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Nite Store by Kathy Morano
Guy Benfield, Mother Door Spirit Level, 2007, performance, Jack the Pelican Presents, New York
Guy Benfield: Expanded Ceramitéque Drug Time Present
January 30 - March 14, 2010
Guy Benfield returns to Fremantle Arts Centre to present Expanded Ceramithéque Drug Time Present, an exploration into 1970s and 80s ceramics. A quasi-anthropologist, Benfield takes cues from architectural structures and material culture of utopian groups. He immerses himself in the brown, encrusted ceramics synonymous with the era: relics and reminders incorporated into his own pop-psychedelic aesthetic. In a rare glimpse into the City of Fremantle Art Collection, dated ceramics are incorporated with gusto into Benfield’s chaotic installation. The result is an eclectic collection of objects and textures – the homely brown ceramics of the City of Fremantle Art Collection alongside those of his own creation, contrasted with the faux-wood grain, woven textures and silver foils that permeate his own personal style.
Expanded Ceramithéque Drug Time Present is a point of reflection on the history of ceramics in Fremantle. Still a vestige of creativity in WA, Benfield has used his time in Fremantle to capture the vibrancy and honesty of the ceramic craft. Joined by artist and collaborator Constanze Zikos, Guy Benfields’ opening night performance will transform the gallery space through a séance like disco. His choreographed chorus of silver and clay reflects upon a recent era in which the hand-made, the backyard and the local seemed paramount.
