Perth Art Award 2007

The 2007 Perth Art Award opened on 10th October. The Aquisitive award of $20,000 went to Tarryn Gill and Pilar Mata Dupont. The $5,000 commendation award went to Joshua Webb.

Ian Dowling is one of the 28 Australian artist's presenting work this year.

Slopey Rock is an artwork of porcelain pieces arranged over three enamel painted aluminium panels.

The artist's statement reads:

While Slopey Rock does refer to a specific location, it is a marker in a series of related ideas. Following the drift of the Tantric aphorism, "form is the envelope of pulsation", the arrangement of micro particles that contribute to the whole becomes an exploration of patterns. Patterns of repeated elements can produce unique rhythms that in this case connect the image back to the original experience.

The layer of particles float above another image, partly concealed, but potentially just as useful in interpreting the act of being at one time in one place. Patterns in nature are changing, some more obviously than others. On our coast, patterns build then become erratic and disappear in apparent chaos, while the underlying determinants continue to conspire to rebuild new rhythms. From this viewpoint, my work is more about time than physical structure.

I tend to make work that can be considered at several levels. Close up, the relationship of each element to its neighbours and to the pronounced and interesting negative space becomes apparent. Each element was first thrown on the potters wheel then cast in porcelain to provide a resource with which to build. I would like to generate a sense of vibrationat this levelor at least perception of movement but whether I succeed or not depends mostly on a chance arrival at a particular arrangement after many.In one sense I mimic natural pattern building process itself.
Slopey rock is available for sale from the Perth Art Award. Price $8,800.
The exhibition continues from 11th Oct to 11th Nov, Perth Town Hall, cnr Barrack and Hay St Perth.

Dimensions: h 800mm, w 2500mm, d 80mm.