Speakers
Andy Hutson
India Kenning
Sabio
Feras Shaheen
CAT Studio Artist Talks
5.30pm, Thursday 20 July 2023
Contemporary Art Tasmania
An evening of artist talks by CAT Studio artists in residence: India Kenning, Sabio, Feras Shaheen and CAT Studio alumni Andy Hutson.
Andy Hutson introduced Apologue Isle: A Cacophony of Yarns, a long-form project he began in 2021 during his CAT residency. Andy described the twists of fate that brought about the idea, the hurdles and considerations along the way, and where he hopes the collaborative project will end up. The project will be presented at CAT in 2024 and is supported by a $100,000 VACS, Major Commissioning Projects grant from the Australia Council. Andy’s sculptural practice tends towards the low-fi and handmade, using simple materials such as cardboard and paper-mâché to tell stories about the natural world, and our role within it.
India Kenning works in video, painting, and sculptural assemblage. During her year-long studio residency at CAT, India is focussing on an experimental painting practice using processes of staining, layering and weathering to evoke the complex systems of regeneration and decay that she has witnessed in nature, forming narratives of place. India shared her studio-life experience at CAT and the connections she has formed with colour, her materials and the environment of Lutruwita. India’s talk coincided with a CAT Project Space presentation of work in process.
Sabio is a costume designer, maker, and artist. Her practice encompasses the design and construction of characters, costumes and large works including sculptural works. Sabio and David Male were joined by a cohort of artists to initiate the inaugural Dark Fringe festival that ran alongside Dark Mofo, hosting over 50 events across ten venues from 8–25 June 2023. Sabio’s major immersive performance work, The Emergency Dollhouse was the catalyst for the festival.
Feras Shaheen’s art practice spans performance, choreography, street dance, semiotics, readymade art and digital media. The core of Feras’ practice is to connect and engage with audiences, often subverting traditional relationships between mediums to challenge audiences’ perspectives. Feras spoke about his recent and upcoming work, including Our Side of Things, a project he is co-curating with Jay Hennicke for presentation at CAT in August 2023. Our Side of Things draws on the emerging international street sub-culture of Freestyle Football – a medium influenced by football (soccer), circus, breaking (breakdance), hip hop battle culture and many other urban art forms to celebrate and elevate the ancient art of doing tricks with a football.