• 1994: Karel Appel
• 1995: Antoni Tàpies
• 1996: Gu Gan
• 1997: Niki de Saint Phalle
• 1998: Rufino Tamayo
• 1999: Raymond Savignac
• 2000: Special gold enamel relief of the “Augsburg Ram” in the Mouton museum
• 2001: Robert Wilson
• 2002: Ilya Kabakov
• 2003: 150th Birthday Tribute
• 2004: Charles, Prince of Wales
• 2005: Giuseppe Penone
• 2006: Lucian Freud
