Chris De Rosa
A pocket-handkerchief to hem--
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
How many stitches it will take
Before it's done, I fear.
Yet set a stitch and then a stitch,
And stitch and stitch away,
Till stitch by stitch the hem is done--
And after work is play!
At some stage in my past I became aware
of a handicraft practised by my auntie (s?) whereby they would
add decorative flourishes to already existing hankies as a means
of both learning handicrafts (needlework, embroidery etc.) and
personalising and adding value to an otherwise impersonal item.
The hankie works were a response to this practice .My printed
additions were my own contemporary version of this practice,
a means of carrying on the tradition and paying a kind of tribute
to those hand crafting practices and the women and girls who
pursued them.
The hankie also provided a repeat format
with endless varieties of textile surface and embroidered pattern.
There is also an element of recycling as the hankies were mainly
sourced from second-hand and Op shops. During the printing process,
particularly whilst ironing it was impossible to avoid thinking
about the histories of these humble items and the sense of becoming
part of an ongoing narrative by way of my 'embroidering'.
2008
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Hankies, found
and printed on, 2008 |
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Hankies, found
and printed on, 2008 |
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Hankies, found
and printed on, 2008 |
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Hankies, found
and printed on, 2008 |
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Hankies, found
and printed on, 2008 |
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Chris De Rosa - Artist's Statement
My recent work stems from previous research
into native and introduced flora and its relationship to the
idea of the "replanted" individual. I am dealing fairly
specifically with women who have had some impact on my creative
life. On one level the work is a tribute to my auntie (zia Lucia)
who was a migrant, a transplant who as a young woman came to
a strange, dry, stony place from a fertile land and who with
little nurturing took root and flourished. Like the rose cutting
she smuggled into the country on her return trip to Australia
hidden in her blouse she adapted and bloomed. She never let go
of her accent and always remained a kind of outsider.
The poetry of Margaret Atwood has informed
both the subject matter and my approach to making, particularly
the way her poems can be read on an aesthetic level (the pure
beauty of the language) as well as a narrative level. The work
can be appreciated without having to fully understand her intent.
I am attempting to echo this layering in a visual language. Images
are initially sourced from "real" materials, scanned,
manipulated on the computer and printed with the aid of new technology.
They are then subject to further manipulation with traditional
print techniques.
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Transplant (detail), 2006
fabric, paper, etching, linocut, digital inkjet, embossing, blanket
140 x 115 cm
Photo: Michal Kluvanek
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Poppy, 2007
Etching on cotton handkerchief
25.5cm x 25.5cm
Photography the artist
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Chris De Rosa
1959 born Adelaide, South Australia.
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Education
1992
1989
1988
1995
1997
1998
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Diploma of Art North Adelaide School of Art (NASA) S.A.
Certificate in Art, Jewellery and Printmaking, NASA, S.A.
Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing Studies)
Multiple plate color-etching workshop, Australian Print workshop, Victoria
Imagon workshop, SA print workshop, Adelaide
Solar Plate/Monoprint workshop, Main Street Editions, Hahndorf, S.A.
Keith Howard non-toxic printmaking workshop, University of S.A
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Professional experience
2007
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2001
1997
1998
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1995/2001
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Willaston Baby Memorial, Gawler Council, S.A., Public Art Commission
Mulch Art, Adelaide City Council, S.A.
Edible Roots, Coordinate Adelaide Central Market Community Art Project
Community Art Project, Thebarton Community Art Network, Adelaide
Conducted solar plate workshop for SA Country Arts Trust, Anangu
Pitjantjatjara Land communities
Member of the SA Print Workshop, Adelaide
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Solo exhibitions
2008
2007
2005
2002
1992
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Seagarden, Helen Stephens Gallery, Sydney
Due, SOMA Gallery, Adelaide
Thingscapes, Adelaide Central Gallery 2
Panacea, Promenade Gallery, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide
Try it for yourself, Garlic at the Ex, Adelaide
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Group exhibitions
2008
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2007
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2006
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2005
2004
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2003
2002
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2001
2000
1999
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1998
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1997
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1996
1995
1994
1993
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1992
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1991
1990
1989
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Abstract Friends, Middleton Mill, Middleton, S.A.
Swan Hill Print & Drawing Award (selected) Victoria
Whyalla Art Prize, (selected) Middleback Theatre S.A.
By The Light of the Moon, Impressions on Paper Gallery, Canberra
Altered States, Wagga Wagga, N.S.W.
Fremantle Print Award, (selected) Fremantle Arts Centre W.A.
Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial, touring nationally
One, Drill Hall, Adelaide
Fabrication, Noarlunga Arts Centre, Pt. Noarlunga
Swan Hill Print & Drawing Award, (selected) Victoria
Fremantle Print Award, (selected) Fremantle Arts Centre W.A.
Calenture, Light Square Gallery, AC Arts, Adelaide
Trellis, Lucia's, SALA Week, Adelaide
Universal Gallery, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide
Swan Hill Print & Drawing Award, (selected) Victoria
Drawing Today, Central Gallery, Adelaide, touring regional S.A. (SACAT)
Open Borders, Fleurieu Peninsula Biennale, McLaren Vale, touring regional S.A. (SACAT)
Fremantle Print Award, (selected) Fremantle Arts Centre W.A.
Whyalla Art Prize, (selected) Middleback Theatre, Whyalla, S.A.
Distant Voices, RMIT Gallery, Victoria
SALA, Dog Dragon, Pt Elliot, S.A.
Fremantle Print Award, (selected) Fremantle Arts Centre W.A.
Whyalla Art Prize, (selected) Middleback Theatre Whyalla, S.A.
Karra / Karrawirraparri, Art Space, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide (Adelaide Festival 2000)
Doll Show, Art Space, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide and Object Gallery, Sydney
Contemporary Linocuts and Woodcuts, Art and Design Gallery, Woolloongabba, Queensland
Breathe, Prospect Gallery S.A.
Home Is Where the Art Is, Art Space, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide
The SA Connection, Cowwarr Art Space, Gippsland, Victoria.
Co-curated Meander and exhibited, NASA, S.A., SAPW Retrospective toured
regional S.A. (SACAT)
Mind, Body and Soul, Lipson St Gallery, Port Adelaide
SA Print Workshop, Port Adelaide Community Arts Centre, Port Adelaide
Men in Space, Union Gallery, University of Adelaide
Ethereal Edge, Works in Paper, Jam Factory, Adelaide
Settings, National Heritage Week, National Trust of SA, Adelaide
The China Cabinet, Jamboree Workshop, Adelaide. Xmas exhibition,
Garlic at the Space, Adelaide
Fables,quote unquote, Chesser Gallery, Adelaide
Irish Miniprint Exhibition, Dublin, Ireland
Swan Hill Print & Drawing Award, (selected) Victoria
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Collections
2004
2002
1990
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Scott Hicks, Private collection
Whyalla City Council, S.A.
Workcover, Adelaide.
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Grants
2007
2006
2002
2001
1999
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Arts SA - Develop new work
Arts SA - Calenture Exhibition
Arts SA - Panacea Exhibition
Arts SA and Australia Council - Central Market Project.
Department for Arts and Cultural Development S.A. - Karra Exhibition.
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Awards
2006
2001
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Image Award For Excellence, One Exhibition
Whyalla Art Prize, Print Section, S. A.
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