▶ PRESS: CAROL MURPHY IN ART MARKET REPORT

▶ NEW IN THE STOCKROOM: CAROL MURPHY 'THE WATER CATCHER'

Carol Murphy, 'The Water Catcher' 2010, high fired earthware, 21.5 x 31 x 14cm

Carol Murphy's ceramic sculpture 'The Water Catcher' is made with high fired earthware and is intended to be installed outside. The work features a deep bowl-like indentation in the stomach of the figure which was created to collect rainwater. According to Murphy, 'melted iron spots and impurities make the speckled surface' with the work sanded smooth but left unglazed. The stylised, sculpted figure exploring positive and negative space was last used by Murphy in her 2008 exhibition, 'Sculptural Forms III.'

▶ PRESS: CAROL MURPHY IN SPECTRUM

▶ CAROL MURPHY + JOEL BLISS, CLOSING 9 APRIL

A reminder to visit the shows by Carol Murphy and Joel Bliss before they close on Saturday 9 April.

Carol Murphy's exhibition of small figurative ceramic sculptures demonstrate her playful nature. The works range from 'I Got Hungry', referencing the Folies Bergère star Josephine Baker and her infamous banana skirt dance to 'Enid (is equipped for all situations)' the heroine of the Ghost World comics complete with wooden club and laser gun.

'Return of The Bigots' by Joel Bliss features just six sculptures. The largest work is comprised of seven individual pieces made from steel, dipped in zinc and painted black. The five smaller works are also painted steel but incorporate a range of accents including timber, grip tape and rivets. The sharp angles of the works complimented the raw music performed by 'The Bigots' on the night of the opening.

▶ PRESS: CAROL MURPHY IN THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

▶ CAROL MURPHY, 'I GOT HUNGRY'

Left: Carol Murphy, 'I Got Hungry' 2011, ceramic on timber base, 38 x 12 x 10cm
Centre: Josephine Baker in Banana Skirt from the Folies Bergère production "Un Vent de Folie", 1927
Right: illustration by Paul Colin France, 'Josephine Baker' 1927, from Le Tumulte noir (The black craze) portfolio

In her ceramic sculpture 'I Got Hungry', Carol Murphy references the Folies Bergère star Josephine Baker and her infamous banana skirt. In 1926, Baker caused a sensation in Paris with her sexually suggestive 'banana dance', performed wearing little besides the phallic shaped, artificial bananas around her waist. This remarkable woman, who worked as a Nazi spy during the war and an active participant of the American Civil Rights Movement, became a muse for a number of artists and writers.  Murphy's version, showing the figure snacking on her costume, is an ironic twist on the typically sexualised representation of Baker.

▶ CAROL MURPHY + JOEL BLISS, OPENING 15 MARCH 2011

The exhibitions by CAROL MURPHY and JOEL BLISS will be on view starting Tuesday 15 February 2011. Please join the artists for a drink to celebrate the launch of their solo shows at the Gallery on Saturday 19 March from 4-6pm.

The title of Carol Murphy's exhibition is a play on Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' from 1895. It is a small figurative ceramic exhibition, questioning identity, choice and living a life in earnest.

Left & Centre: Carol Murphy, "Ouch! I said pin-up girl!" 2010, ceramic, 43 x 14 x 8cm

Right: Joel Bliss, "Bast Beat" 2011, steel, timber, stainless steel, rivets, paint, 85 x 60 x 30cm

Joel Bliss states of his upcoming exhibition, "my experience within the Australian punk subculture is explored through my recent sculpture. I am creating sculptures that relate to recordings made by my band, The Bigots, in the late 90s and early 2000s, [and] my interest in rat-motorbikes [documented] with a collaborative one-off zine titled Rat Bike. Reflecting upon imagery from the Rat Bike zine, I am recreating this punk attitude and aesthetic in my sculpture."

ART MONTH SYDNEY/GALLERY EVENT: In conjunction with the opening of his exhibition on Saturday 19 March, Joel Bliss will reform his punk band, 'The Bigots', for a once only performance at 6pm. No RSVP required.