A L E X G A W R O N S K I

Blockade 2002

Alex Gawronski: Blockade, 2002

Block gallery, Chippendale Sydney

(Plywood, timber, hinges, clasp, padlock, PVC pipe, mini-TV monitor, DVD loop)

Testing Ground 2002

Alex Gawronski: Testing Ground, 2002

Artspace, Sydney

(Particle board, PVC pipe, paint, MDF, masonite, woodgrain contact, carpet, speakers, microphones, cable, colour micro-video camera, data projector, photograph, perspex, brackets)

Vacancy (Star-transporter: from Your institution to Mine contd…) 2002

Alex Gawronski: Vacancy (Star-transporter: from Your institution to Mine contd…), 2002

Scott Donovan Gallery, Sydney

(MDF, timber, plywood, aluminium, PVC pipe, wire, mini video screen, DVD loop)

This work was exhibited in the atrium of a converted office space in Sydney’s CBD. The room was the second exhibition space of Scott Donovan gallery, visitors needed to pass this room before entering the main gallery. The title of the work is deliberately – and deliberately awkwardly – ‘baroque’ in its multi-part suggestability. The principle title, ‘Vacancy’, refers to the inflated local real-estate market to which galleries (along with practically everyone else) are habitually subjected. In the art world, real-estate fetishisation has also lead other galleries to adopt a user-pays mentality; exhibition space becomes simply ‘space for rent’. Meanwhile, the initial portion of the subtitle, ‘Star Transporter’, indicates the structure of the circular opening inside and above the doorway facing the viewer as they enter. Into a recess at the top of this tubular opening a mini video screen was set. The flickering light emanating from the video inside this tube simultaneously suggested a home-made sci-fi scenario; a transporter-beam such as was commonly invoked in TV shows like StarTrek as an (unconvincing) technological means by which a character could be remotely relocated. On the video screen were images relayed from the ‘main’ gallery next door including the works of the featured artist as well as all visitors who came and went. Thus, the work symbolically ‘parasitised’ the work and ‘kudos’ of the artist exhibiting in the larger of the two galleries. Lastly, the second part of the work’s subtitle, ‘From Your Institution to Mine’, paraphrases the title of an installation by LA artist Mike Kelley. This work of Kelley’s deals sardonically with the institutional ramifications of art… beginning (ironically) with the institution of kindergarten art classes! By this early stage, competition has already been established between budding individual(ist) artists.

Turnstile 2002

Alex Gawronski: Turnstile, 2002

‘Helen Lempriere Sculpture Award’ exhibition 2002, Werribee Park, Werribee, Melbourne

(Timber, doors, enamel paint, handles, hinges, brackets)

Solid Sight  2002

Alex Gawronski: Solid Sight, 2002

Scotts Church window, Wynyard Sydney

(Plywood, colour mini-video camera, computer monitor)

Solid Sight (version 2) 2002

Alex Gawronski: Solid Sight (version 2), 2002

‘Attention Span’ 2002, Freespace, Scotts Church, Wynyard Sydney

(Plywood, colour mini-video camera, computer monitor)

Real Danger 2002

Alex Gawronski: Real Danger, 2002

The Physics Room, Christchurch New Zealand

(Timber, MDF, paint, scale model trains + tracks, transformer, letraset, mini-video camera, sensor, data projector)

Blizzard 2002

Alex Gawronski: Blizzard, 2002

Kiosk; coordinated by The Physics Room, Christchurch New Zealand

(Masonite, enamel paint, speakers, CD player, CD loop)

Untitled (Mental Tests for Pre-literates) 2002

Alex Gawronski: Untitled (Mental Tests for Pre-literates), 2002

‘Evergreen archive’, Platform 2, Melbourne, curated and coordinated by Lisa Kelly

(image top: B+W photocopied artist source material in hardbound book, digital print on foam-core, 4 individual cassettes  containing compositions by the artist and individually designed cassette covers, bound B+W photocopies of a random selection of found book titles; image bottom: motorised ‘cubist painting)