Jane Donlin, Faultlines, 2023 linen and cotton (detail of squares for stratigraphic sections). Photo courtesy of the artist.

EXHIBITION | MAC | GALLERIES 1&2

Inspired by the encounter and exchange of deep time, geological forces, and the Anthropocene, Mélange presents an extraordinary feast infused with parallel meanings and rich metaphorical associations. Incorporating the languages of fibre, earth, stitch, dye, and ephemeral layers of voice, video, and performance, Underfoot artists Nien Schwarz, Holly Story, Perdita Phillips, Annette Nykiel, Sharyn Egan, Jane Donlin and Nandi Chinna, draw on divergent and convergent threads through their multifaceted practices to adapt craft knowledge and slow-making in a contemporary world.

Likened to Alice in Wonderland meets the Anthropocene, Mélange features custom-designed tables on a collision course. Laden with transforming handcrafted tableware alluding to a flourishing feast, or a midden, the metamorphosed gallery environment holds coded ecological and cultural messages, conceptually drawing on the Darling Fault, a WA geological feature which runs through Mundaring and the Darling Ranges.

Check out the video by Nien Schwarz & Rory Mahony below:

Participating Artists: Nien Schwarz, Annette Nykiel, Holly Story, Jane Donlin, Nandi Chinna, Perdita Phillips, Sharyn Egan