Chris De Rosa  Exhibitions | Artists | News | Contact | Email

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Chris De Rosa, James Dodd, Honor Freeman, Sarah Goffman, Troy-Anthony Baylis

 

19 - 26 November, 2008

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

 

 
Hankies, found and printed on, 2008

 

 

 

Hankies, found and printed on, 2008

 

 

 

Hankies, found and printed on, 2008

 

 

 

Hankies, found and printed on, 2008

 

 

 

Hankies, found and printed on, 2008

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Transplant (detail), 2006
fabric, paper, etching, linocut, digital inkjet, embossing, blanket
140 x 115 cm
Photo: Michal Kluvanek

 

 

Poppy, 2007
Etching on cotton handkerchief
25.5cm x 25.5cm
Photography the artist

 


Chris De Rosa
 
1959 born Adelaide, South Australia.

Education
1992
1989
1988
1995
1997
1998
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


Professional experience
2007
.
2001
1997
1998
.
1995/2001
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


Solo exhibitions
2008
2007
2005
2002
1992
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


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
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


Collections
2004
2002
1990
Scott Hicks, Private collection
Whyalla City Council, S.A.
Workcover, Adelaide.


Grants
2007
2006
2002
2001
1999
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.


Awards
2006
2001
Image Award For Excellence, One Exhibition
Whyalla Art Prize, Print Section, S. A.


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