PRESS RELEASE
Gail Hastings: untitled discussions 1998
6 March – 10 April 1998
Artist reception: Friday, 6 March, 6 to 8 pm
Anthony Meier Fine Arts is pleased to present the work of Gail Hastings, an Australian artist showing for the first time in the United States. In this exhibition, Hastings continues her exploration of the ‘point of view’ of the spectator. The work comprises of both two and three dimensional components. The viewer’s participation is activated by the two dimensional component which resembles an architectural floor-plan with text. Through a reading of the text and a perusal of the plan the spectator is self-consciously drawn into a somewhat whimsical engagement with both actual and imaginary space. This space is extended to include not only the three dimensional components of the work, but also the ready-made feature of the exhibition room itself.
Although influenced by Minimalism, Hastings is aware of the formalistic rhetoric which to some extent kept the movement distanced from the outside world. She addresses this issue in her work through a direct link to the world of objects and experience. The objects which Hastings fabricates involve a curious play upon the ‘found object’ and its relationship to the generic forms so characteristic of Minimal Art. Her vinyl pieces have a tendency to collapse the distinction between the two; for example, a Judd-like wall unit could also be a piece of upholstered furniture. In the process, Hastings stages an experience that addresses the very real connection that exists between art and daily life.
Hastings has shown extensively in Australia and Europe. Recent museum shows include On Dialogue: Contemporary Australian Art at the Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, and one-person shows at both Artspace, Sydney and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne. Hastings was born in Perth and currently lives and works in Brisbane.