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Urban Jam at Switchback Gallery

17 August 2005

An exhibition exploring people, places and environments is on show at Monash's Switchback Gallery at the Gippsland campus until 8 September.

Created by Kate Cotching.

Urban Jamfeatures the work of three inner-city Melbourne based artists -- Kate Cotching, Arlene TextaQueen and Yandell Walton.

Each artist has reflected on how they might see the world if it were conjured from a dream, the environment in which they live, or made up of people who inhabit their lives.

Kate Cotching is a Bachelor of Arts (honours) graduate from RMIT and is well known for her intricate paper sculpture and installations.

Arlene TextaQueen graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Western Australia in 1995 and has lived and worked in Melbourne since 1998. She uses textas to create nude portraits she calls 'textanudes'.

Yandell Walton, a printmaker and mixed media artist, is currently undertaking a Master of Fine Arts degree at RMIT University.

The exhibition curator, Dr Lucy Elliott, completed her doctorate at Monash's School of Literary, Visual and Performance Studies in 2000.

"The diverse practices of each artist reflect on, reverberate with and re-think the interior and exterior landscapes," Dr Elliott said.

"Cotching's intricate paper sculpture draws our attention to the built environment, encouraging us to think about the possible impact it may have on our lives.

"Walton's digital prints and installation work conjure up a world in which wonderment and a sense of impending dread sit alongside each other, while TextaQueen's vibrant images of the female nude offer us a pleasure in looking that engages the senses."

Mr Mark McDean, Switchback Gallery exhibition coordinator and lecturer in sculpture at Monash's Gippsland Centre for Art and Design, said the exhibition was a "must-see", particularly as artists were bringing visual aspects of inner city culture to a regional gallery.

"These are three of the hottest contemporary art practitioners in Australia," Mr McDean said.

"Together they cover a broad range of practice. It's interesting to note the artists also bring an international flavour to the Switchback Gallery. Kate Cotching has just returned from a four-month Australia Council residency in Rome, and Arlene is presently completing a residency in New York."