Extrapolate: the art of John Demos
Repetitive, inquisitive and poignant, John Demos' latest prints reveal an artist whose prolific practice is embedded in his everday life.
John Demos at the Big FAG Press from Josh Charles
Inviting you to view the prolific practice of artist John Demos, Big Fag Press is showcasing his latest exhibition Extrapolate – the Art of John Demos. Curated by Lucy Brack it opens this Saturday 29 August.
The exhibition celebrates the diverse range of John Demos’ practice, including new drawings and prints on paper, assemblages and videos produced at the Big Fag Press workshop throughout 2015, alongside seminal works dating back 30 years such as whiteboards, furniture-as-art and ceramics.
In his printmaking, Demos utilises text to trigger universal memories of belonging, territory and home. Splicing concrete poetry with visual art, language is inscribed, repeated and painstakingly hand-coloured. There is no absence of the artist’s hand in these works. Words march across the page, or the surface of an object, drawing the viewer into the rhythmic iterations. This accumulative effect teases the eye, drawing meaning away leaving the form of a word, and suddenly left in its own abstraction.
Discussing the drive behind his practice, and turn towards print making, Demos commented,
“The reason I like making it art, it’s a challenge, it’s expression, it’s more than real life. I love to look at art, and I spend a long time looking at art, and I like making art because it’s the way that I function. The reason that I like print making is because it is a very big challenge, it’s like a turning point in my art.”
Demos has been practicing at Big Fag Press for the past two years. Awarded an Amplify Your Art grant by Accessible Arts, John chose to challenge his practice and produced a series of ten experimental prints at Big Fag Press, as well as a short video documentary and a major solo exhibition at The Cross Art Projects in December 2013.
Emerging curator Lucy Brack advocates for the need to create supporting networks for artists with a disability. As part of its social outreach program Big Fag Press works with artists with disabilities, providing mentoring, facilities and networking opportunities through a supported studio set-up.
EXHIBITION
Extrapolate: the Art of John Demos
Opening Saturday 29 August, 3-5pm
29 August – 10 September
Big Fag Press, Glebe
Images and video courtesy the artist, Big Fag Press and Josh Charles
The response to Artist Profile over time has shown that getting behind artists and their art matters to you as it does to us. To...
Remembering the incredible life of Charles Blackman OBE, who has passed away one week after his 90th birthday.
Congratulations to this year’s artists selected to take part in the 27th annual ‘Primavera: Young Australian Artists’ show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia...
Congratulations to Brook Andrew, who has been announced as the Artistic Director of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, taking place in 2020.
Congratulations to Yvette Coppersmith, Yukultji Napangati and Kaylene Whiskey, who have been awarded the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes respectively.
‘JUST LET IT GO’ ASKS THIS ISSUE’S cover artist, Raquel Ormella, in the wonderful embroidery above. Like most of Ormella’s works it has a...
Emerging Melbourne photographer James Bugg takes home the $50,000 2018 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize (MCPP).
Congratulations to Steve Lopes, who has won the 2018 Gallipoli Art Prize.
Applications for 2019 Bundanon Trust Artist-in-Residence program are now open.