Harry Hummerston continues his investigations into popular culture and imagery with his exhibition Don't Blink Twice.
In recent years he has "often used the strategy of combining two or more unrelated images within the same frame forcing an unusual relationship between them." [Artist statement 2018]. This can be seen in images such as Oyster, where the silhouette of Mickey Mouse dances next to Shiva, Felix the Cat and an Alien. However, there has been an important shift in this exhibition, to include experimenting with new materials. Oyster finds its name from the fabulous milky green wash of paint that bleeds into black, in the vague shape of an oyster, in the background of the work, which is then imbedded into a thick layer of glass like resin.
Epoxy resin coats all of these new works, creating other unexpected dynamics, such as the muzzle to muzzle toy guns rendered useless in Head On. In several artworks, iconic silhouettes have been discarded for the simple joy in creating dynamic graphic compositions with found objects, as in the arc of halved spheres in Dark Moon, and two bonnet scoops facing off in Vadar. Yet their titles again drag the viewer back into popular culture. This implied ominous presence is one that pleases Hummerston, and he returns to it with works such as Deadly Bloom, the composition of balaclava'd heads with a hand grenade centrepiece, evoking a flower. It is inevitable that the human mind will seek meaning from juxtaposed images, and this is something that intrigues this artist. Even the titles of his exhibitions, Double Vision in 2013, and this year's Don't Blink Twice, reference how we see and how we react to what we see.
Hummerston stated, "The title of this exhibition Don't Blink Twice, [or you might miss it] refers to those moments fleetingly glimpsed, that niggling something, that slid briefly behind the inside of your eyes and disappeared somewhere down the back of your brain. When provided with a visual stimulus everyone interprets things differently, based on their own personal life experience. That for me provides the delight in creating art. I have absolutely no wish to have my audience share exactly the same experience, but rather that they enjoy the work in a uniquely personal way." [Artist statement 2019]
Harry Hummerston's graphic style is drawn from his background as a master print-maker, and his fascination for form and shape from his experience as a sculptor. He trained as a teacher at the Graylands Teachers College, graduating in 1973, and went on to increase his teaching qualifications and also to study art, at WAIT and most recently obtaining a Master of Arts in 2002 from RMIT. His artworks can be found in over 45 major collections including the Art Gallery of WA, National Gallery of Victoria, Artbank, National Gallery of Thailand, Wesfarmers, Kerry Stokes and Holmes a Court Collections, numerous council collections, Deakin University, RMIT and UWA.
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- TURNER GALLERIES | showcasing contemporary art
at 470 WILLIAM STREET NORTHBRIDGE WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6003 - TURNER GALLERIES HAS NOW CLOSED.
This website is an archived record of the exhibitions and artwork shown at the gallery. - Turner Galleries acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where Turner Galleries is situated, and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
- Website © 2000-2024 TURNER GALLERIES. All images are © the artists and are not to be used without permission.
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