PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS - 2017
WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE ANNUAL BLENDER XMAS SHOW WILL ONCE AGAIN BE WELCOMING YOU ALL TO COME AND JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE YEAR THAT HAS BEEN.
THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FOR THE BLENDER FAMILY. IN JANUARY THIS YEAR WHEN WE WERE GIVEN 30 DAYS NOTICE TO MOVE OUT OF OUR GRITTY OLD WAREHOUSE FULL OF SIXTEEN YEARS OF MEMORIES THE SITUATION SEEMED DIRE. AFTER A SUITABLE BOUT OF APOCALYPTIC-STYLE STRESSING (AND OF COURSE CONTINUING TO MAKE ART IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY) WE FOUND OUR NEW HOME IN DOCKLANDS. NOT EVERYONE SAW OUR VISION AT THE TIME BUT AFTER WEEKS OF HARD WORK WE BUILT AN ENTIRELY NEW STUDIO - DOUBLE THE SIZE OF OUR OLD HOME!
THE MOVE WAS TOUGH FOR EVERYONE, WE LOST A FEW ARTISTS BUT ALSO GAINED MANY MORE. TODAY BLENDER IS HOME TO 28 ARTISTS PRACTISING IN A HUGE ARRAY OF MEDIUMS AND GENRES. THE RESULT IS THE LARGEST AND MOST MOTLEY COLLECTION OF ARTISTS BLENDER HAS EVER SEEN SPRAWLED ACROSS OVER 1000 SQUARE METRES OF CREATIVE LABYRINTH STYLE SPACES.
AS WELL AS THIS LARGE-SCALE MOVE AND WELCOMING AN ARRAY OF NEW FACES TO THE FAMILY, OUR STUDIO ARTISTS HAVE BEEN MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN EVER! COLLECTIVELY THE STUDIO ARTISTS HAVE TURNED OVER 15 SOLO EXHIBITIONS AND PARTICIPATED IN OVER 100 GROUP SHOWS FROM LOCAL EVENTS TO INTERNATIONAL BIENNALES - WHAT A YEAR IT'S BEEN!
THE BLENDER XMAS SHOW HAS CERTAINLY BECOME A TRADITION OVER THE DECADES, SO PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS LANDMARK EVENT CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS OF THE NEW STUDIO WITH ALL OF OUR ARTISTS. COME AND SEE WHAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WORKING ON AND PEER INTO THE ECLECTIC WORLD THAT IS BLENDER.
'THE BLENDER EXODUS'
BY JASON WATERHOUSE
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OPENING SEPTEMBER 1ST
EXHIBITION RUNS 2ND SEP - 24TH SEP
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IN THE EXHIBITION THE BLENDER EXODUS, A GROUP OF AMOEBIC OZITO POWER TOOLS FLEE THE NEON BLAST FROM A SHOTGUN. LIKE SOME DAVID CRONENBERG-INSPIRED DRACONIANNIGHTMARE THAT IS BOTH LAUGHABLE AND DISTURBING, THESE MUTATED BLOBS RESEMBLE ROBOTIC SNAILS, SPURRING QUESTIONS MORE THAN ANSWERS. DOES THE VACUOUS STARTER’S GUN SPEECH-BUBBLE PLAY ONLY TO POP CULTURAL SENSIBILITIES, OR DOES IT SIGNAL THE LAUNCH OF THESE HYBRID CREATURES INTO OUR UNSUSPECTING LIVES?
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JASON WATERHOUSE’S SCULPTURAL PRACTICE IS UNDERPINNED BY IDEAS OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE, URBANIZATION AND ‘HOW WE LIVE WITH THE STUFF AROUND US’. IN WATERHOUSE’S STUDIO, UBIQUITOUS OBJECTS SUCH AS CAR BODIES, GARDENERS’ SHEDS, PENCILS, TOOLS AND TREE BRANCHES UNDERGO SERIES OF INTERVENTIONS RESULTING IN HYBRIDIZED OBJECTS THAT OCCUPY AN UNCANNY SPACE BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT, THE NATURAL AND THE MANUFACTURED.
SATURDAY 5TH AUGUST 6PM - LATE
EXHIBITION RUNS: THURSDAY 10TH AUGUST - SATURDAY 26TH AUGUST
GALLERY HOURS: THURS-SUN, 12PM-5PM
LOCATION: THE BLENDER STUDIOS DOCKLANDS
ADDRESS: LEVEL ONE, HARBOUR TOWN EAST, DOCKLANDS 3008
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DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT
TIM STERLING
JASON WATERHOUSE
ADRIAN DOYLE
JENNY HALL
GOONHUGS
BLENDER POP UP SPACE
LUKE RION
RUSKIDD
ADI
GIGI GORDES
CAITLIN RIGBY
IT IS OUR PLEASURE TO INVITE YOU TO THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW BLENDER STUDIOS AND DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT GALLERY IN DOCKLANDS.
AFTER BEING LOCATED ON FRANKLIN STREET FOR SIXTEEN YEARS, THE BLENDER STUDIOS RELOCATED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR TO THE NEW DOCKLANDS ARTS PRECINCT IN HARBOUR TOWN, DOCKLANDS. THIS IS A MAJOR MOVE FOR THE BLENDER STUDIOS, WHO HAVE BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF BOTH THE MELBOURNE FINE ART AND STREET ART SCENES FOR CLOSE TO TWO DECADES.
OUR NEW SPACE IS NOW HOME TO THIRTY ARTISTS. THE STUDIOS WILL BE FULLY OPEN TO GUESTS TO EXPLORE ON THE NIGHT; EXPECT A LABYRINTH OF STUDIO SPACES WITH WORK SPANNING COUNTLESS MEDIUMS AND GENRES FROM STREET ART TO FINE ART, SCULPTURE TO INSTALLATION.
THE DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT GALLERY IS ALSO REOPENING IN THE NEW LOCATION, WHICH IS EXCITING NEWS FOR THE MELBOURNE FINE ART SCENE. A GROUP SHOW, CURATED BY ADRIAN DOYLE, WILL BE OPENING OFFICIALLY ON THE 5TH OF AUGUST BUT GUESTS AT OUR VIP LAUNCH WILL GET AN EXCLUSIVE PRE-SHOW PREVIEW.
WE ARE ALSO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF OUR NEWEST VENTURE, THE BLENDER POP UP SPACE. THIS SPACE FEATURES A ROTATING COLLECTION OF ARTWORKS, PRINTS AND MERCHANDISE FROM SOME OF MELBOURNE’S MOST ELITE URBAN ARTISTS. A SECOND GROUP SHOW WILL ALSO BE CURATED IN THIS SPACE ON THE NIGHT FEATURING WORK FROM SOME OF BLENDER’S YOUNGER STREET ARTISTS AND ILLUSTRATORS.
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AS OF FEBRUARY 2017 DARK HORSE EXPERIMENT & BLENDER STUDIOS WILL BE RELOCATTING TO A NEW DOCKLANDS LOCATIONS.
THERE WILL BE A SHORT BREAK IN OUR EXHIBITION SCHEDULE WHILE WE SETTLE IN TO A NEW SPACE.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED US SO FAR AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEW ADVENTURES IN THE FUTURE.