In Spite of Myself

Nicola GunnCritically lauded and awarded Nicola Gunn takes audiences on a journey that is stranger than autofiction in her new show In Spite of Myself – a mind-bending, humorous and heartfelt exploration of Melbourne-based artist Nicola Gunn’s (fictional) life’s work.

It’s opening night of Exercises in Hopelessness: Nicola Gunn (1979 – Present), a retrospective exhibition of one of the world’s most preeminent performance artists Nicola Gunn.

Transforming the Fairfax Studio into a liminal museum celebrating Nicola Gunn, including a wall-to-wall white gallery space in the foyer featuring a bounty of interactive and bizarre performance art works, In Spite of Myself explores the absurdities of performance art with wry humour and playfulness.

Part-performance, part-lecture, part-workshop and part self-help forum, In Spite of Myself is a satirical whirl of video, sculpture, illustration, photography, text, audience debate and live performance.

In Spite of Myself has been developed by Nicola Gunn and her multi-award winning artist collective Sans Hotel with the assistance of Arts Centre Melbourne’s Artistic Development Program.  Nicola Gunn and Sans Hotel are Arts Centre Melbourne’s 2013 Artists in Residence.

Sans Hotel are known for creating ground-breaking and innovative work about the human experience, including the Green Room Award-winning At the Sans Hotel and Hello my name is.

Led by Nicola Gunn and with collaborators Gwen Holmberg-Gilchrist, Pier Carthew, and Michael Fikaris, the group uses a multi-disciplinary approach to live art and contemporary performance.

Drawing mainly from autobiographical events, Nicola Gunn has developed a unique mode of self-expression that is brave, funny and sad – and occupies a territory somewhere between fact and fiction.

In Spite of Myself
Fairfax Studio – Arts Centre Melbourne
Season: 9 – 13 October 2013
Bookings: 1300 182 183 or online at: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

For more information, visit: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au for details.

Image: Nicola Gunn by Pier Carthew