Volcanic Bloom explores imaginative minerals in strange environments and possible futures.
Ari Athans plays with concepts of physical variables such as atmospheric conditions, planet core composition, temperature, sun exposure, gravity, mineral composition, rotational energy, magnetic field and radiation.
“I like to imagine worlds where there might be acid yellow sulphuric seas’, she says. 'Many of these forms are an expression of alien environments creating plant mineral hybrids. Abstract forms push in and out of order and chaos, as occurs in mineral habits and their habitats.'
Colour is a strong component of these works as the artist is inspired by faceted gemstones. Volcanos bring up magnificent plumes and magma from the centre of a planet. ‘What this magma is and what might crytalsize from it’s molten state is where I am interested in going’.
Athans paints on mild steel. The surface is treated like a geological substrata map. Layers are built up to be stripped back through physical and chemical means. The rust representing the passing of time within a geological framework.
July 2016
The Law of Superposition states that in any sequence of layered rocks, a given layer must be older than any layer on top of it. A basic law of geochronology, it is fundamental to the interpretation of Earth’s history and understanding the order of things. For Ari Athans, who studied Geology and worked in the mining and exploration industry before training in jewellery and object design, it has become the foundation on which she forms her art practice.
Materiality, experimentation and transformative states are constant threads in Ari’s work. Science informs the process, but so too does intuition and emotion. Using mild steel and enamel, she reimagines geological interactions and events as fantastical new landscapes that represent passages of time and moments of being. Her stacked ceramic forms are a natural progression of this highly sculptural painting style, allowing human interaction in physical space and encouraging contemplation on geologic time and how we relate to it.
Ari Athans studied a Bachelor of Applied Science (Geology) at University of Technology Sydney (1988), before completing her Diploma in Gemmology at the Gemmological Association of Australia (1989), and Associate Diploma of Arts (Jewellery Object Design) at the Sydney Institute of Technology (1994). A finalist in the Moreton Bay Art Awards (2017) and Smart State Designer at the Design Institute of Australia (2008), her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows through Australia and internationally such as Sydney Contemporary (2020); Trace 4101 Festival, Brisbane (2019); Expanded discrete states, Artisan Brisbane (2018); 15 Artists, Redcliffe Art Gallery (2017); Silver, Museum of Brisbane (2014); Freestyle, Melbourne Museum, Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, Object Gallery and Milan Museum, Italy (2007); Blurred Boundaries, Kick Arts Cairns (2007); South Project, Santiago Museum, Chile (2006); Self, United Kingdom tour (2004); Schmuck, International Handwerksmesse, Munich (2001); and X-Ray Craft, Queensland Art Gallery (1997).
Carrie McCarthy 2020
Ari Athans
Born 1965, Sydney
Lives and works in Brisbane
EDUCATION
1994
Associate Diploma of Arts (Jewellery Object Design), Sydney Institute of Technology, Sydney
1989
Diploma in Gemmology, Gemmological Association of Australia, Brisbane
1988
Bachelor Applied Science (Geology), University Technology, Sydney
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
Upcoming 'Ingrained', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2022
'Aggregates in Construct', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2021
'End of Days', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2020
'Arrivals', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2018
'Remains', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2016
'Volcanic Bloom', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2015
'Andromeda', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2014
'Geophyllia', EDWINA CORLETTE Brisbane
2013
'Rockheads', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2011
'Field Trip', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2010
'Facet', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
2002
'Stonewear', Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
2001
'Cha Cha Charms', CQ Store, Craft Queensland, Brisbane
2000
'Bodyguards', Craft Queensland, Brisbane
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020
Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, EDWINA CORLETTE
2019
‘The New Gallery Show’, EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
'Trace 4101', Various locations in West End, Brisbane
Congratulations to Ari Athans whose work ‘A ripple and a rock’ is now installed at Wentworth Point in Sydney.
"This work is inspired by sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and shale which make up the ripple valley of Sydney Harbour.
"Seeking to re-invoke the soft and natural elements of the area, ‘A ripple and a rock’ signals a place and a point of arrival along the urban coastline. The forms appear to have tumbled together and washed ashore, their shape framing the bay and supporting view lines across the water." - Ari Athans
In collaboration with Urban Art Projects
Installation view: ‘A ripple and a rock’ 2024 sandstone, cast aluminium, fabricated steel dimensions variable
The disparate textural layers of Aggregates in Construct blend the myriad forms and patterns of nature marked by the boundaries of human action. Ari Athans’ stacked, sculptural arrangements flow between the handmade, organic and industrial, marking the liminal points where the landscape rests upon and collides with the built world.
IMAGE:
Ultra Surface, 2022 ceramic, wood, vesicular basalt, acrylic paint 36 x 22 x 20 cm
Ari Athans is interviewed in the latest issue of Vault Magazine about the breadth of her creative practice - between sculpture, painting, and jewellery.
Ari Athans' work has been selected for Redcliffe Gallery's 15 Artists Exhibition 2017.
This annual award plays a pivotal role in the growth of the Moreton Bay Regional Council Art Collection. The $8000 acquisitive prize exhibits 15 Artists that reflect the collection’s focus of culture, identity, spirit and sense of place.
Artists selected for 2017 are Ari Athans, Glenn Barkley, Sue Beyer, Megan Cope, Hannah Cutts, Jeremy Eden, Martin Edge, Ian Friend, Stephen Hart, Barbara Heath, Abbey McCulloch, Kate McKay, Stephen Nothling, Graeme Peebles and Nan Dingle.
The exhibition runs from 01 September to 28 October 2017. Read more here.
Ari Athans work 'Felsic Plume' has been selected as a finalist in the 2017 Moreton Bay Art Award. This annual acquisitive award exhibition is supported by the Moreton Bay Regional Council. The Art Award offers two acquisitive prizes of $7,500 and two supplementary $1,000 prizes for a Local Artists and a People’s Choice Award.
The Moreton Bay Region Art Award has featured prominent and emerging artists for the last 24 years, and is now an important feature in the cultural landscape of the region.
Dr Campbell Gray, Director of the University of Queensland Art Museum is the 2017 judge.
3 – 18 December 2024 ‘SMALL WORKS’featuring Ari Athans, John Bokor, James Drinkwater, Bridie Gillman, Dan Kyle, Rhys Lee, Belem Lett, Tara Marynowsky, Tim McMonagle, Peta Minnici, Sally M Nangala Mulda, Natalie O'Loughlin, Bundit Puangthong, Paul Ryan, Vipoo Srivilasa
