Artist Talk: Artstop Artists

Join artists from Arts Access Victoria’s Artstop Studio as they discuss their work in the current exhibition Beacon, on display at the Counihan Gallery until 26 October.

Beacon explores the concept of disability, identity, safety, and communication through light and colour. In this artist talk, artists Michael Buckley, Lisa Pownall, Margaret Bold and Stephano Conti will share insights into their artistic process and concept development for the exhibition. The floor talk will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions.

WHEN: Saturday 20 September, 1pm - 2pm 
VENUE: Counihan Gallery, 233 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Free, no booking required.

To learn more about the exhibition, visit the Beacon.

Artist Bios:

Michael Buckley
Michael Buckley is a filmmaker, performer and visual artist. He was recognised for his innovative approach to practice with a Writing Fellowship (2000) and a New Media Fellowship (2002) from Creative Australia. He is a member of the legendary vocal performance group ‘Arf Arf’ who have an extensive performance history in Australia and Europe. Buckley combines text and image in the many artist books that he has produced in his career as a professional artist. In an exhibition at FRISA Gallery, Hamburg, Germany (2014) he created large-scale, cut-out figures based on his stories and attached them directly to gallery walls. 

Lisa Pownall
Lisa’s work concerns itself with environmental issues and often focuses on endangered birds. She is inspired by scientific Botanical illustration and Ornithology, the study of birds. Birds are colourful, and they’re different from each other. I like colours, I always picked the colourful birds. The flowers are the same, they are colourful as well. I have right sided hemiplegia which means I can only use my left hand to do things. I paint, I do pottery, I do everything with only my left hand. I have a science degree, and I see things differently, scientifically, I see the systems in nature. 

Margaret Bold
Even though my mother tried to discourage me: I’ve been making art since I was little. I didn’t go to art school, as adult I participated in the Nunawading mural project for young people, and I also became interested in photography when my mother gave me a Kodak Instamatic camera at ten years old. I use art to express myself, my love of birds, my love of nature, particularly flowers. I document my artwork with photo taking. The themes lately have been Australian birds. The medium has been watercolour paint, watercolour pencils and fine pen.

Stefano Conti
Since I was a student in school, I was a talented student and I won prizes. Even as a child I would make drawings. I am a writer, poet and I make music. When I do something I like, I feel good and alive. The process of making visual art I feel satisfied. I have an attachment to the Artstop group, it motivates me to come along each week and continue my practice. When I migrated to Australia, I started with the Neami studio to practice art. I have had opportunities to have exhibitions through Artstop and Arts Access. I like to use oil pastels. Since I became a student at school I have been using them. I have discovered water colour and acrylic paint. It’s good to be in a studio with other artists using different mediums.

Accessibility information

Seating for the artist talk is available. Please let our friendly staff know if you would like a chair.

This exhibition features video and sound content. Due to the varied sensory experience on display, this exhibition may be a difficult environment for visitors with sensory sensitivities.

Exhibition access: Accessible venue and bathrooms, audio description, online exhibition.

For more information about the accessibility of the Counihan Gallery venue, visit our Access and Inclusion page. 

Contact

Counihan Gallery
Phone: 03 9389 8622
Email: CounihanGallery@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

Further information

For program updates you can follow the Counihan Gallery Instagram page. You can also go to the Counihan Gallery Facebook page.