Plays - Short + Sweet

TRADITIONS, TALENT, AND TIME:

I think it is fair to say that within the Canberra contemporary art scene, Aboriginal art does not play a huge role. Exhibitions for local and interstate, established and emerging artists are sadly few and far between. This makes the Canberra Contemporary Art Space’s upcoming exhibition of three contemporary Indigenous artists, JOHN JOHNSON, JENNI KEMARRE MARTINELLO and YHONNIE SCARCE even more exciting. CCAS hopes that by exhibiting works by Indigenous artists it can boost the local scene and encourage artists and patrons.

The work of Johnson, Martinello and Scarce is remarkably different, yet each is fundamentally concerned with drawing attention to issues which affect the Indigenous community. As a result, this is an exhibition of highly political art which challenges the viewer to confront not only their notions of Aboriginality, but their preconceptions of what Aboriginal art is. 

John Johnson’s work in Resurrection signifies both the ending and the beginning of an intensely personal journey for the artist. These works represent a rebirth for Johnson – after years of personal struggle he is confronting his past experiences through his artwork and looking forward to the future.

Primarily a painter, Johnson has been living and working in Canberra for the past 25 years. His work combines traditional imagery and techniques with his own unique symbolism to address issues such as the treatment of Indigenous Australians since colonial settlement, displacement of peoples, the Stolen Generation, deaths in custody and the environment.

Similarly, Jenni Kemarre Martinello’s work addresses ties between country, tradition, family and history with an emphasis on the environment, and is strongly informed by her cultural heritage.

For Entrapment, Martinello has reworked traditionally woven eel and fish traps in glass, encouraging the viewer to refocus on the subject of these works. Striking objects in their own right, woven traps are often sidelined as simply women’s craft, yet they are highly intricate and sophisticated works of art in addition to their practical application. These traps in glass are purely for display and reflection, which highlights not only the beauty of the object, but also questions the removal of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands and the increasing rarity of previously essential traditions such as weaving.

Also working with glass is young emerging artist Yhonnie Scarce, whose work embodies the conflicting elements of glass; a powerfully strong yet unmistakably fragile material. Scarce uses the materiality of glass as a metaphor for the Aboriginal experience of colonisation and persecution in her highly political and personal works.

This exhibition promises to be as challenging as it is unexpected and well worth the effort.

John Johnson’s Resurrection, Jenni Kemarre Martinello’s Entrapement, and Yhonnie Scarce’s Ectopia all open at CCAS Gorman House at 6pm Friday August 26 and continue until Saturday October 1.

SEX, SINGLEDOM AND THE STAGE:

Every person in their twenties or thirties has a friend like Jezebel: a smart, gorgeous, young professional woman who spends her time shopping, drinking cocktails and Sauv Blanc and generally succeeding in every aspect of her life except for love. The story may sound familiar both personally and fictionally, but the distinguishing aspect of Fiona Sprott's OFTEN I FIND THAT I'M NAKED is its bleak and brutal, yet tragically comedic honesty. The production follows Jezebel – played by Jo Thomas – through her often misdirected and ill-fated search for love.

"Yes, I did really relate to the character and understand her plight and the situation she's in," says Thomas, of her initial attraction to the role. "Mostly though, I really like the idea of putting women's stories on stage. We tend to see a lot more male stories in both theatre and film. This is a female lead in a female story, and I thought that was really important."

Thomas' male on-stage counterpart Sam Clark performs under the directorship of Shane Anthony, and the entire production is accompanied by a live music soundtrack performed by James Dobinson.

Comparisons between Often I Find… and Sex and the City are inevitable, yet Thomas explains that Jezebel's character is perhaps a little more realistic than Carrie and her sisterhood.

"I think that if you took the 70 dirtiest minutes of SATC and crammed it into one piece, this is what it would be," says Thomas. "There's a lot of concern for Jezebel's sexual exploits, but there's a greater examination of her genuine search for love and the recklessness with which she does it and the loneliness and true sadness that a lot of people experience from this. On top of that – although we don't beat people over the head with it – the show looks at Australians' use of alcohol as a crutch in these sorts of situations. Jezebel tends to deal with her problems with a shot of gin or a cocktail."

Stories such as Jezebel's beggar the question of the nature of intimate male-female relationships in the modern Western world. When technology offers people so many greater opportunities to meet and contact new people, why do so many – both male and female – have trouble finding 'the one'?

"It's a really interesting question," says Thomas. "I was looking at the ABS, and almost 40% of Australian adults are single. It's a combination of things, I think. Financially, women don't have to marry if they don't want to, because we are financially independent. But also, I think both men and women are confused because, with women's greater equality, both sexes don't seem to know how relationships work anymore."

Often I Find That I'm Naked plays at The Street Theatre on Friday September 9 and Saturday September 10. Tickets are $30/$28 concession, and are available through thestreet.org.au .