Nearly an exhibition
Process studies referencing childhood totems, to navigate through confused(ing) spaces.
Simple. Someone gave me offcuts of Huon years ago, when I worked in a timber furniture-making workshop (“what were you doing out there?”…making furniture...”are you the bosses sister??...no…”are you [insert male colleague name]’s girlfriend?”…nope…). I shaped it as I wanted to; someone called it a dolphin. I carried it to new spaces and people seemed to think it was okay to be something. I made more. I made a large one, as I prepared for back-to-back solo exhibitions and thought about oceanic references that haven’t left through my life; I considered how ideas can resolve through a combination of seemingly inexplicable fixations and ‘directionlessness’.
I’d made some jokes about dolphins to try and beat people to the punch, because maybe it’s fine to frivolously throw words about sometimes like lovingly shitting on yourself. I accidentally mentioned the term “dolphin-like” to someone writing an article, the published piece was riddled with dolphin references in art guide. They were never meant to be dolphins but also, perhaps it doesn’t matter if you think they are.
Here they are, with some stainless book ends, to hold things together. Building blocks stitched together, practicing TIG welding in the metal workshop I currently work in.
(I don’t get asked what I’m doing there nearly as much….I help run the space….and I am his girlfriend)