Aquarium

Background: Coming out of a conscious decision to move towards a more sustainable art practice, Aquarium forms part of a recent series of artist books that explore new possibilities for everyday packaging and other paper-based detritus that is usually consigned to the rubbish bin, while also engaging with expanded notions of the book itself. Contribution: Aquarium offers an exploration of how the inherent visual properties of the waste materials themselves might drive pictorial narratives and inform the artwork formats, specifically how the layered 'windows' of business envelopes can suggest an aquatic environment, which in turn alludes to the transport of surface mail by sea. The marine motifs also help to directly link the impact of business transactions in our consumer culture on vulnerable environments. The work offers an expanded understanding of the book form, while encouraging viewers to re-evaluate the paper-based packaging and waste they generate themselves.Significance: The book was one of the 38 works selected for inclusion in the 2017 Banyule Award for Works on Paper finalists' exhibition from a competitive field of 410 entries from around Australia. The eminent judging panel included CEO of Climarte Guy Abrahams, Director of Monash University Museum of Art Charlotte Day and senior curator at MPRG Danny Lacy.创作背景：本作品《Aquarium》（水族馆）源于创作者秉持可持续艺术实践的自觉理念，属于近期系列艺术家书籍创作的组成部分。该系列致力于探索日常包装与通常被丢弃至垃圾桶的纸质废弃物的全新创作可能，同时拓展对书籍本体形式的认知边界。 创作贡献：《Aquarium》深入探究了废弃物自身固有的视觉特质如何驱动图像叙事、并塑造作品的呈现形式——具体而言，商用信封的多层“视窗”结构可营造出水生环境的视觉意象，进而隐喻远洋平信的运输过程。此外，海洋母题直接关联了消费文化中的商业交易对脆弱生态环境造成的冲击。该作品既拓展了人们对书籍形态的认知维度，也促使观者重新审视自身产生的纸质包装与废弃物。 作品价值：该艺术家书籍从澳大利亚各地共计410份参赛作品的激烈角逐中脱颖而出，成功入选2017年班尤尔纸质作品奖（Banyule Award for Works on Paper）入围作品展的38件展品之列。本次评选的权威评审团成员包括：Climarte首席执行官盖伊·亚伯拉罕斯（Guy Abrahams）、莫纳什大学美术馆馆长夏洛特·戴（Charlotte Day），以及MPRG资深策展人丹尼·莱西（Danny Lacy）。