The first exhibition and opening night of the year at Jugglers are, if nothing, else interesting events. How do we get traction out of summer slumbers and into installation modality? February 16 , 2018 was one of the best beginnings with Iranian artist, Moji Khakbaz and Brisbane artist, Clare Cowley.
Iranian artist, Moji Khakbaz invites us to consider:
“You are reading her story.She is seeing it through your eyes.You watch her expressing herself, she sees you being you, you are she, and she is you.
You are reading her story from your face. You are a part of her story and you can influence and change her dynamic. Now it is not just her story, it is your story.”
Clare Cowley’s beautiful work in Level 1 Space included a range of lithographic prints and drawings, some on found objects. As a former finalist in the Marie Ellis OAM Prize for Drawing, Clare’s mark making is well known and, going by her QCA honours supervisor, Russell Craig, she has exceptional print making abilities. The difficulty of lithography is not easily learnt, Russell said in his opening speech, but Clare seems to have an knack for it.
Downstairs, Moji’s opening speech about her being an artist in both Iran and Australia, and a woman, unpacked the cultural filters that many Australians, and Iranians, seem to have around her calling and vocation. Ignorance is best undone by education, by a slow and intentional sharing of knowledge and experience. Moji’s unusual works on mirrors including images of women alongside English and Fasi calligraphy did that and led viewers to consider their own stories in the presence of these women. The invitation to take a “selfie” in one of the mirrors and post it on personal instagram accounts with a # had more men than women engaging. Moji was fascinated by that phenomenon.
These two story telling exhibitions were the diverse and multilayered expressions of the souls of two culturally diverse female artists co-existing in a moment in time in Jugglers space. Their impact was best felt with time taken with the works as they were not appealing to collectors primarily but to those who were intentional enough to consider the layers of life across a range of cultural and other experiences.
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