THE vivid and vibrant work of renowned contemporary artist and jeweller Lisa Walker and celebrated multi-disciplinary artist and musician Brendan Huntley come to life in News from Nowhere at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery this winter. Walker’s oversized, ‘easy’ but haphazard jewellery and Huntley’s objects, paintings and works on paper embody humour, playfulness and empathy in a unique way in this exclusive exhibition curated by Dunja Rmandić.
Their shared DIY aesthetic, colourful expression and deep interest in how we navigate our world come together in three movements: Love, Awe and Togetherness. Rmandić says, ‘These works give us space and time to think, feel, be uncomfortable, be emotional, find joy and laugh and wonder why we like art in the first place and why anyone makes anything at all. Showing them together draws on the deep relationship that both artists have to craft, the body and, most importantly, to the way both address the human need to make, and see, art.’
Aotearoa New Zealand artist and jeweller Lisa Walker incorporates found objects fashioned into often funny yet intricately finished pieces, with woven string, clasps and connection points, a MacBook laptop, high-heeled shoes, plastic toys, reused material as well as jade, pearls, gold and silver.
Brendan Huntley’s work plays on his obsession with faces. Drawn from a playful nature of wearing a balaclava and highlighting the negative space – the eyes and the mouth – Huntley has created an army of unnamed characters on paper and in ceramic whose faces reveal more than meets the eye.
News from Nowhere: Lisa Walker & Brendan Huntley is on at MPRG until 18 August 2024.
First published in the Mornington News – 25th June 2024
