Collective and co on show

THE latest exhibition in the Mercure Hotel’s foyer is a celebration of collaborative creativity.

SHAC & Co is showcasing pieces by 15 members of Soldiers Hill Artist Collective, and other visual artists they have chosen to partner with.

Woodworker and SHAC secretary Neale Thompson said each pair has explored a different idea, and each person has produced their own work which connects with their partner’s work in some way.

“Collaboration adds another level to art. Producing work that’s tied to another person’s work really challenges us, especially when we’re used to doing our own thing,” he said.

“If you are trying to render a work to fit a collaborative theme, it makes you think more deeply about what you’re doing.”

Art presented includes bronze sculptures, paintings, watercolours, printmaking, fibre art, quilting, woodwork, ceramics, and photography, and lots of the works are for sale.

Each pair has written an artists’ statement about the rationale or theme behind their partnership, and husband and wife, Jan and Alan Leishman, are just one of the many teams presenting their talents together.

“Jan works with textiles and is a SHAC member, and Alan is a painter, so they collaborated to produce a set of works with common shapes and colours,” Mr Thompson said.

“When we ask artists outside SHAC to be part of projects like this, the network naturally starts to spread.”

With the exhibition on during the school holidays, lots of visitors will be walking through the hotel foyer, and Mr Thompson said contributing artists are hoping to sell work.

“These exhibitions raise SHAC’s profile, and get people interested in what we do. We’d love to have more young people joining our group as well,” he said.

SHAC & Co will be displayed until Sunday, 31 July at 613 Main Road, Golden Point.