Artist Sarah Goffman responds to the Chau Chak Wing Museum
鈥淚 adore the Chau Chak Wing Museum鈥檚 playfulness, especially all the old and new objects in close conversations with each other. If a museum is a 鈥榯heatre of objects鈥� then there are wonderful performances taking place here. I was originally planning a smaller exhibition but there is so much here that excited me and I wanted to work with. And I do have 鈥榤aximalist鈥� tendencies!鈥�
Sydney interdisciplinary artist听Sarah听Goffman听is commenting on her exhibition at the Chau Chak Wing Museum. 听Two years in the making in听Sarah听Goffman: Applied Arts in the Penelope Gallery, the artist takes inspiration from the Museum鈥檚 collections, applying her wit and detailed eye as she transforms recycled material, often plastic, into works that reference larger histories.
鈥淚 respond to what I鈥檓 attracted to in the collection. As many artists know, when you decide to remake something you have to study it extremely closely. In your act of recreation you pay homage to the original maker and their tradition as you contemporise the old,鈥� said听Goffman.
Mosaic cast bowl 2021 - inspired by mosaic bowl circa 80BC-AD75. Seated on incense stand, Japan, Edo period 18th听century from University collection. 听听
A small shard of Roman mosaic glass from the first century AD, depicting a theatrical mask, moved听Goffman听to make the bowl she imagines it coming from, rendered in hot glue. An Egyptian beaded net from 1650-300BC inspired her to think about mortality and what outlives us, resulting in 鈥楨gyptian Blue鈥� a sculptural piece intricately cut from a single-use plastic bag.
Aboriginal fish traps sparked ideas about this ancient culture, its ecologies and the practice of weaving, leading her to create a large fish trap out of white-hot glue.
Black and Whites 2019-2021 - PET and other plastics, hot glue, enamel paint, acrylics, Posca marker, wood, ceramic.听听
Goffman听has a long-held fascination for Orientalism, reflected in her recycled plastic recreations of blue-and-white porcelain as black-and-white ware, giving it a very different quality.
I respond to what I鈥檓 attracted to in the collection. As many artists know, when you decide to remake something you have to study it extremely closely. In your act of recreation you pay homage to the original maker and their tradition as you contemporise the old.
Power piece 2020 - inspired by 1930s oil portrait by JW Power.
Early 20th听century paintings by JW Power, from his bequest, moved听Goffman听to create a 3D version of the painting听T锚te (Head)听1930. She reworked Power鈥檚 abstracted portrait, with its smooth forms, into a sculpture of folds, waves, loops and curls.
鈥淎rt is a wonderful, flexible launch pad where a copy is made of a copy of a copy. None of the pieces I鈥檝e created are 鈥榩erfect鈥� or intended to be perfect. The Power piece was especially challenging but these are not meant to be exact replicas. They are meant to make people look at my work and the original with different eyes. My work has the aura of the original 鈥� art revisiting art. Art and its materials recycle in me!鈥澨鼼offman听said. 鈥淚鈥檓 endlessly fascinated by how things change and metamorphose between versions, and how people respond to that.鈥�
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Perforated bottles AD 2021 - PET, acrylic pain, LED lightbox.听
Plastic is one of听Goffman鈥檚 favourite materials because of the ideas it raises about longevity and how materials persist and change over time. 鈥淚鈥檓 fascinated by plastic, which is an incredibly beautiful medium and a highly problematic one. It is absolutely a material of our culture and time.鈥�
In one series,听Goffman听perforates the surface of plastic bottles with thousands of tiny holes, turning ordinary objects into organic sculptures in stunning sea colours.听Goffman听says: 鈥淥f course there is often the influence of fellow artists in small or deep ways and I like acknowledging that, giving a nod and credit where it is due. There is some Daniel Boyd, Lindy Lee and Yayoi Kusama in this work, I鈥檓 sure.鈥�
Goffman听has even responded to one of the Museum鈥檚 cabinets, using avocado boxes to make a recycled version of a black-lacquer Japanned secretary case/sewing cabinet from the mid-19th听century.
Artist background
Sarah听Goffman听(born 1966) has been exhibiting mixed media installations since 1994. She completed a Diploma of Arts in Photography (1994) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (2000) at the National Art School. In 2018, she was awarded a Doctor of Creative Arts from the University of Wollongong.
Goffman鈥檚 association with the University of Sydney goes back to exhibitions such as听Camouflage听at the Sydney College of the Arts in 2013 and听Paradise Found听at the Tin Sheds Gallery at the Camperdown Campus in 2008.
What:听Sarah听Goffman: Applied Arts听听
When:听now to June 2022听
Where:听, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney听听
Cost:听Free听
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