The Great Escape/La Evasion Grande

Still from video with stereo sound.  Sally Rees + Matt Warren, 2008 – 2010

One of works FINALLY picked up and finished after 2 years which will be in our show, Of Heaven and Earth: works from Montreal opening at 6A on February 12.

On the cards…

So what’s happening art-wise so far in 2010?

Well for starters, there will be a show at 6A opening in early February.  Of Heaven and Earth (works from Montreal) will be an extension of the tiny exhibition Matt and I had in Montreal in 2008, ably and kindly supported by Angela Reeve and the Auberge Alternative (where it was also held) after initial plans for that trip went somewhat pear-shaped.  The show over there consisted of a single work each of which we are both really fond and are looking forward to showing again.  But there are other works – one collaborative and a few other individual pieces that we made over there – that have been neither finished nor shown, for various reasons but mostly I think just because we were a bit bummed out by the experience.  Now however is the time to dot the i’s, finish it up and put these things we made out into the world because the ‘bits’ of them (as yet unassembled) are really quite lovely.  And then draw a firm line under the experience.  I hear Angela (whose ‘home’ has always straddled both Montreal and Hobart) is now living here again – I really hope we can get her at least to the opening and maybe involve her some other way if possible…

At the same time as OH&E is still running I will be installing a series of video works, indoors and out, at The Barn at the Rosny Farm Site.  These have been commissioned by the Clarence City Council to coincide with the Clarence Jazz Festival so will be able to be seen on those three nights that the Jazz Café runs in the last week of February.  I’m doing some Ousler-ish karaoke works outdoors, and some sign-language karaoke works indoors.  That karaoke thing just won’t go away (but that’s a good thing really). I talked to my interpreters today and got quite giddy-up about it.   Sometimes just the very concept of language can make my mind spin.

Then I’m going to have a baby in-between a couple of writing gigs (of which there are never too many and I’m not ashamed to use this blog to tout for business. This gun’s for hire. Want some words?  I’ll write ‘em!).

Then,  3 weeks after the baby is due (eep) near the end of May I have a humble little show in the window of GRANTPIRRIE in Sydney where some new print-works will be installed.    There are fallback plans in case Tiny Rees-Warren and I can’t go to install it ourselves of course but I really hope we can.  It’s only the second time I’ve had work in Sydney and it might be nice to make a quick jaunt upwards to waggle the offspring at my sister in Pacific Palms while we’re there.  We’ll see, I guess.

Closing out the year there is a lovely, ruminatory,  collaborative and performative project with two other artists; someone I always love to collaborate with, El Husbando,  and another artist I have been longing to have the opportunity to work with again, having done so many years ago now and having learned so much from her when I did.  I shall stay stumm and not name her or the project for the time being as it is quite a mysterious process and while I am confident it will go ahead – I am not sure if it’s official and ‘out there’ just yet.  ‘Citing though eh?  Nice to have a little secret up your sleeve.

There’s a nice big space to fill in the middle  – much of which is to be taken up with working out how to look after a small, squealy, squirting person  of course -  but I hope to fill it in with a couple of other shows and projects and words and things too.

I like this year already.  It feels all different and nice and spacious.