Nina Elliott & Rebecca Orchard
Opening 15 Jan 2021
Exhibition continues until 15 Jan
Semi-Precious is a collaborative exhibition from Nina Elliott (VIC) and Rebecca Orchard (WA). The title of the exhibition is a play on the notion of value – which objects, routines, moments or outputs do we see as inherently valuable? How does our own context and proximity shape the weight we give?For almost a decade the two have exchanged packages through the post. This pen pal ritual became the method that underpins the collaborative nature of this show. The process of this work has been very specific with one artist creating the beginnings of a piece and then sending it to the other to complete. This has culminated in a body of work dictated by the confines of the postal system, with its physical limitations framing and determining the output.Nina and Rebecca’s union seeks to honour the devotion in detail. This work celebrates the intimacy of female friendship through tactility, shared mark-making and the ‘slowness’ of the handmade. Touching on elements of nostalgic crafts including handwriting, beading and still life with a subtle nod to the domestic, the two explore their long-distance friendship and the communication in between.
Nina Elliott (VIC)
Ordinary moments seemingly cropped, zoomed and represented fuel Nina’s practice. The work tends to be minimal stylistically so that the subject matter at hand remains the focus of the work. The process of collecting and arranging underpins her works. Ultimately her output is a reflection of her approach: methodical and purposeful. Recurring motifs include architectural contemplations, typography, screen shots - each arranged in meticulous, clean compositions.
Rebecca Orchard (WA)
Rebecca’s practice often investigates our relationship with the natural environment, what we bring in and what we keep out, exploring the binary between indoors/outdoors, domestic/wild. Repetition, pattern, movement and colour are tools often used to portray and explore, mapping, tracing, capturing the environment in a stand still. She is endlessly fascinated with the natural world, how it holds a history and poetry, mapping it in time and how it is often represented in the domestic space.