Telling Tales is an exhibition that explores storytelling and a shared fascination with books and the literary world in contemporary art. It opens at the Glen Eira City Council Gallery until Sunday 6 February 2022.
Each artist plays with a range of associations intrinsic to books — reading, knowledge, libraries, transformation, history, personal and collective memory, through painting, book sculptures, photography, video, collage and altered books. Artists featured are Chris Bond; Penelope Davis; Prudence Flint; Nicholas Jones; Victoria Reichelt; Tai Snaith; Charlie Sofo; and Deborah Walker. Curated by Diane Soumilas.
Details for a series of talks and children’s workshops follow. These are free and bookings are essential.
Deborah Walker — Artist
Wednesday 19 January, 1pm
Join artist Deborah Walker for an engaging discussion about her creative practice and the works in the exhibition.
Walker’s paintings contain references to reading and literature and a dreamlike undercurrent, invoking an enigmatic presence that offers a truth beyond simple language. Walker’s imagery is framed around a personal narrative, one that examines the female experience, but it is important to recognise that she does not envision people and events as fixed entities in a measurable world. Rather that these figures can be seen as things entwined in mysteries, ones that are seemingly resistant to be fully understood. While the ultimate truth of these chronicles may be unknowable, her enigmatic imagery offers a unifying vision of enduring solace.
Diane Soumilas — Curator, Telling Tales
Friday 21 January, 1pm
Glen Eira City Council Curator Diane Soumilas will present an engaging talk about the themes explored in the exhibition.
Handmade Books with Michelle Lackenby: Soft-cover Books
Saturday 22 January, 2pm to 4pm
Michelle Lackenby is the Creative Director and resident paper artist at Paperazzi Design Studio – and has a specialised interest in delivering interactive paper and bookbinding workshops for children and adults. In this hands-on workshops inspired by the Telling Tales exhibition, Michelle will guide children in papercraft and bookbinding techniques. Participants be inspired by books and reading, and come away with their own unique creations.
In this workshop learn how to bind your own softcover book then use different pasting techniques to create pop-ups and secret pockets. For children aged between 5 and 12 years.
Create a collage with artist Tai Snaith
Saturday 5 February, 10am to 12pm
Join artist and author Tai Snaith and learn about how to create a collage using books as inspiration for your artworks and to tell stories. Tai Snaith is a well-known Melbourne based artist and author with an innovative creative practice including painting, collage and ceramics. Incorporating found or made objects and her passion for books, Snaith investigates ideas around storytelling, literature and recycling.
For children aged between 5 and 12 years.
In Conversation with artists Tai Snaith and Nicholas Jones
Join artists Tai Snaith and Nicholas Jones in an engaging conversation with Curator Diane Soumilas about their shared passion for books, the processes that inform their artistic practice and themes around collecting, literature, recycling and storytelling.
Telling Tales open until Sunday 6 February 2022 at Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads, Caulfield. www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/gallery
