Filomena Coppola

Every Sunday I go to the Bocce Club with Robert Klarich to film and record sound for the Mother Tongue project. Sunday afternoons are a feast – a huge meal is prepared and the men and women play card – Italian cards of course!!

These images have all been taken by Robert Klarich – thanks for sharing.

Card players at the Bocce Club Irymple

Card players at the Bocce Club Irymple 

Card players at the Bocce Club Irymple

Card players at the Bocce Club Irymple

Card players at the Bocce Club Irymple

Card players at the Bocce Club Irymple

The Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival is currently on in Mildura and as part of the festival I have an exhibition, Wallflower – Play with me at Stefano’s Gallery 25. The exhibition is current until Wednesday 27 March 2013.

Stefano’s Gallery 25 in Deakin Avenue Mildura

Wallflower – Play with me and the perfect place to have a coffe and see some art!

The exhibition is named after this work. The four drawings are based on the four symbols from a deck of cards – the heart, diamond, club and spade. This work refers to me having grown up playing Italian playing cards which look more like tarot cards there are only 40 cards in the deck. When I was first asked to play cards with a standard deck I had no idea how to play any of the games nor why there were 52 cards in the deck!!

Wallflower – Play with me, pastel on paper, 80h x 80w cm (paper size), 2010

Wallflower – Play with Me – Installation views. Wallflower – Can’t you see me, Wallflower – The Last Belle and Wallflower – Tickle me Pink

Wallflower – Play with me (Installation Views) Wallflower – Tickle me Pink and Wallflower – A Lick and a Slurp #1 and #2

Went to Sydney for the weekend to see the Anish Kapoor Exhibition at the MCA. Great to have a mini break before the non-stop endurance of Mother Tongue!! It was great to see the large scale works and the interaction between the audience and the work. My Red Homeland was for me an incredibly overwhelming sensation. The viscosity of the was, the scent and the slow moving hammer arm that did an hourly rotation. A beautiful and disturbing work. Also went to Elizabeth Ann MacGregor’s talk on the Thursday evening – amazing to hear the installation stories!!

Sky Mirror 2006

My Red Homeland 2003

When I am pregnant 1992

Memory 2008

Memory 2008

Untitled 2012

I have had a great start in the studio and finished my bug series from the last post. It finished of with this flower and a few petals. This flower looks like it is showering the good luck over this new year. I hope you have had a great start. I have had a flying one, already a few ups and a few downs, and a lot of art making and after this series of bugs and flowers I am now immersed in Mother Tongue – 20 drawings, the sound is coming along amaziningly and we are filming like a documentary crew!! Lots of fun. Hope you have all had a magical start to 2013

Wishing every one a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous start to the New Year. 2013 is going to be a big year all ready and I am looking forward to every bit of it. Currenlty in the studio I am surrounded by these little bugaboos, they are providing hours of quiet conversation and are an incredible inspiration.

Happy holidays and may all your wishes come true in 2013.

I will be in Sydney for the opening and hope to see you there.

Following is a preview of two works that will be in the exhibition. 

Wallflower - Animal Instinct #1, pastel on paper, 40h x 60wcm, 2011

Wallflower - Animal Instinct #2, pastel on paper, 40h x 60wcm, 2011

I was in Melbourne on the weekend for the opening of Beautiful Soup – a print folio curated by Rona Green and involving 55 artists. The opening was a fun occasion with lots of artists, lots of prints and fabulous weather.

At the opening with Rona Green centre, and Georgia Thorpe, exhibiting artist and Marketing Manager at the Print Council of Australia. And a glimpse at the artwork in the background.

Sorting the edition of my print – Greetings from Mildura. A little bit of quality control going on in the studio before the curating and signing of the edition takes place.

Greetings from Mildura, etching 18h x 13w cm 2012

“Greetings from Mildura” is a tribute to the region where I was born and the migrant community that made it their new home. Spiralling vines produce the juicy grapes that are grown for fresh fruit and wine production, the cicada represents the sound of summer and the five letters; j,k,w, x, y reference my heritage as they are the five letters that are not found in the Italian alphabet.

Earlier this year I was successfully funded by Regional Arts Victoria for a project called Mother Tongue.

Mother Tongue is a multimedia, sound, film and drawing installation exploring the evolving Italian dialects from the first generation of Italian immigrants to move to Mildura, and their subsequent second and third generations’ use of the language. This project will provide a dynamic connection between the voices and faces of immigration to this region. This project is funded by the Federal Government through Regional Arts Victoria.

My mum Pina recording the alphabet with Robert Klarich

With Robert Klarich – the amazing film and sound man on this project we have started recording the first generation of migrants speaking the alphabet. The Italian alphabet has 21 letter and the english has 26. It has been an extraordinary and humbling experience to be allowed to hear stories of migration, elation and hardship from this generation. I only hope that this project can convey half the sentiment that it carries with it.

The entrace to the Bocce Club in Irymple (near Mildura)

I have been visiting the Bocce Club in Mildura which is an Italian Club which culture, food and interaction between the elderly members of the Italian Community. Bocce and card playing are regular Sunday afternoon activities before a feast of home cooked dinners – comforting pastas and fabulous mains and my absolute favourites – the most amazing home made olives!!

An afternoon of Bocce at the Club.

The card sharks!!