Materality - A conversation with Stelarc

Thursday 11 July, 5:30 – 6:30pm
praxis ARTSPACE gallery
Free, please RSVP

Join us for a special conversation with legendary Australian performance artist Stelarc, presented by Guildhouse and praxis ARTSPACE.

Celebrating the opening of Materiality, curated by dré fuzz, you're invited to hear from exhibiting artist Stelarc about his extensive performance practice and the intersection of the body and technology. For over 50 years Stelarc has worked at the forefront of exploring the limits of the human body and the separation between technology and our concept of self, interrogating binary conceptions of human/machine and self/other.

Stelarc will be in conversation with multidisciplinary artist Mike Bianco, whose conceptually driven practice explores the politics of ecology and the relationships between humans, plants and wildlife.

Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear firsthand from the acclaimed artist!

After the conversation you're invited to celebrate the opening of Materiality over a glass of wine with us and explore the work of Guildhouse members, local South Australian and interstate artists.

Materiality
11 July – 10 August 2024
Curated by dré fuzz
Featuring Patrizia Biondi, Brodie Cullen, Anika Gardener, Benen Hamon, Luca Lettieri, Loren Orsillo, Caroline Rothwell, Marian Sandberg, Jonny Scholes, Stelarc.

About Stelarc

Stelarc is a performance artist who has visually probed and acoustically amplified his body. He has made three films of the inside of his body. Between 1976-1988 he completed 26 body suspension performances with hooks into the skin. He has used medical instruments, prosthetics, robotics, Virtual Reality systems, the Internet and biotechnology to engineer intimate and involuntary interfaces with the body. He explores Alternate Anatomical Architectures with augmented and extended body constructs.

He has performed with a THIRD HAND, an EXTENDED ARM, a VIRTUAL ARM, a STOMACH SCULPTURE and EXOSKELETON, a 6-legged walking robot. His FRACTAL FLESH, PING BODY and PARASITE performances explored involuntary, remote and internet choreography of the body with electrical stimulation of the muscles. His PROSTHETIC HEAD is an embodied conversational agent that speaks to the person who interrogates it. He is surgically constructing an EXTRA EAR on his arm that will be internet enabled, making it a publicly accessible acoustical organ for people in other places. He is presently performing as his avatar from his SECOND LIFE site.

In 1995 Stelarc received a three year Fellowship from The Visual Arts/Craft Board, The Australia Council and in 2004 was awarded a two year New Media Arts Fellowship. In 1997 he was appointed Honorary Professor of Art and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He was Artist-InResidence for Hamburg City in 1997. In 2000 he was awarded an Honorary Degree of Laws by Monash University. He has completed Visiting Artist positions in Art and Technology, at the Faculty of Art and Design at Ohio State University in Columbus in 2002, 2003 & 2004. He has been Principal Research Fellow in the Performance Arts Digital Research Unit and a Visiting Professor at The Nottingham Trent University, UK. Between 2006 and 2011 he was Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Artist at the MARCS Lab, University of Western Sydney, Australia and Chair in Performance Art, School of Arts, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK. In 2010 he received a special projects grant from the Australia Council and was also awarded the Prix Ars Electronica Hybrid Arts Prize. In 2012 he was the recipient of the Michael Cook Performance and Body Artist Award. In 2014 he initiated and was director of the Alternate Anatomies Lab for two years. In 2015 he received the Australia Council's Emerging and Experimental Arts Award. In 2016 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Ionian University, Corfu, Greece. He is presently a Distinguished Research Fellow in the School of Design and Art, Curtin University. Stelarc's artwork is represented by the SCOTT LIVESEY GALLERIES in Melbourne.

About Guildhouse

Guildhouse is South Australia’s peak body for visual art, craft and design. We have over 1000 members across diverse areas of contemporary visual arts practice at all career stages, as well as arts organisations, businesses and guilds. With a clear focus on creating opportunities for artists and leading sector development, Guildhouse engages and supports artists with creative and career development programs such as residencies, mentorships, one-on-one advice, tailored business skill development, network development and opportunities to create new work.

Guildhouse has developed a diversified business model, with a growing network of philanthropic supporters and a burgeoning social enterprise that is creating new forms of revenue for the creative industries. Guildhouse is comprised of a dynamic team, supporting a growing membership base and presents a thriving annual program of events and initiatives in partnership with South Australia’s leading cultural and corporate partners.

About praxis ARTSPACE

praxis ARTSPACE is an independently run contemporary gallery located in Bowden, just outside the Adelaide CBD. Established in August 2015 by Artistic Director Patty Chehade, the Gallery takes its name from the ancient Greek philosophers’ word praxis – promoting the act of engaging, applying, exercising, realising, or practicing thoughts and ideas.

As a curated exhibition space, Praxis assists and supports distinctive contemporary ventures by Australian artists at all stages of their career, providing art collectors and buyers with the opportunity to purchase artworks at the forefront of contemporary practice.

The gallery aims to provide a program of exhibitions that includes painting, sculpture, installation art, performance, film, and artist talks. Its adjacent studios offer an opportunity for resident artists to immerse themselves in their field of practice.