VISUAL ARTS, page 8, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN, Jan 25/2006

Seeing the light
_______________
PIP CHRISTMASS

Austrian-born, Perth based artist Bello Benischauer has travelled the globe, from South America and Africa to Iran and Pakistan. But his exhibition, Collection, an overview of his two-dimensional work, brings together paintings inspired primarily by the light, landscapes, skylines and beaches of WA.

Collection contains 20 pieces from five series of works. Coloured Shadows was inspired by his memories of the play of colour and light on the beaches of Broome, while the visually stark simplicity of his Unbleached Dream series explores the power of dreams and the mythical archetypes that exist across cultures. Jazz Only is a series of lino cuts based on drawings created in one of Vienna's best-known jazz clubs, while his Observation series explores the Western obsession with surface appearance.

A blacksmith and welder by trade, Benischauer left Austria to travel the world in the early 1990s, eventually settling in Perth to study fine art. Describing himself as a cross-form artist, Benischauer's work ranges over oil painting, digital art and experimental video, social art projects and installations.

He has exhibited regularly since the late 90s, not only in Australia but across Europe and the United States. With fellow artist and partner Elisabeth Eitelberger he set up ART IN PROCESS in 2001, an ongoing collaborative project that explores the relationship between humanity, technology and the natural environment through a synthesis of various art practices.

Benischauer's wanderlust has inspired an ongoing concern with the effects of globalisation and the relationship between First and Third World cultures, particularly the ways in which cultures, identities and borders can dissolve into one another.

On a more local level, the interaction between individuals and city spaces is the focus of Benischauer's Temporary Contemporary, an "interactive" city studio opening on St Georges Terrace from next Wednesday. Temporary Contemporary will give CBD-dwellers a first-hand insight into the meaning of Art in Process with plans for active painting sessions, a gallery space, forums and a digital lounge.

The studio's ongoing projects will revolve around a cluster of themes. What does individual identity mean in an era of globalisation? Can a single inhabitant have a cultural consciousness in anonymous city spaces, where business generally takes precedence over art?

"The studio will be a space for getting into an open dialogue with the public", Benischauer says. "It's designed to reach people around their businesses and get them involved in my work." ____________________

and ... more

Print Friendly Link