Filomena Coppola

Wonder Room

Renaissance Europe first saw the emergence of the Cabinet of Curiosities, also known as a  Wunderkammer, or Wonder Room. Somewhat eccentric forerunners to museums, the more picaresque of these eclectic private collections showcased mismatched natural history specimens combined with those of a more unnatural, frankly fabricated nature, including purportedly mythical creatures.

Drawing equally from this facet of the Wonder Room and their accumulated personal mythologies, “unnatural history” artists, Rona Green, Deborah Klein, Filomena Coppola, Heather Shimmen and Paul Compton unveil a disparate collection of exotic, enigmatic and feisty sub-species that defy classification.

Wonder Room, Installation View. Rona Green, Paul Compton, Heather Shimmen, Deborah Klein and Filomena Coppola

Wonder Room, Installation View. Rona Green, Paul Compton, Heather Shimmen, Deborah Klein and Filomena Coppola

Wallflower – A Cabinet of Curiosity, Pastel on paper, overall dimension 290h x 690w cm, 2012-13

(Detail) 10th specimen of 24 from Wallflower – A Cabinet of Curiosity, 40h x 40w cm, 2012-13

(Detail) 15th specimen of 24 from Wallflower – A Cabinet of Curiosity, 50h x 50w cm, 2012-13

(Detail) 21st specimen of 24 from Wallflower – A Cabinet of Curiosity, 60h x 50w cm, 2012-13

Mildura Palimpsest #9 was a fantastic event curated by Helen Vivian. The event included over 40 artist, many venues and three international curators presenting as part of the symposium. Following are some images of the unveiling of Mother Tongue as part of the opening of Palimpsest #9 and also the first viewing of this work by the participants. A huge thank you to the many people who shared their voices in the alphabet sound piece, and their faces and stories in the video work. And also a huge thank you to Robert Klarich who worked with me on the sound and video.

Mother Tongue 2013 Pastel on paper, overall dimension 345h x 615w cm, 20 drawings, each titled after one of the 20 regions of Italy. Alphabet sound-scape, recorded and edited by Robert Klarich and Filomena Coppola. Documentary video, shot and edited by Robert Klarich and Filomena Coppola (the documentary video is available separately as a limited edition work).

Palimpsest #9 curator, Helen Vivian viewing the work at the old ADFA building in Deakin Avenue, Mildura

Opening night and there was a huge and supportive turn out by the Italian community and many of the participants who were involved in the sound and video components of the work.

Viewing the video work. Many of the participants were there to view the work and to hear each other’s stories.

Thank you to the following participants who shared their stories in the video: Mario Carfora, Benito Colaiacovo, Leonardo Coppola, Pellegrina Coppola, Ilario Crisera, Maria D’Orazio, Loreto Marozzi, Dora Mastrippolito, Rosario Lia, Aurora Littore, Nicolina Paolucci and Silvia Ralli

Thank you to the following participants from the first, second and third generations of Italian immigration whose voices are recorded in the sound component: Mario Carfora, Anna Cirillo, Benito Colaiacovo, Leonardo Coppola, Pellegrina Coppola, Ilario Crisera, Maria D’Orazio, Loreto Marozzi, Dora Mastrippolito, Michele Pagano, Rosario Lia, Aurora Littore, Nicolina Paolucci, Silvia Ralli, Charlie D’Aloisio, Donata Carrazza, Vince Cirillo, Filomena Coppola, Maria Dimasi, Larry Fuda, Teresa Lia, Nick Mazza, Cathy Monteleone, Frank Panetta, Elisa Plany, Olivia Cirillo, Kiarna Coppola, Michael Coppola, Dante DeRosa, Luca Mammone, Massimo Mammone, Emmelia Mazza, Anthony Monteleone, Sienna Plany and Sofia Plany

Acknowledgements: The artist would like to thank all the participants who generously gave their time, voices and stories. Thank you to all the supporters of this project who acknowledged the importance of documenting a small part of this migration story, Irymple Bocce Club, Tasco Inland petroleum, Arts Mildura, Mildura Palimpsest #9. And especially to Robert Klarich and his family for hours above and beyond.

The Regional Arts Fund is an Australian Government initiative supporting the arts in regional and remote Australia, administered in Victoria by Regional Arts Victoria.

 

If anyone is travelling to the UK in the next couple of months, I have some work in a group exhibition at Celia Lendis Contemporary at Morten-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds.

It is the beginning of July and I have just completed the twenty drawings for the Mother Tongue project. Each of the twenty drawings represent a region of Italy and for the very first time I wrote on the front of my drawings. A very nerve wracking experience. Here is a little journey from the beginning to almost the end – sound, video components as well as photography and installation are yet to come.

Mother Tongue will be exhibited in Mildura at the ADFA (old Australian Dried Fruits Association) building in Deakin Avenue. This is perfect as the Willam Morris background hidden in the background is of grape vines!! The exhibition will be part of Mildura Palimpsest #9 which runs from 4 – 7 October, 2013.

New pastels and me trying to work out how to draw pink fur. It is the very beginnings with lots of hesitation and wondering if it will work!!

This is the very first drawing that I completed. I chose the smallest and most familiar. I had actually drawn this image before as part of my exhibition Wallflower – The Event. It was all brown and furry and titled Wallflower – A lick and a slurp. Here it is now in all its fleshy pink lushness!

Detail of the drawings up close and personal. The drawings getting bigger and more diverse.

Placing a selection together to try and get an idea of what twenty will look like on the wall. The twenty drawings will be contained in a space that is 345h x 615w cm.

The twenty drawings all complete and for the first time every I wrote on top of the pastel. Each drawing was titled with the region it refers to. Meet Toscana!!

Wallflower – Can’t you see me has been acquired into the Parliament House Collection in Canberra.  I am very excited to have this work become part of this important collection. This work inspired the large installation, Chasing the Disappeared which is currently on exhibition at Tweed River Art Gallery until September 8, 2013

Wallflower – Can’t you see me, pastel on paper, 80h x 70w cm, 2010

The exhibition is up and open thanks to a wonderful and humbling speech by Tweed River Art Gallery Director, Susi Muddiman. It was so lovely to have someone with such a long connection to my art practice open this exhibition.

Chasing the Disappeared, Installation View at Tweed River Art Gallery

Susi Muddiman, Director Tweed River Art Gallery opening Chasing the Disappeared on Saturday 20th April, 2013

Chasing the Disappeared, Installation View, Tweed River Art Gallery

Peter Schardin installing the work at Tweed River Art Gallery

The amazing team at Tweed River Art Gallery, L-R Susi Muddiman, Anouk Beck, Peter Schardin, Anne Schardin and Gail McDermott

Me presenting an Artist Talk on Sunday 21st April at Tweed River Art Gallery

One of my most adventurous exhibitions, Chasing the Disappeared will be opening at Tweed River Art Gallery on Saturday 20 April, 2013 at 5pm. The exhibition will continue through til 8 September 2013.

An eight metre long drawing of repeated markings of the Tasmanian tiger are symbolically used to represent the passing of the first generation of Italian Immigrants which came to Australian in the 1950’s. To see and hearmore about the background to the work and the process of making thisdrawing please follow the link to a short 6 minute video http://vimeo.com/53188020

I will also be presenting at Artist Talk on Sunday 21 April at 11.30am.

Chasing the Disappeared uses the markings of the Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine) to further
explore cultual loss. It is not until things are gone that we mourn their loss and wish for their return. The markings are symbolic of the loss of the first generation of Italians that came to Australia in the 1950’s, with their passing we lose stories, dialects, recipes and memories that marked the early crossings to Australia. I am reflecting on the passing of the first wave of immigrants and the losses; the genealogical dis/connection to Italy; the local dialects of the1950’s that migrated with them and the dis/connection to the Catholic faith. As the first generation born of Italian immigrants we wanted to assimilate and dilute the cultural differences, yet the second generation born in Australian is strongly claiming their Italian identity, sometimes without a direct connection to the language, culture or the country itself.

I have chosen to make the drawing eight metres in length as it is a direct reference to a rug that consisted of eight thylacine skins which is now in the collection of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The Thylacine markings are drawn vertically and repeated to create the sense of a seismic reading; a line of fossilized backbones; markers of time; journeys across continents; or sound waves which carry the silent voices and dialects. The work is drawn to look like fur thus appearing tactile and inviting to the viewer. The drawing is a direct reference to lineal time which the viewer participates in as they walk the length of the drawing. It will represent time past and time ahead; looking back on what has gone before and ahead to what is yet to come.