Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts showcase the best of Australian and international visual, performance and interdisciplinary art. Experience Amalia Pica’s ‘Please Open Hurry’, and Khaled Sabsabi’s ‘A Self Portrait’ in the final days of their exhibition period as part of the Communication Series at PICA.
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts showcase the best of Australian and international visual, performance and interdisciplinary art. Experience Amalia Pica’s ‘Please Open Hurry’, and Khaled Sabsabi’s ‘A Self Portrait’ in the final days of their exhibition period as part of the Communication Series at PICA. Amalia Pica’s ‘Please Open Hurry’ investigates how we communicate beyond the barriers of language through her exploration into the communication between two different species, humans and apes. Influenced by her upbringing during Argentina’s dictatorship, Pica uncovers the relationships between form and politics, and history and representation, through sculpture, photography, installation, performance and video. Pica’s second chapter of ‘Please Open Hurry’ is a continuation of the artists longstanding consideration of language, comprehension, misunderstanding, translation, and listening. This project was initially inspired through Pica’s experience in 2014, observing the lives and single tool use of chimpanzees in Nigeria, at the Gashaka Primate Project artistic residency. From there, Pica took the opportunity to explore further, focusing on the communication with and between the Great Apes through a residency at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Colorado, where she had the opportunity to connect with leading specialists. Exhibition open till Oct 7, upstairs in the Westend Gallery. [gallery columns="2" link="none" ess_grid_gal="" size="full" ids="https://media.localista.com.au/2018/09/PICA-Amalia-Pica-art-PICA-Alessandro-Bianchetti-1200x675.jpg|Amalia Pica, 'Extended ears',https://media.localista.com.au/2018/09/PICA-Amalia-Pica-art-2-PICA-Alessandro-Bianchetti-1200x675.jpg|Amalia Pica, 'Yerkish'"] Khaled Sabsabi draws the viewer in through his geometric yet poetic explorations into the complexities of place, identity, displacement, and ideological differences associated with migrant experiences and marginalisation. ‘A Self Portrait’ works across mediums, borders, cultures and disciplines in an attempt to promote cultural awareness and acceptance. The installation features 114 hand-cut stencils that represent the seven layers that comprise the “selves”. Sabsabi was born in 1965, Tripoli, Lebanon, and in 1978, following the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon, him and his family migrated to Australia. Since the late 1980s, Sabsabi has worked with communities on projects promoting cultural awareness and acceptance. In turn, Sabsabi’s first-hand war and immigrant experiences, along with his community work, has influenced the creation of works that capture his explorations of place, identity, displacement and marginalization. Exhibition open till the Oct 7, in the PICA Central Galleries. [gallery columns="2" link="none" size="full" ess_grid_gal="" ids="https://media.localista.com.au/2018/09/PICA-Khaled-Sabsabi-self-portrait-PICA-Alessandro-Bianchetti-1200x675.jpg|Khaled Sabsabi, 'Corner',https://media.localista.com.au/2018/09/PICA-Khaled-Sabsabi-art-PICA-Alessandro-Bianchetti-1200x675.jpg|Khaled Sabsabi, 'Centre of… '"] Both exhibitions close Oct 7, so be sure to visit PICA and witness the amazing works of Amalia Pica and Khaled Sabsabi as part of the Communication Series. Image credits: All images - Alessandro Bianchetti
