28 May – 16 June 2015
about the exhibition
Drawn to materials that are weathered and worn, Alex Asch reinterprets found objects in the construction of his unique sculptures presenting new ways to examine our environment. Discarded materials are favoured in his constructions as they reveal remnants of a past life, often weathered by the elements of nature as well as altered or marked by tools and fittings. These characteristics of his media indicate the previous value of his materials as a whole object, now seen as composite elements in an entirely new structure. Alex is interested in the capabilities of association between object and form, deconstructing elements to a simplified, symbolic form to create new representations of the world around him. The houses of his childhood in America continue to inspire his practice, whilst formal ideas of abstraction and an increasing interest in the language of painting are reflected in his beautifully crafted façades. The constructed collages and tableaux, arranged carefully behind windows and doors, provide us with a glimpse and social critique of contemporary society. Sasha Grishin, Sir William Dobell Professor of Art History at the Australian National University, says of Alex: “Engaging, humorous and increasingly confronting, Asch is now emerging as one of the serious artist critics of contemporary Australia and of its broader context.”
Alex Asch was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and was involved in university art programs in Los Angeles and New York before moving to Australia and studying art at the Australian National University in 1988. He has provided technical assistance to a number of arts organisations around Canberra, and has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout Australia. In 2008, Alex was awarded the Rosalie Gascoigne Award by the Capital Arts Patrons Organisation (CAPO) and was the recipient of the Workplace Research Associates Award by CAPO in 2015. Alex’s work has recently been collected by the National Gallery of Australia and is also included in the collections of Artbank, ACT Legislative Assembly and Canberra Museum and Gallery as well as corporate collections in Australia, USA, UK and Netherlands.
