Exhibition preview: ‘Vital Signs – Interpreting the Archive’ at Blindside, Melbourne

Exhibition dates: Wednesday 9th – Saturday 26th July 2014
Opening: Thursday 10th July 6 – 8pm

Artists: Marcus Bunyan, Penny Byrne, Ray Cook, Deborah Kelly, Peter Lambropoulos, Salote Tawale
Curated by: Angela Bailey and Nick Henderson

Nite Art Melbourne: Wednesday 23rd July 6 – 11 pm

Short and sharp – on the hour, every hour – featuring artists and curator talks, music and performance. As part of the Nite Art CBD program Blindside is one of many galleries staying open late.

Queering the Archive panel discussion: Saturday 12th July 2.30 – 4 pm

A panel discussion on GLBTQI representation in collections and its interpretations with: Susan Long (Artist and SLV Librarian); Nick Henderson (Archivist, ALGA Committee Member); Peter Lambropoulos (Vital Signs Artist). All welcome.

“Vital Signs presents a unique opportunity for contemporary artists to engage with and creatively interpret the collection of the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives (ALGA). Each of the artists have a rich art practise that considers social justice, activism and GLBTQI cultures and will engage with different aspects of the collection to inform their work.

The Archives were established in 1978 and for the last 35 years has actively collected and preserved GLBTQI material from across Australia and actively sought to educate a wider audience about Australian GLBTQI history. The Archives is a community-orientated organisation committed to preserving and sharing the rich and diverse histories of the GLBTQI communities for future generations. The exhibition is presented as part of the Cultural Program of the AIDS 2014 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne and considers the shared histories of the GLBTQI and HIV communities in a contemporary representation.

Vital Signs is supported by the National Association of People Living with HIV Australia (NAPWHA), ALGA and the Victorian AIDS Council.”

Press release from the Blindside website. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

Penny Byrne
Badge of Honour (installation detail)
2014

Peter Lambropoulos
Side A (video still)
2014
Duration 31 minutes
Digital video on iPad (continuous loop)

Peter Lambropoulos
Side A, Side B and Master (still)
2014
Digital video on iPad (continuous loop)

Salote Tawale
Pocari Sweat (video still)
2014
Video

Ray Cook
Arm
2009
Photograph
80 x 80cm
Image courtesy the artist

Ray Cook
Untitled from the series Conversations with Ancestors
2014
(Lottie, Melbourne 1960’s from the ALGA collection)
Digital photograph

Deborah Kelly
Acting up (in memory of the Floral Clock action, 1991)
2014
Paper collage on Stonehenge cotton paper with pigment ink
56 x 76.5 cm