Adelaide X curated by
Suzanne Close

The letter ‘X’ is a potent symbol. In mathematics it is a multiplication sign or used in algebra to indicate an unknown value. It refers to the horizontal axis in coordinates and ‘X’ marks the spot on treasure maps. ‘X’ denotes a kiss at the end of a message. It signals X-rated content or stands for ‘extra’ large. As a Roman numeral, ‘X’ represents the number 10. It specifies a botanical hybrid. ‘X’ also signals the collaboration between artists. In the case of this exhibition title, the ‘X’ implies all of the above.

X

Adelaide X features five collaborative duos based in Greater Adelaide, on Kaurna Country. There is currently a global shift towards collaborative practices in contemporary art, and this is reflected in the number of recent collaborations between South Australian artists. These alliances not only show courageous experimentation but enhance networks and create dynamic exchanges between artists. Adelaide X examines the nature of collaboration in the local context and investigates the distinct attributes within the South Australian arts ecology that foster such unions.

All the participating artists have received recognition for their practice as solo artists. In collaborating, their powers combine and their voices are amplified. These partnerships have been instigated by the artists out of mutual respect and shared artistic interests. These alliances invite exploration and play as the artists push each other into new realms, resulting in ground breaking artistic projects that reflect on the collective concerns of our region and what it means to work together.

Sasha Grbich x Kelly Reynolds

For Adelaide X, Grbich and Reynolds revaluate the perceived failure of Don Dunstan’s vision for the satellite city of Monarto. On location they traced the rows of trees outlining the unrealised city and went on safari to explore what has now become the largest open-range zoo outside Africa. Through their eyes, Monarto is a post-human paradise for wild animals and they declare it an outrageous success. The Dunstan loving duo explore the ‘utopian potential of pink shorts’. The iconic item of clothing worn by Dunstan in the South Australian parliament has become a symbol of progressive politics that challenged the establishment, broke down social conservativism and questioned heteronormative values. [1] In the hands of Reynolds and Grbich, the polyester garment is a playful disruption, making space for infinite and alternate possibilities. 

Thomas Readett x Elizabeth Yanyi Close

Thomas Readett is a Ngarrindjeri man and Elizabeth Yanyi Close is an Anangu woman from the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara language groups in Central Australia. They are serial collaborators that have regularly worked together on large scale outdoor murals. For Adelaide X they have taken a new direction and made a painting for the gallery context. This work harmoniously integrates their distinctive individual styles. Close’s celebrated iconography has been given a weight and form, functioning as a window for us to view the artists through. Readett’s double portrait of him and Close showcases his deftness in blending deep tonal contrasts. The artists emerge from the darkness with an unwavering outward gaze. 

Cassie Thring x Nicholas Hanisch

Nicholas Hanisch and Cassie Thring are self-described optimists. For Adelaide X they have given physical form to their collaborative process. In doing so they have made the intangible flow of ideas between them, tangible. The installation functions as a giant synapse firing directly between them. We are offered the opportunity to see inside this duos collective mind, but only to discover the object stares back. We are as much the observed and the voyeur. The two share a studio space and are in constant dialogue, to the point where it is now speculated that they communicate with each other telepathically.

Rosina Possingham x Brianna Speight

Possingham and Speight’s photographs in Adelaide X offer a first glimpse of their new collaborative project, Ground cover. In response to the climate crisis, the four photographs in the exhibition present an ‘absurd portrait’ of an inspirational figure who has taken critical action to restore our broken relationship with nature. These individuals have worked to engage local communities, inspire gardening enthusiasts and teach us to value our ecosystems. The dynamic splay of limbs and biomorphic forms in the resulting images carry messages and clues to larger site-specific stories. 

Inneke Taal x Nicole Clift as tandem projects

tandem projects is the collaborative practice of Taal and Clift that combines their twin interests. Their work often consists of a language of doubling. It is not surprising then that together they would choose to install their latest moving image work in the liminal space of the stairwell. It is after all a double-sided threshold between the gallery, and artist studios (between sites of production and display), amid the physical extremities of high and low, up and down. Their moving image work is projected onto double-sided support depicting a rolling surface of marbles. The title is a direct reference to Brian Cox, “...everything moves in straight lines over the curved landscape of spacetime”, suggesting that perspective is relative depending on where and when you are situated. [2]

Conclusion

Adelaide X features new work that intersects various perspectives, including notions of place, identity, ecology, creative exchange, community, and the radical power of pink shorts. The exhibition will be the first time these artists’ collaborative efforts have been brought together in one exhibition, providing the artists and audience with the opportunity to critically reflect on the nature of these collaborative processes. It aims to create a critical dialogue about collaborative practices and foster future collaboration amongst the South Australian arts community.

Adelaide X
Suzanne Close

[1] Dr Madeleine Seys, ‘Tailoring Don Dunstan’. The Centre of Democracy, February 14, 2020. Accessed online 6.9.2021 at https://centreofdemocracy.sa.gov.au/2020/02/tailoring-don-dunstan/ 

[2] Brian Cox, 'Brian Cox's Adventures in Space and Time - What is gravity?'. Episode 3, ABC, accessed online 5.9.2021 at https://iview.abc.net.au/video/ZW3043A003S00