21:21:21

09.01.09-01.02.09
VENUE: LONG GALLERY, SALAMANCA ARTS CENTRE, HOBART, TASMANIA

ARTISTS: Oren Ambarchi; Natasha Anderson; Philip Brophy; Brothers Of The Occult Sisterhood; Eugene Carchesio; Rod Cooper; Jim Denley; The Donkey's Tail; Robin Fox; Marco Fusinato; Joyce Hinterding; Justice Yeldham And The Dynamic Ribbon Device; Alan Lamb; Muura; Paeces; Pateras/Baxter/Brown; Rizili; Philip Samartzis; SSL (Robbie Avenaim/Dale Gorfinkel); Striborg; Brendan Walls 
CURATORS: Alexie Glass, Emily Cormack, Marco Fusinato, Oren Ambarchi
COLLABORATOR: Fabio Ongarato

21:21:21 features 21 works by 21 Australian sound artists produced in the 21st Century. This selection of works has been taken from the exhibition 21:100:100 that was held at Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne in October 2008. 21:21:21 was curated at the invitation and with support from MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) under the umbrella of the FOMA Festival 2009..

Curated by Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces in collaboration with artists Oren Ambarchi and Marco Fusinato, 21:100:100 and 21:21:21 include works that traverse the many threads, directions and innovations in sound art from the last eight years.  

Grounded in the premise that both sound art and contemporary visual art share a similar spirit of enquiry and experimentation, these exhibitions highlight the progressive and responsive aspects of both art forms. Refined from 100 to 21 artists, 21:21:21 offers audiences a unique opportunity to listen to groundbreaking Australian sound art, and to trace the varied thematic threads and stylistic developments that make this media so dynamic.

Initially presented on 100 headphones suspended within the gallery, this exhibition creates a space for the visitor to pick their way through sound art’s many and varied aural and conceptual evolutions. For 21:21:21 at the Salamanca Arts Centre, 21 headphones will hang from the ceiling revealing the immense scope and depth of Australian sound art.

As co-curator Alexie Glass states “Australia has always enjoyed an incredibly lively sound art community and has been a central site in the investigation and presentation of sound and experimental music. 21:21:21 offers audiences a unique opportunity to fully engage with Australian sound art, and to trace the dynamism and innovation that is alive within our sound art and experimental music scene.”

The exhibition spans a diverse selection of Australia’s leading practitioners including the confronting performative practice of artists such as Justice Yeldham; collaborative projects such as Paeces and The Donkey’s Tail; and sound works by artists who also maintain active visual arts practices such as Joyce Hinterding and Philip Brophy. This exhibition also features significant new works by curators of 21:100:100 and 21:21:21 - Oren Ambarchi and Marco Fusinato.

21:100:100 was accompanied by a major 370-page publication that will be available at Salamanca. Designed by leading graphic design company Fabio Ongarato Design, this book includes information about all 100 artists, in depth essays by experts in the field and an extraordinary selection of images, making this publication a definitive resource in the discussion and generation of sound art.