Platform Gallery

13 April - 7 May

Exhibition opening Friday 13 April 5.30-7pm.

A wall of saliva-dripping tongues and a yoga mat made of human hair might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of art, but emerging Blue Mountains artist Nina Grodahl is on a mission to put the abject front and centre.
 
“I want to provide a tactile experience in which the audience is shaken back into their body and into their present emotion,” says Nina. “My process involves exploring what I find jarring or confronting, and magnifying it to a scale where the only option is to experience it.”
 
“The title Yum/Yuk is my way of explaining what das unheimliche (the uncanny) means to me. The work both attracts and repels; you are disgusted but can’t look away. I hope that the audience will feel both pleased and unsettled when looking at my exhibition.”
“I have worked with the uncanny for some time in my art practice, stemming from my fascination with hair and its immediate repulsiveness as soon as it comes off the body. The abject came into my practice more recently and is now at the forefront of my mind after a recent residency in Berlin.”
 
“Originally I thought my fascination with this subject was intellectual, but the more I work with it, the more I realise it’s an unfurling of the personal; a way of processing old pain and trauma. My work is reminiscent of the human body, evoking skin folds, warmth, moisture and hair. This intention here is to be purposely uncomfortable, and in seeking out comfort from such an ambivalent place, allowing ourselves to tap into our own strength.” 
 
Yum/Yuk is visceral, disgusting, beautiful exhibition, designed to provoke thought and reflection. You are invited to touch, feel, connect - and perhaps discover. 

9 March - 9 April

Join us for the exhibition opening 5.30pm Friday 9 March. 

“Back in the day when you shelled out for an album, you’d slip off the cover and on your first listen you’d devour the liner notes, so you knew more than anyone else at
school. Good times,” says Amanda Kaye, curator and contributing writer for the group show, Imaginary Albums.
 
“This exhibition is a collaboration between writers and artists, born of an affectionate nostalgia for those heady days. Imaginary albums are the albums that don’t exist, but should, sprung from the fertile imaginations of writers and artists in the Blue Mountains.”
 
To bring this exhibition together, Amanda invited 10 writers and 10 artists to a fireplace gathering to explore ideas and concepts, listen to old LPs and read delicious liner notes of days gone by. Pair ups between writers and artists flowed naturally from this process, and then the creative work began.
 
Each imaginary album begins with the writer, who crafts the story of the work. Sometimes using a real artist and sometimes inventing musos from the ground up, the writer invents the tracks and the back-story, before passing the creative baton to the graphic designer or artist, who designs the cover art.

“The work you’ll see in the gallery will be the album covers and sleeve notes developed from this process,” says Amanda. “There’ll be a gramophone and a stack of LPs in the gallery for you to come and play, too.”
 
Imaginary Albums coincides with two major music events happening in the region: the Blue Mountains Music Festival on 16-18 March, celebrating folk, blues and roots; and the Live and Local Music Festival on 7 April, featuring local musicians in surprising venues across Katoomba, including here at Platform Gallery.
 
This exhibition has been generously sponsored by Mark and Nina Lipscombe of Cottontail Press – a boutique letterpress, fine art and photographic printing studio here in the Blue Mountains.

Each album is produced as a limited edition print run of 10 and is sold as a framed front and back set for $250.

Exhibition catalogue:

1. UNFINISHED MUSIC NO.4: THREE PHASE PEACE – Yoko Ono with Delia Derbyshire and Else Marie Pade
Imagined by writer, Stuart Buchanan and graphic artist, Ben Tankard
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2. THE FUTURE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE - A SYMPHONY IN 26 MOVEMENTS Every member of a supergroup ever
Imagined by writer, Ginger Stephen Neal and artist, Damian Castaldi

3. LIVE FROM A FITZROY LOUNGE ROOM Helen Garner and the Hopeful Earthlings
Imagined by writer, Manda Kaye and artist, Leia Sidery

4. OBJECTIFIED/CORRECTIFIED Various artists
Imagined by writer, Kelly Heylen and artist, Kevina-Jo Smith

5. LA SUBVERTA Pinch-Arse Opera
Imagined by writer, J-L Heylen and graphic designer, Kim Allen

6. A NICE HAIRCUT - THE BEST OF WITCHES WART Witches Wart
Imagined by writer, Mark O’Flynn and graphic artist, Heath Killen

7. I TOLD HER TWICE Julie London and the Redd Herrings
Imagined by writer, Solange Kershaw and artist, Bec Waterstone

8. THE LAST OPERA Opera Australia
Imagined by writer, Craig Billingham and graphic artist, Judith Martinez

9. NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL MUZAK Various artists
Imagined by writer, Jo Chipperfield and graphic artist, Hannah Surtees

10. THE CRIMSON CLAWS OF THE PANTHER AT MIDNIGHT Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone
Imagined by writer, Stephen Davis and artist, Julie Paterson ​

9 February - 5 March 2018. 

Join us at the exhibition opening 5.30pm Friday 9 February. 

“What struck me most about these priests was the lack of remorse they showed for the victims,” says Wentworth Falls artist Adam James K. “I was listening to testimony from the Royal Commission in to Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and I was inspired to take action, to make sure that society never forgets the pain that has been inflicted on these children.”
 
Over the past four years, Adam has created more than 300 artworks that focus on the victims’ pain and the lifelong consequences they have suffered, after being abused by priests and ignored by the church.

Watch our video interview with Adam.
 
The exhibition at Platform includes mixed media, painting, sculpture and video, with Adam performing a live piece on opening night, chillingly recounting priests’ own words from the Royal Commission, where their hypocrisy and lack of compassion is on full display.
 
“I’ve used elements that represent the church’s wealth, such as gold, glitter, and rhinestones, to surround the images of the children’s pain; highlighting the hypocrisies of the institution,” says Adam. 

A world-renowned photographer who has captured some of the most iconic moments in history, Adam re-trained as a visual artist more than 10 years ago, after realizing he could never completely capture with photography the raw emotion he wanted his images to portray.
 
Read an interview with Adam in The Australian about his exhibition,
​from the  exhibition premiere in Sydney in 2017. 
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“Art should be a mirror to society, it shouldn’t just be about beautiful imagery. Art should make people think. It should make them confront themselves and make them become better people,” says Adam. “With this work I want to make sure that society doesn’t forget.”
 
Adam James K’s work is in the permanent collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Portrait Gallery, National Library of Australia, Monash Gallery of Art, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Tweed River Regional Gallery, and The Museum for the Study of Political Graphics, Los Angeles, USA.

Read an article in the Blue Mountains Gazette about the exhibition.

Exhibition January 12 - February 4

Join us for opening night drinks at 5.30pm  Friday 12 January. 
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“Throughout my life I’ve faced pressure to be a lot of things that I simply am not,” says artist and fashion designer Chrissie Powell. “Seeking a tribe, a safe space where I can be the things that I am, has given me an often warped, anxiety-ridden and lonely perspective on self expression.”
 
“This exhibition puts a spotlight on all the soft, squishy, vulnerable parts of me that I’ve largely kept under wraps in the name of self preservation.”
 
Birth of Maximalism is a joyful explosion of colour, a celebration of eccentricity and uniqueness, by way of wearable art. Chrissie uses colour, pattern and texture to challenge viewers to try on a new persona and embrace their inner vibrancy.
 
“We all wear a layer of protection between our bodies and the world around us, and we are all judged and analysed based on how we do it,” says Chrissie. “So our choices might as well convey who we really are – and for me, I am a terminally unique freak.”  
 
Each of Chrissie’s artworks begins with colour and fabric as the jumping off point, followed by traditional draping, patterning and sewing techniques. The handmade woven and appliquéd trims and details she creates help to elevate the work and flesh out the story of why they have come to exist. 
 
“My process is organic, with pieces often ending up in quite a different place than where they began. The process mimics my own story, really, which is a journey towards a genuine understanding of myself and the space I occupy in the world. Like these artworks, mine is a world I am chiselling out, that I am insisting upon. It is a colourful, queer, explosion of joy.”
 
“When people look at my work, I hope they will get the sense that no matter how solitary they feel, there is a tribe of people who will embrace them for exactly who they are.”
 
Birth of Maximalism is an exhibition of wearable art and textiles. Chrissie invites you to try on the work and perhaps discover – and embrace – your own inner freak.

Exhibition 8 December - 8 January 

Join us for the opening of Women and Rhythm 5.30pm Friday 8 December. 

“I’m really interested in the power women display in everyday acts, and how this has an impact on the people around them,” says artist Kevina-Jo Smith.
 
“I am also intrigued by the way women adorn themselves; the way colour, texture and symbolism is evident in cultures all over the world. Women seem to encompass both history and modernity; tradition and invention – sometimes without even being aware they’re doing it.”
 
Three years in the making, Women and Rhythm makes use of materials originally collected as a way for Kevina to process thoughts of life, death, and renewal, after the death of her mother. Kevina has transformed these materials of women’s adornment, including kimonos, buttons and bone, into works that reflect women’s strength, identity, sharing and power.
 
“Women and Rhythm is an exercise in processing the strength given to me by other women – particularly those around me after my mother passed away,” says Kevina. “These women have given me invaluable strength through shared experience and mutual understanding. There is much power in the way women impart their skills and knowledge to other women.”
 
“The work in this exhibition is inspired by the framework of life; the strengths and weaknesses within humans and the way we support each other. For me, this work represents the time to get up and move on with life.”
 
“I hope people come away from the exhibition with a renewed sense of the power of sharing – whether it’s as simple as sharing recipes and passing down life skills, or as complex as breaking down misunderstandings between cultures.”

Exhibition 10 November - 4 December 

Join us for the exhibition opening 5.30-7pm Friday 10 November. 

I was reading an article a couple of months ago which said in the short time plastic has been around on Earth, humans have produced enough of it to completely cover the country of Argentina. It’s an outrageous statistic, and one that’s compounded by the fact that only 8% of all that plastic is ever recycled. This article came out not long after ABC’s brilliant War on Waste got the country thinking about sustainability – and thus the idea for a group show was born. Who better to examine humankind’s problems – and propose solutions – than artists?

I invited 11 local and interstate artists to consider how we might begin to deal with our plastic problem. Artists and designers Rachel Peachy and Paul Mosig, in their mixed media work Fool’s Gold, have depicted the waxworm, a type of caterpillar that eats plastic, and has been posited as a solution to our plastic problem.

Photographer Ona Janzen, who is of Argentinian heritage, has taken a more literal interpretation, producing a self portrait where she is covered from head to toe in plastic. Several artists have incorporated plastic into the artwork itself, raising questions about how we ascribe value and purpose to objects.

Exhibition 13 October - 6 November 

Repaired Relations opening night party Friday 13 October, 5.30 - 7pm. 

“I’m drawn to materials that remind me of my childhood,” says Sophie Conolly, a trained visual artist from Wentworth Falls. “I am sewing to repair and connect the past to the present; the good memories with the bad.”
 
Sophie uses materials that offer familiarity, from which she draws comfort as she simultaneously processes confronting themes.  
 
In a labour-intensive process, Sophie creates installations from materials including fabric, thread and reused paper, such as small paper ‘memory stones’ and long strands of Morse code, that spell out childhood memories such as the poems her father used to recite with her.

“I grew up in the country, so using natural materials such as seeds and leaves keeps me grounded in that memory. I choose materials that have a connection to my past - tactile, textured fabrics, or photos and letters that feel symbolic and that recall a pivotal time in my childhood,” she says.

“I use techniques which have ‘women’s work’ connotations - sewing, embroidery, papier-mâché. This is how I work - quietly and privately - and as the process has evolved themes have emerged: of childhood loss, emotional isolation and mourning.”

Work labelled as ‘craft’ has long been excluded from fine art galleries – particularly if the work is by a female artist. With this exhibition Platform is seeking to elevate work like Sophie’s as the art form it truly is; steeped in artistic process, history and meaning embedded in the work.

“The soft, cushioning, lightness of the materials helps to counterbalance the darkness of my personal memories,” says Sophie. “I’m exploring memory and time, and both of those things are light and fragile, which in turn creates a lightness and vulnerability in the work.”

Through her exhibition Repaired Relations, Sophie draws on past experiences in order to heal personal wounds and find closure – themes that are sure to resonate with audiences from all backgrounds. 

Come along to the opening of Repaired Relations on Friday 13 October, 5.30-7pm.

​Use Me Up is an exhibition of functional pieces for the home made from these leftovers – design objects such as cushions, lampshades and curtains, sewn together from a beautifully curated selection of Julie’s fabrics. Each object brings together patterns and colours that span decades, but which work as stunning creations in their own right.

​Julie’s textile design label Cloth Fabric has been around for more than 20 years, but she recently launched Scrap Cloth exclusively for the type of work in this exhibition.
 
“I wrote my Imperfect Manifesto as a blueprint for how to live a good life, and now with Scrap Cloth I am creating a blueprint for how to run a good business – one that respects the environment as well as the creative process,” says Julie.
 
It’s a perfect fit for Julie’s thoughtful, handmade textile design process, and extends her philosophy to the audience who takes home one of Julie’s pieces.
 
“When they look at their new lamp, they’re seeing not only a beautiful design object, but a way of life – a statement about treading lightly and living purposefully.  Being able to share these ideas is just as exciting to me as creating a brand new design.”

See our latest video, featuring Julie talking about the process and inspiration behind her textile designs. 
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Exhibition 18 August - 11 September
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​After many years working as an actor, photographer and cinematographer, R.K. Petrusev was acutely aware that it wasn’t getting any easier for women in her field.
 
“There was always a snide remark about being an Australian female cinematographer,” she said. “And women were getting far fewer offers and opportunities than men, despite their talent and experience.”
 
Drawing on a long-standing tradition of women in creative fields who have resorted to using their initials instead of their first names in order to have a shot at success (J.K. Rowling, anyone?) R.K. decided it was time for her to do the same thing.
 
It was her experience of sexism within the creative industries that inspired R.K.’s photographic portrait exhibition, Women With Cigars.
 
“The cigar has such a strong masculine association; you hardly ever see women holding or smoking one.”
 
“I wanted to subvert the masculine image of a powerful man smoking a cigar. In fact, I think a man with a cigar these days is clichéd and pretentious. A woman with a cigar, however, is powerful because it’s unusual and interesting,” said R.K.
 
R.K. brought together a group of women for the photo shoot who represent the breadth of diversity in the Blue Mountains community, from politicians to steampunk writers to elite ballerinas.
 
“I am interested in how such a broad range of people end up in the Blue Mountains, and I wanted this exhibition to reflect our community’s diversity,” said R.K.
 
“I have chosen to photograph these women – all powerful, established women in their own right – posing with their cigars, in black and white. Black and white has a filmic quality for me; it focuses the audience’s attention because there is less to draw the eye away.”
 
“I hope the community will recognise themselves in these images, and celebrate the diversity and strength of women everywhere,” she said. 
You can view the images from this exhibition here. Each image is available as a limited edition archival Giclee print; framed or unframed. 
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Women With Cigars will be opened by Trish Doyle MP - Member for the Blue Mountains and one of the subjects in the exhibition - on Friday 18 August, 5.30pm. 

Exhibition 7 July - 13 August

“The very idea of a weed is a cultural one, not biological. A weed is simply an undesirable plant,” says artist and designer Heath Killen. “What I’d like to understand is what leads us to view a particular plant as a pest, and what could change that perception.”
 
In Katoomba, the lines between urban and wild areas are often blurred to the point of being non-existent. Early in its history, much of Katoomba’s landscape was altered to give the place some European flavour, which was considered to be a more palatable and familiar style of mountain region to settlers and their descendants. Native trees such as eucalypts were replaced with various imported conifers, many of which still stand today. More recently, local and state governments have worked to try and reverse this trend, creating management policies for private gardens and regeneration programs for much of the forest that surrounds the town.
 
“If you see a tree with a pink tag tied around it, that means it has been deemed to be threatening to the environment in some way, and marked for removal,” says Heath. “Most gardens in Katoomba contain non-native species, many of which could be categorised as ecologically harmful - so ​what is it that compels us to cultivate one and eradicate another?” 
 
These questions are at the heart of Heath’s upcoming Platform exhibition, which, through a series of surveys and studies, will observe and document what he calls ‘Noxious Meadows’ - spaces that are unplanned collaborations between people and nature, generated by time and disuse. These forgotten and overlooked spaces often contain thriving colonies of all the imported plants that locals are trying to erradicate. According to Heath, they are a “wilderness within a wilderness.”
 
“The recent desire to turn back the clock on the arboreal character of Katoomba shows the way interact with the landscape is constantly changing. I want to invite people to reconsider the history, meaning, and value of plants that we usually seek to destroy.”

Heath's work is available for purchase in store or via the links below:

• Framed and unframed A3 'weed' prints
• Unframed A4 'seed' prints
• Prayer flags