Brenda Gael Smith lives and creates at the ‘other’ Copacabana on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Her vibrant, contemporary designs are published and exhibited widely, including works in the Twelve by Twelve International Art Quilt Challenge and the book with the same name. She teaches in Australia and internationally with a focus on improvisational techniques and the effective use of colour so as to promote fun and encourage the creative confidence of her students.
Brenda’s creative practice has expanded to curating exhibitions, combining her love of quilts and textiles and her professional project management skills (she was a lawyer in another life). Following her experience as the curator of Australia Quilts and the successful tours of Beneath the Southern Sky (2012/2013) and Living Colour! (2014/2015), she looks forward to working on a matter of time in 2016/2017.
Brenda Gael Smith: Contemporary Textile Art website
Curator’s Statement
I am thrilled to present my latest curatorial project – a matter of time. While Beneath the Southern Sky (2012/2013) evoked a sense of place and Living Colour! (2014/2015) celebrated life across the spectrum, this new travelling exhibition takes a philosophical turn.
The notion of time is intriguing and sometimes paradoxical. It is at once rigid and fluid, fleeting and interminable, tangible but elusive, and abundant yet scarce. Like spatial position, temporality is an intrinsic property of existence. How the ‘fourth dimension’ of time is observed, manifested and experienced is at the heart of this exhibition.
99 artists responded to the challenge to explore the fourth dimension in cloth and, together, submitted 104 entries. The 32 selected works showcase a diverse range of styles, techniques and materials in both abstract and representational form. Sub-themes include: conservation, preservation, seasons, cycles, change, metamorphosis, regeneration, eternity, evolution, ageing, erosion, progress, decay, chronometry, time travel, repetition, rhythm, eternity, story telling, endurance, songlines, continuum, ephemerality, moments, past, present and future.