ARTISTS BIOS

ANTHONY LISTER uses comic book imagery for his own means, redirecting popular culture for personal expression. Heroes and villains are taken out of the panel and placed in a new space, devoid of the usual storyline, dialogue and scenery. Through this use of iconic and familiar characters, Lister creates instantly memorable compositions. These characters and their popularity also expose our culture’s tendency towards oversimplification, avoiding gray areas and evaluating in terms of extremes: good or evil, hero or villain. Anthony recently undertook a research residency in Berlin, and his travels have extended him to take part in solo and group exhibitions around the world. Lister is consistently a finalist in a number of prestigious awards including The Prometheus Art Award and the Metro 5 Art Award. He has presented lectures, the most recent being the Semi-Permanent 2008 in Sydney. He lives and works in New York City.

SUE DODD's screen-based works are based on her performance of original songs that put the sensational stories and language of trashy celebrity magazines to bubbly electro-pop music, elevating bottom-dweller journalism to a new, pure entertainment genre she has coined "gossip-pop". Served with lashings of irony, Dodd's songs turn journalistic embellishment into rhythmic, hilarious, song lyrics. Sue Dodd completed a Bachelor of Arts, with First Class Honours, at RMIT University, Melbourne in 1997 and a Masters by research in Fine art at RMIT in 2000. Selected performances/solo exhibitions include Gossip Pop, Kings Gallery and Bus Gallery, Melbourne 2003; NW the gig, CLUBSproject, Melbourne 2003; and Pick-Up, Linden Gallery, St Kilda 2002. In 2001 Dodd was the recipiend of funding from Arts Victoria for International and Cultural Exchange.

JEMIMA WYMAN uses video, painting, photography and performance to investigate the fictions and realities relating to celebrities, Hollywood and the history of story-telling within Australian culture. She lives and works between Brisbane and Los Angeles, and is represented by Milani Gallery.

ALASDAIR MACINTYRE works in primarily object-based art. He is influenced by his own faith, art historical and popular culture references, as well as studies in theology, sociology, and paranormal activity. The objects in his work (toy figures, statuettes, etc) likes tot tackle issues, such as the glorification of of wrestling “heroes”, military soldiers, or disposable pop stars. He lives and works in Brisbane and is represented by Ryan Renshaw.

MARI HIRATA produces lush photographs focused around the Japanese notions of balance and symmetry, and are characterised by an iconic use of red, white and black. Shoes form a recurrent theme throughout Hirata's arts practice, and are mostly mundane white bridal high-heels, repetitively used to explore stereotypical notions of femininity and fetishised objects of desire. She lives and works on the Gold Coast.

DANIEL MC KEWEN examines the ubiquitous and influential nature of celebrity and popular culture. Working primarily in the medium of digital video, he appropriates and reconfigures elements of film and television media to examine how mass-media constructs and perpetuates the celebrity myth. In exploring his own love/hate relationship with pop culture and the celebrity industry, Daniel's work displays how celebrities function both as a public spectacle and as bearers of our own individual hopes, fears and desires.

SEBASTIAN MOODY is a Brisbane-based artist with a diverse conceptual art-driven practice. His practice is primarily concerned with how meaning is made and shared. In addition to his art practice Moody is currently studying a Masters in Museum Studies at the University of Queensland. Sebastian is also a member of the artist group The General Will, and lives and works in Brisbane.

ARCHIE MOORE was born in 1970 in Toowoomba, Queensland, and was named after the famous African American boxer of the same name. Moore’s work communicates a deep understanding of cultural content from an urban viewpoint. His interest in language developed from negative childhood experiences; the artist has now taken ownership of these by deconstructing them and altering their meanings. Moore continues to show work both nationally and internationally. He lives and works in Brisbane.

What DAVID SPOONER makes is said in needle and thread. His textile sculptures hail from places in his memory and imagination such as preschool and the Prehistoric. Each word pieced together in his work grows to tell a story (real and imagined) of his life.David currently resides in Brisbane Australia. He recently completed a Masters of visual art at the Queensland College of Art.

MARIAM ARCILLA (curator) is a Gold Coast based curator, writer and artist. As a Gallery Director at 19 KAREN Contemporary Artspace she engages in community and commercial projects that promote emerging and experimental artists. She has been featured on Triple J Radio, 612 ABC Radio, Electrofringe New Media Festival, The Weekend Bulletin Metro Arts Gallery, The Epoch Times and UV Magazine and. Mariam is also founder and co-Project Director of 'tinygold', a not-for-profit artist-run initiative. She graduated from a First Class BA Hons in 2006, after completing a Bachelor of Creative Arts degree from Griffith University, Gold Coast.