Shared exhibition echoes environmental message

THE Art Gallery of Ballarat’s latest Backspace exhibition is displaying the art of upcycling in a creative collaboration.

The display, titled Elementals, is a joint effort between artists Tameka Hague and Kathryn Drum, which the pair have crafted using repurposed materials.

Drum said the works exhibit a unifying theme that feeds into their use of objects from the natural environment.

“It’s working on different elements. I’m working on the sky and Tameka’s clay works are all about earth and fire,” she said.

“We both like working as much as we can with things we collect. I work with found objects myself, and I love working with rusty metal and pieces of wood.

“It’s about sustainability especially right now in our current environment. If we can reuse, repurpose as much as possible, that’s terrific.”

Elementals features 11 pieces from Drum and 23 from Hague and consists of ceramic works and sculpture assemblages using wood, stone and metal.

The exhibition is the culmination of a two-year process following the pair meeting while both were studying Visual Arts at the Federation University Arts Academy.

Hague said upcycling is a common theme in both of their creative efforts.

“It’s very important. I like to uphold a certain sense of recyclability into my process. I keep discarded clays and glazes and materials and reuse them often,” she said.

“I harvest my own clay from my block in Linton and I use that to create my pieces and I like to introduce different elements of local rock dust as well.”

Elementals is on display until Sunday, 25 September.