Exhibition opening address by Shanti Ghelmi

I want to acknowledge that we are meeting on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar and how grateful that I am that we are able to do so. I acknowledge and respect The Whadjuk people, their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this region. Always was always will be Aboriginal Land.

Shanti Gelmi – long time resident of Kalamunda.

Thank and congratulate the Zig Zag Gallery, the city of Kalamunda and the selection Committee of the exhibition program for providing the opportunity to exhibit this body of work ‘When will you listen to me?’ by emerging artist Nazerul.  We are a nation of people from many lands, cultures and faith. Without exposure to the stories and experiences of others we would be fairly isolated in our thinking and understanding of our Australian culture.

In creating this body of work, Naz has looked internally at the pressures and micro-traumas in his life, past and present, especially those that are generationally passed on and how they influence self-worth and confidence in adult life. This work reflects an internal dialogue for Naz, a mental tug of war between what is learned to be acceptable by authority, parents; that which he learned as a child and how that affects his own decision making now, living in another country.

Naz has made vessels informed by medieval apothecary jars which are sites for healing processes but may also hold secrets, emotions and fears. While making each vessel Naz ruminated on an idiom or phrase familiar to him and represent the struggle he works through – for example ‘Caught between a rock and a hard place’. So while you may not be able to read the Jawi script that encases some of the work, you may have hints at what he was thinking about by the way he rendered the objects. Naz once tole me he thinks through making. We have the evidence of A LOT of thinking here!

Representation of this internal dialogue is what you see before you today. All the steps, and individual motions, decisions, and marks made embed meaning in the clay. Naz has taken all these ideas and using a traditional art medium, clay, has distilled them down to these contemporary and challenging, but beautiful forms.  

Good contemporary art poses questions. It pushes the boundaries of what we understand and opens a bridge to the experience of another.

What is it about – what draws you to a specific piece – what can I learn about this object and the person that created it?

You can investigate the artist and the artwork yourself – it’s a starting point for something outside your normal realm of experience.

What can you tell someone who sees it in your home? (hint hint).

Good contemporary art can launch new conversations about the world around you if you choose to engage.

THIS IS GOOD CONTEMPORARY ART!

I’ve given you a couple of little clues about the work. I encourage you to speak to Naz to find out more and come along to an artist talk.

 Massive Congratulations to you Naz. You have been prolific in your making this year, exhibiting in 3/4 exhibitions in Boorloo and Singapore, and this being your first solo show. Thank you for creating a feast for us to experience, bringing it to the Kalamunda community, for sharing your personal stories and your artistic process, and through that, providing an opportunity for us to think more deeply about what influences our own lives.