Slag Studies
Solo exhibition at Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne.
6 April - 18 May, 2019
Working with arcane methods of mineral and resource extraction, Jamie North has gained critical attention for his ruinous appearing sculptures made from hand-produced concrete. Treating a traditionally mass-produced process with artisanal care, North creates formal structures that appear to have been weathered and deteriorated by the elements, while fostering and supporting emerging plant-life. Slag Studies begins to unpack the modes of production for which the artist is renowned. In a suite of photographic works, North depicts the industrial process of extracting iron, rendered moodily dark and foreboding, with machinery moving to tip molten slag into a churned landscape. In each, the slag pot appears as a fierce and luminous embodiment of energy, not dissimilar to the sun. This circular motif echoes throughout the sculptural works through the coring of slag rocks resulting in cylindrical tunnels. Some of these are filled with water, while in others lithophytes nestle in the cavities, bringing the carboniferous process full cycle. Each sculpture alludes to the various studio processes the artist employs in the making of his sculptural work, with the slag that has been used primarily as a material component in previous works essentialised and taking centre stage.
Mark Feary - Artistic Director, Gertrude Contemporary
The Tipping (Dearborn No.1) 2019
pigment print on cotton rag
80 x 120cm, edition of 3
The Tipping (Dearborn No.2) 2019
pigment print on cotton rag
80 x 120cm edition of 3
80 x 120cm edition of 3
The Tipping (Dearborn No.3) 2019
pigment print on cotton rag
80 x 120cm, edition of 3
Slag Studies 2019 (installation view)
Slag Studies 2019 (installation view)
Slag Study No.3 2019
blast furnace slag, mirror polished stainless steel plate
48 x 49cm
Slag Study No.5 2019
blast furnace slag, water
51.5 x 41.5cm
Slag Study No.5 2019 detail
Slag Study No.5 2019 detail
Slag Study No.2 2019
blast furnace slag, galvanised steel, Australian nativeplant (Dischidia ovata)
40.5 x 51cm
Slag Studies 2019 (installation view)
The Tipping Dearborn Skull Disc 2019
pigment print on cotton rag
110 x 150cm, edition of 3