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2011 Woven Disparity - To Worlds Arts Exhibition Centre, Cairns

As the curator of the September 2011 exhibition, “Woven Disparity” located at the Two Worlds Arts Exhibition Centre in Cairns, I am pleased to present to you the works of contemporary artists; Briony Barr and Bai Yiluo. The following articles will explore how each of these artists works to convey the notion of change and interrelationship to achieve a sense of “Woven Disparity”. Bai Yilou’s 2007 Body of work, Civilization, leaves a lasting impression on the viewer for he effectively composes his instillations to instill a sense of both intrigue and angst. Yilou’s visual language further promotes such reactions and communicates his personal aesthetic particularly through his utilization of lighting and effective composition. Bai Yilou; through the juxtaposition of his subject matter, has the ability to make a forceful impact upon anyone who passes. Such contrast is at the core of “Woven Disparity”. Briony Barr achieves the same as she uses natural urban landscapes as a canvas upon which she layers with purely abstract yet organic lines that have little relation to each other but lots to do with the relative space and movement of the artist. The spontaneity of Barr’s artificial lines in contrast to the relatively permanent and structured developments of the city encapsulated to the exhibitions the theme of Woven Disparity. The curatorial thread that links the two diversely expressed personal aesthetics to each other is the fusion of concepts that are not typically represented in close proximity and relatedness. The following two articles on Briony Barr and Bai Yiluo will explore how these artists utilize aspects of their personal aesthetic to communicate their intended meaning. Both artists have conveyed the concept of emergence as unification between interrelated yet disparate concepts and landscapes depicted in their art.

Bai Yilou

Bai Yilou’s 2007 body of work, ‘Civilization’ encapsulates the essence of “Woven Disparity,” through a masterful combination of impressionable subject matter and its relative juxtaposition. In contrast to his usual photographic media, Yiluo has used an installation form of media to present this particular body of work. The instillations that will be showcased at the 2011 “Woven Disparity” exhibition foregrounds the issue of the prejudice that persists to exist between social classes. Yilou communicates his socio-political concerns in a fairly explicit manner, using subject matter representative of aristocratic society violently juxtaposed to that of the working class. Such forms are in no way manipulated but rather severely damaged, signifying brutality and violence to be an inevitable component of human nature in order to effect change; to emerge. Bai Yilou; being of Chinese descent, has been motivated to comment on humanities cyclical struggle for freedom by his own experiences of injustice. Yilou invites the viewer to share in his emotional suffering through the tense atmosphere he creates by deliberate juxtaposition of the rawness of the pitchforks (representing the laborers), and the punctured, yet else what majestic, aristocratic busts. Yilou’s contrast between social classes ties in effectively with the theme of “Woven Disparity,” suggesting no singular element (no matter how isolated it may seem) ever completely stands alone. While this unification is not a peaceful one, Yilou successfully communicates that negative emergence of turmoil is necessary in order to shock society into a state of liberty. Yilou uses lighting and tonal contrast between the steel pitchforks and the ceramic busts to emphasize the density of the atmosphere, leaving the viewer to be somewhat overcome with an intruding feeling of hardship and revenge. His work ties in beautifully with the focusing theme of disparity and the underlying concept of emergence. This is evident in his ability integrate elements from either side of the social spectrum to communicate emergence through society’s constant transition from equality to corruption and back again.

Briony Barr

Briony Barr’s complex aesthetic compliments the theme of the exhibition. Her body of work “Drawing and Undrawing” seems chaotic at first assessment; however, Barr represents a contrast between the artificial and the natural. Her works project a sense of impermanence in contrast to the permanent scenery of the urban city. Barr achieves to communicate such a concept via the application of tape directly upon the exhibition surfaces. The tape is applied directly upon the surfaces of her surroundings in accordance to her movement around the space. The spontaneity of the marks compliments the arbitrary theme of the ‘Woven Disparity’ exhibition. Barr’s instillation work invites the viewer to make connections between the placements of tape marks but also consider the contrast between the spontaneity of these marks in opposition to the structured surroundings. Barr’s primary piece that will be exhibited at ‘Woven Disparity’ is called ‘Bifurcating Forest’ (pictured below). It shows impermanent lines drawn onto a windowpane. Beyond the chaotic collection of lines lies a story of a previous exhibition that takes place at Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts. It depicts Barr’s ‘undrawing’ process by which she captures the deconstruction of the work. Beyond the windowpane, remains of the exhibition lie including masking, electrical and cloth tape heaped in a pile. What remains in its ‘drawing’ state are the marked line on the windowpane. The viewer is invited to see the ‘Bifurcating Forest’ through the artificiality that remains drawn on the windowpane. They are also encouraged to recognize the different stages of Barr’s exhibition by comparing the state of the external environment to that of the constructed state of the windowpane. Her work is always site specific which assists in communicating her intended message of impermanence and how the subject matter of her work contrasts the external environment and is reactive to internal features; human movement. Just as Bai Yiluo, Barr’s installations are relatively confronting. The density of Barr’s compositions allow the viewer with the freedom to make connections and distinctions. Barr’s distinctive personal aesthetic is communicated through her unconventional way of presenting her art. Her choice of media encourages the viewer to accept the negotiation of space between the limitless and almost intrusive subject matter and the exhibition walls. The viewer is left to identify the subtle interrelatedness of each mark but also accept the spontaneity of each. Barr’s work at first assessment seems beyond random; however; critical visual deconstruction on behalf of the viewer will expose the complex nature of her work and take the eyes of the viewer on a journey. Barr’s ‘Drawing and Undrawing’ represents a perfectly balanced relationship between complete chaos and logic. Such a harmonious contrast serves as the perfect catalyst to communicate the complex essence of ‘Woven Disparity”.

The reason that two artists with extremely diverse personal aesthetics have been chosen to represent the essence of 'Woven Disparity'