- andrew nicholls, freud's desk essay, november 2013
Susan Flavell has long been intrigued by the curious things in life, by images and objects that are not quite what they seem, by extraordinary creatures, things that bump in the night, creations spawned by dark dreams and the shadows of the subconscious.
It is not surprising then, that Sigmund Freud and his collection of artifacts would fascinate her. She recalls that “a few of years ago I accidently came across an image of Freud’s desk, an old fashioned leather topped desk with lines of figures facing the front: a tidy and ordered audience of antiquities selected with care. Freud claimed that he used these objects to ‘think with’ and that the collection of antiquities from archaeological sites was comparable to the unearthing of objects in the unconscious. This image resonated for me.”
(Artist statement October 2013)
For the past twelve months Susan has been creating a collection of 100 or so small figurines and objects based on the antiquities seen on Freud’s famous desk. They are very much her own works though, inspired by her diary drawings and previous exhibitions. She uses ceramics, bronze and papier mache to create a curious mix of animal and bird forms, human figures, phallic shapes, cast orchids, mythological creatures, dolls heads and hybrid constructions.
This fascinating collection will be displayed on a desk in the gallery as part of a larger installation based on the throw rugs, prints and carpets seen in Freud’s rooms. Susan has made a large wall textile embroidered and embellished with a cacophony of ornamentation plus a fabulous string of hundreds of hand built ceramic beads.
Central to the exhibition are three new screen prints by Susan. They each feature a reproduced image of a picture hanging in Freud’s rooms, which is then overlayed with a coloured, almost abstract, shape that directly relates to various writings by Freud. These fractured images, laden with art history, dream references and psychoanalytical conflict, reveal the shifts between what is real and what is imposed in our consciousness. Susan noted that “while we seek and foster the imaginary wholeness of an ideal self, human subjectivity is complex and rife with idiosyncrasies and contradictions. For me images of wholeness and order have always seemed artificial, connections are fragile and easily broken. I feel I’m floating on the edge of sensations, imagery, fantasy, and obsessions. A section of myself is beyond my control, and it is generally beyond my understanding. It can and does escape into my daily life. Things that fascinate us fascinate because they reflect how we feel.”
(Artist statement October 2013)
Susan Flavell is one of Perth’s most extraordinary and unique artists. Her paintings and sculptures can be found in the collections of the Art Gallery of WA, Murdoch University, Curtin University, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Central Institute of Technology, Edith Cowan University, City of Joondalup, City of Vincent, Wesfarmers, King Edward Hospital, City of Cockburn, City of Perth, and the University of WA. She was the 2009 Mark Howlett Foundation recipient and in 2013 undertook a three-week residency, along with Andrew Nicholls, Tarryn Gill, Thea Costantino and Pilar Mata Dupont, at the Sigmund Freud Museum in London.
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- TURNER GALLERIES | showcasing contemporary art
at 470 WILLIAM STREET NORTHBRIDGE WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6003 - TURNER GALLERIES HAS NOW CLOSED.
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