Louise Weaver exhibiting at the Darren Knight Gallery - 25th September - 27th October 2001

Work by Louise Weaver, New Romantic (Golden Hare) 2000, hand crocheted rayon thread over high density foam and gold coloured plastic, 53 x 38 x19cm, Courtesy the artist and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney

There's something increasingly special about the idiosyncratic nature of the visual arts, at least in the exhibitions I have been visiting recently (see the other reviews) - and it comes down to the artists' exuberance and sense of fun which is truely delightful - because in the visual arts there is no smarmy corporate style, no appeal to capture the mass market. Each artist builds on their skills and their own personal choices to present a view or a perception. This is where visiting an exhibition is so clearly more rewarding than walking through the showroom before an exhibition.

It is in this context that one can walk into Louise Weaver's current exhibition and just enjoy it. And yes, there are themes followed by the artist that need to be explored and techniques to be appreciated, but beyond that there is just a great sense in this exhibition of an artist that enjoys her art and this is transmitted to the viewer through her sense of humour.

In Weaver's current exhibition, she offer us this other world (read imaginary) of a menagerie which consists of animals brightly decorated, cloaked in crocheted woollen skins. Perhaps they are inspired by a retro-aesthetic and sourced from a carnival, or a garage sale - you know the sort of thing that typified the suburbs decor in the '50s along with the flying ducks.

There are the 3d animal forms - Stargazer (Bobcat), Skunk (I think you’re swell), New Romantic (Golden Hare), Golden Oriole, and Sooty Owl. clearly this isn't a homage to nature but to nurture - to the city dweller whose primary experience with these creatures are from Nickelodeon or Disney.

Above all, what makes Louise Weaver's work so interesting is her clever application of surface variations that lead to surprise and delight - not only with the three dimensional objects but also with the works on paper where the application of black sequins and cotton thread vary a surface in a manner that is both fun and visually stimulating. These hand embroidered works on paper remind me a little of the large works we saw by Kerrie Lester in the early nineties and are an obvious and direct reference to the domestic craft practiced by women in days gone by. But, the visual complexity of the works on paper show the artist's determination to maintain the viewer's interest in the surface of the works.

Out of curiosity I started thinking of other contemporary Australian artists working with animal imager and came up with a very small list - Dean Bowen, John Kelly, Yvonne Kendall and each of these artists works the images of animals in a non-naturalist manner. Weaver happens to use animal forms with reference to a feminist critique of traditional craft and fantasy.

Take the opportunity to view the latest works by this most interesting image maker.

By Martin Shub, Editor, 7th October 2001.