Acclaimed Melbourne artist Kylie Stillman will debut her solo exhibition at Boroondara’s Town Hall Gallery, presenting highlights from her remarkable 20-year practice, alongside new sculptural works. Kylie Stillman: Not fully or properly either of two things will show from Saturday 11 July to Sunday 30 August 2020.
As a student at RMIT during the 90s, Stillman struggled to find inspiration in traditional painting as an art form, preferring the challenge of finding materials and pigments from the ‘constructed world’ to create an artwork. For this exhibition, Kylie draws on the sewing and garment construction skills she learnt at a young age. Stillman’s practice explores what it means to show three-dimensional forms on a two-dimensional plane.
Making use of overlooked and discarded objects, Stillman presents everyday materials including sheets of plywood, aluminium window furnishings, furniture and books, reworking them by hand to prompt new interpretations and meaning.
Kylie says, ‘I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to present an exhibition of old and new work at Town Hall Gallery. In particular, ‘Verso’, a new sculptural work created from over 200 books sourced from the Boroondara Library Service’s deaccessioned book collection. It must seem like I’m reading a lot during the pandemic, but books have always been a significant material in my practice.’
Stillman’s personal relationship to the City of Boroondara is a significant one. The earliest works presented in this exhibition were created in 2003, when the artist was early out of art school and living in Surrey Hills. ‘Park Views’ is an installation of four sets of Venetian blinds with thousands of drilled holes that allow the light to pass through onto the walls and floors of where it is exhibited.
Kylie adds: ‘During art school, the local libraries were a haven of resources and instrumental to the formation of my current studio practice. Earlier this year, I was introduced to the head of the Hawthorn Library who agreed to provide unwanted books for the creation of new work. I love the idea of creating avenues for the Boroondara community to see their stories reflected in this donated material.’
At the heart of Not fully or properly either of two things is a consideration of the nature of things and how we construct and articulate the world around us. Stillman has recently exhibited work at the Castlemaine State Festival, Linden New Art, Bunjil Place, Hamilton Art Gallery, Maitland Regional Arts Gallery, NSW and many more. This exhibition will be Kylie’s first solo show at the Town Hall Gallery.
Gallery-goers can expect social distancing measures to be in place at Town Hall Gallery, with limited numbers inside the gallery at a time so that audiences can enjoy the artwork while keeping at least 1.5m away from other viewers.
Kylie Stillman: Not fully or properly either of two things
Saturday 11 July – Sunday 30 August 2020
Town Hall Gallery, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn
boroondara.vic.gov.au/events/kylie-stillman-not-fully-or-properly-either-two-things
