Statement

Cash Brown

GOLDEN YEARS

Biennale of Australian Art

22 September – 6 November 2018

GOLDEN YEAR S

Artist sta te me nt

Ca sh Brown 2018

M y p ra ct ic e i s roo ted in appr opri at ion . I en joy b orr owing imag es , r e-engin ee ring them in to cri t ic a l y et playfu l c omments on con tempo rar y we ste rn l i f e and swinging

b etwe en be ing r ev er ent and irr ev er ent .

Se ve n y ea rs ago I w as at a f r iend ly dinn er w ith a gen t leman

s ome two de cad es m y s eni or . Dur ing th e me al he g ent ly

pr opo sed that I be come hi s c ompani on. When I que st i oned

him a bout the age di f fe rence , he exp lained ' I lo ve wom en in th eir lat e 40' s , they a re l ike ro se s in fu l l b loom just b efo re the

pe ta ls dr op of f . ’ I was mor ti f ied and amus ed. I d id not t ake him up on hi s k ind

of f er . But th e sho ck of h is re ve lat i on rea l ly got me thinking… we re m y pe ta ls r ea l ly fa l l ing of f?

So on af te r I found m yse lf in Europ e t aking in O ld Mas ter po rt rai ts , gen re pain t ing s and indulg ing in a new -found fa sci nat ion with Dut ch st i l l l i fe . I wa s t aken a back b y s tunni ng

b ot anic a l a rr angemen ts , with th eir impos si ble se aso na l sup er

impo sit ion s, out of s ca le re la t io nship s, cra zy ang le s , st a ge s of

gr owth , i ns ect s a nd impe rfec t ion s p re sen ting p owerfu l met aphor s f or tr ansi enc e and ageing . Al though I h ad s een man y befo re, the y took on a d i f fer ent k ind of powe r, and he ld

my int er est longe r than u sua l . ( Ther e are s o few ex ample s of th ese in Aus tr al ia , e spe cia l ly tho se b y wo men .)

Th es e pa int i ngs can a ls o p ro vide c ri t i ca l ob ser va tion s of c ont empora ry Eur opea n soci et y , which is fas cin ating dur ing th e lat e Ren ai ssa nce and the Dutch Go ld en Age , when

c apit a l ism took of f spec ta cula r ly in the Nethe r land s and sma l l po rt ab le pai nt ing s we re tr aded l ike tu l ip bu lbs and spice s .

Women wer e p ermit ted to pa int for the new p riv at e ma rke t made buo ya nt by a d emand fo r e xot ic st i l l l i f e as a di sp la y of

we al th , or p or tra its fo r po ste rit y .

I n I ta ly , dur ing the s ame p er iod , a f ew women got int o gen re pa int ing a nd exp re ss ed th ems elve s wi th s ome v er y i nter es t ing

a l legori ca l se lf i es in addit ion to ea rne st s elf -p ort ra its . Th is , a nd the r ev elat i on s of the st i l l l i f e wo rks sudden ly mea nt

s omething deep ly p er son al , r e le van t a nd co n tempo ra ry .

I put the tw o c oncep ts tog ethe r a nd the Fas c ina tor ser ies wa s b orn .

G olde n Years i s the cu lmina ti on of s ev era l y ear s of wo rk in an in st a l lat i on p re sen ted at BOA A whi ch inc lude s an i nst a l la t io n

pi ece ‘ Rememb er you mus t di e ’ w i th 38325 fab ric r ose pe ta ls ( each s ymbo li sing a da y and night of my l i f e ) , f re sh f lowe rs in

a c ry sta l va se (which wi l l s low ly die ) , ro se oi l , a f ema le

C auca si an rep lic a med ica l skul l and a si lk Indi an f loo r rug .

I am thri l led to be pa rt of th i s i naugura l ev ent , which i s th e

la rges t ev er showca se of l i ving Aus tr a l ian a rt i st s a nd i s an

impo rta nt mi lest one in m y ca re er .

Double Selfie

Self-portrait as Isabella Coymans reunited in middle age with Stephanus Geraererdts as imagined

future lover (after Frans Hals and Rachel Ruysch)

2015-17

Oil on Belgian Linen

Diptych 101.5 x 76 cm each Private collection

Self-portrait as Isabella Coymans reunited in middle age with Stephanus Geraererdts as

imagined future lover (after Frans Hals and Rachel Ruysch)

2015-17

Oil on Belgian Linen

Diptych 101.5 x 76 cm each Private collection

FAME

(after Artemisia Gentileschi and Anna Ruysch)

2018

Oil on Italian Linen

97 x 107 cm $10 000 Private collection

HEAT

(after Elisabetta Sirani and Maria van Oosterwijck)

2018

Oil on Italian Linen

97 x 107 cm NFS

LA PRIMA VOCE

(after Artemisia Gentileschi and Rachel Ruysch)

2018

Oil on Italian Linen

97 x 107 cm $10 000

THE GOLDEN FLEECE

(after Sofonisba Anguissola and Willem van Aelst)

2018

Oil on Italian Linen

97 x 107 cm NFS

WELCOME

(after Judith Leyster and Rachel Ruysch)

2018

Oil on Italian Linen

97 x 107 cm $10 000

SYNDROME

(after Wallerant Vaillant and Maria van Oosterwijck)

2018

Gouache on paper

16 x 12 cm NFS

MINION

(after Lavinia Fontana and Maria van Oosterwijck)

2018

Gouache on paper

16 x 12 cm $1200

TOUCHING JESUS

(after Sofonisba Anguissola and Rachel Ruysch)

2018

Gouache on paper

16 x 12 cm $1200

THE NEVER-ENDING STORY

(after Artemisia Gentileschi and Rachel Ruysch)

2018

Gouache on paper

16 x 12 cm NFS

# ME TOO

(after Fede Galizia, Rachel Ruysch and Maria van Oosterwijck)

2018

Gouache on paper

16 x 12 cm NFS

N O TES

Th e o i l pa int i ngs on c an vas a re made using iden tic al mat eri a ls

a nd t echni ques to the works I ha ve app ropr iat ed , inc luding a l imit ed p alett e , a lthough I am th ankful for the mod ern

in ve ntio n of pr epar ed o i l pain t i n tub es , mo re st ab le co lou rs ,

d i spo sab le p al et tes and fa ste r d ryi ng mediums.

Th e goua che on p ape r works a re pain ted on Ar ches A qua re l le

hot pr es sed 300 g sm pap er , pr ofe ssi ona l ly fr amed t o mus eum s tand ard s us ing n on -ref lect iv e UV f i l t er ed g laz ing .

A l l works a re framed using th i s mou lding .

I f y ou would l ike a gou ache v er sio n of an y of the oi l p ain t ings l i sted , I am hap py to ob lig e . The se wi l l be re ady b y th e e nd of N ov embe r.

I wi l l b e making oi l ve rs ions of the g ouache s t oo, the se wi l l t ake un ti l mid -2019.

Pr ice s wi l l remain the s ame a nd no dupl ica te s wi l l b e mad e.

A cknow ledgem ent s:

B ig thanks to Ju l ie Co l l in s fo r i nvi t ing me to exhi bit a t th e Bie nna le of Aus tr al ian A rt , i t is such a g rea t p riv i lege to be

a b le to par t ic ipat e .

A ndr ew R yan for he lping in s o man y w ay s – e spec ia l ly he lp ing

me se t up my new studi o and lo oking af te r my dog .

D avid Twome y f or bei ngs such a gr ea t support er , ge ner ous ly supp lying f o od, bed and b eve rag es and f or looking af t er the f lowe rs in the i ns ta l lat ion .

C re ati ve Framing in Burwo od f or d oing such a n ama zing jo b of

wo rking with my st ick y we t pa int ings and mak ing thi ngs

happ en on t ime.

R obi n Gib son Ga l ler y in S ydn ey f or be ing so s uppor tiv e of my c ar eer s ince 200 3.

Exhibition Address:

32 Lydiard St North

Ballarat Central

Victoria

Contact me:

E: cashbrown@iinet.net.au

M: 041132490

W: cashbrown.net

For mor e inf o o n BO AA , go to http s: //www.b oaa .ne t . au

For Fes t i va l t icke ts go to http s: //www.b oa a.n et . au/ ticke ts