AFTER decades working in more conventional areas of visual and performing arts, a local artist is shifting his focus towards an everyday item.<\/p>\n
Patrick Duffy is set to make his debut as a cardboard artist next month with his Out of the Box exhibition to take place at the Old Butchers Shop Gallery throughout May.<\/p>\n
With 22 pieces on display, he said the name of the show reflects the innovation required in working with an unusual material.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople told me constantly to think outside the box, and I thought no, what can I make out of the box,\u201d he said. \u201cIn doing so, it\u2019s kind of still thinking outside the box.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe title\u2019s a double-edged sword in a way that I\u2019m making things out of a box and my work is a little bit different to what\u2019s being produced around Ballarat. It\u2019s something Ballarat hasn\u2019t really seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a professional actor so I have a very strong aspect of theatricality and storytelling and I\u2019ve always been involved in visual arts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having worked as a performing artist with improv companies in New Zealand and Melbourne for more than three decades, Duffy shifted focus to visual arts in response to COVID lockdowns.<\/p>\n
His pieces range from conventional items like sneakers and a steerable Vespa to more abstract works like a winged skull and suited animals.<\/p>\n
Duffy has been working Out of the Box since September, limiting himself to only creating with cardboard material to convey texture and colour.<\/p>\n
With a childhood interest in origami and experience crafting sets, costumes and props throughout his performing years, Duffy said his inclination for cardboard creation was a lightbulb moment for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve explored so many different mediums over the years and when I started on cardboard it worked with me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith COVID, I turned to the materials I had on hand and I\u2019d always been interested in the sustainability of art.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody uses cardboard every day and it\u2019s a utilitarian material that gets thrown out a lot of the time. This show highlights its versatility.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine art doesn\u2019t have to be fine material. Just because it\u2019s marble, that doesn\u2019t make it any better as a piece of art unless the hands of the artist have crafted it well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Duffy is encouraging attendees to wear any sort of cardboard-crafted item to the Out of the Box launch on Saturday, 6 May after which the exhibition will run until Sunday, 28 May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER decades working in more conventional areas of visual and performing arts, a local artist is shifting his focus towards an everyday item. Patrick Duffy is set to make his debut as a cardboard artist next month with his Out of the Box exhibition to take place at the Old Butchers Shop Gallery throughout May. […]<\/p>\n