Exploring how the human body expresses social and cultural experiences, TarraWarra Museum of Art presents a major exhibition of new and existing works by leading contemporary Australian artists Su san Cohn and Eugenia Raskopoulos in (SC)OOT(ER)ING around.
The human body wears lived experience both on its skin and within. It expresses the cultural, sexual, racial and diverse geographic histories of individuals. Craft artist Su san Cohn and visual artist Eugenia Raskopoulos have explored the human body, often specifically female, for decades, their practices arising from their personal lived experiences and ageing bodies.
Curated by Victoria Lynn, (SC)OOT(ER)ING around is conceived as an artistic collaboration by the two artists and the curator, bringing together 20 works that break down conventional understandings of the body.
“Through their individual practices, Su san Cohn and Eugenia Raskopoulos are passionate about asserting the voices of women,” said Director of TarraWarra Museum of Art, Dr Victoria Lynn.
“Given the increasing violation of the bodies of women, transgender and non-binary people, along with the evident dismissal of the ageing body which has perpetuated for centuries, it is time to consider the work of two leading contemporary and older artists, in tandem with one another.”
Su san Cohn is a jeweller and artist whose work considers the role of jewellery in the politics of society: as gift, symbol, memorial, and as a communication and sensory tool. Her work often responds to current issues, such as war, the plight of refugees and peace-making.
For the exhibition, Cohn will unveil four new works including I wish I was more like HER …, a tribute to five women who she admires and who have contributed to both women’s rights and human rights, namely American diplomat and political scientist Madeleine Albright; anthropologist and geographer Professor Marcia Langton AO; writer, disability and women’s rights advocate Hannah Diviney; comedian, actor and writer Judith Lucy; and fellow exhibiting artist Eugenia Raskopoulos.
Each tribute consists of a video work, accompanied by a piece of jewellery. Designed to be worn on the chest and hung around the neck, symbols referencing each woman’s unique characteristics are crafted in fine silver or pink gold onto an apron bib made out of Japanese paper. The work draws on the traditions of ceremonial jewellery pieces worn on the front of the body.
“This exhibition is a collaboration and conversation about shared concerns between the three of us – about being older women artists and the politics of women’s voices,” said Su san Cohn. “My work looks at women’s voices and listening.”
“By drawing attention to strong women who have contributed to women’s rights and human rights in the work I wish I was more like HER …, I want to encourage other women to support each other.”
Through photography, video and neon, visual artist Eugenia Raskopoulos uses her own story of transmigration as a touchstone for a textual exploration of the body. As an artist living between two languages, she creates bodily actions and images, often interwoven with neon text, in Greek, English and binary code.
Her work considers a ruptured body, one that is not easily defined, or translated, and that defies what we expect of the female form. Raskopoulos is also set to unveil four new works as part of the exhibition, including and the beat goes on.
This major new sound and neon installation features the recorded heartbeats of 96 female artists over the age of 47, from all over Australia and of diverse backgrounds. A section of the echocardiogram of each female artist, recorded by Raskopoulos using a mobile ECG monitor, will be transformed into a neon sculpture and accompanied by a sound work composed of the 96 heartbeats.
The work is an ongoing project that will continue to grow and evolve with future presentations. Each time a female artist dies, her echocardiogram image will be made into a bronze work to be installed on the opposite wall to the neon sculptures. The last bronze to be hung will be Raskopoulos’s own.
“We are seeing that the world can change in a heartbeat. For this vast sound and neon installation, I’ve chosen to work with the heartbeats of 96 female artists over the age of 47,” said Eugenia Raskopoulos. “The number is significant because my grandmother’s heartbeat stopped when she was 96 and I was 47.”
“I envisage the heartbeats will be like a minimalist symphony – each heartbeat is unique, intimate and symbolic, and these portraits reflect on personal identity that includes time and body consciousness.”
Among the individual works by Cohn and Raskopoulos, several new collaborative works have resulted from the ongoing dialogue between the artists, including the final installation, Word of Mouth.
Through video assemblages that picture each artist’s mouth enunciating a series of phrases, the installation examines how women embrace their unique relationship with language to subvert power structures and challenge social norms.
(SC)OOT(ER)ING around Su san Cohn and Eugenia Raskopoulos
Tarrawarra Museum of Art, 313 Healesville-Yarra Glen Road, Healesville
Exhibition continues to 10 November 2024
Entry fees apply
For more information, visit: www.twma.com.au for details.
Images: Su san Cohn, Catch Me, 2003, silver bolt catches, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, installation view, Black Intentions, National Gallery of Victoria, 2003 – photo by Shannon McGrath. © Su san Cohn with Shannon McGrath | Eugenia Raskopoulos, stutter, 2009 (video still) digital video, colour, sound, video duration: 00:05:46. Courtesy of the artist and MAIS WRIGHT. © Eugenia Raskopoulos