9 – 25 February 2023
about the exhibition
Canberra artist Alex Asch continues to explore constructed landscapes primarily through the use of recycled metal and form ply. This exhibition was inspired by a recent road trip to Broken Hill (Wilyakali), Cobar (Wongaibon), and Silverton (Wiljaali)) where industrial ruins and metal tailings dominate the outskirts of the urban landscape. Alex favours discarded materials 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 works contemplate and follow the journey of the metal – from raw material mined and forged for industry into compelling art works which are embedded with layers of history and meaning. The characteristics of this medium indicate the previous value of the materials as a whole object, now seen as composite elements in an entirely new structure. As Alex says “There is a strange transition from the randomly formed landscape of human toil into the ancient geology that dominates the interior of Australia; a seemingly inexhaustible space that hides its fragility in its enormity.” Alex has always made work that reflects his strong social conscience on political, environmental, religious and social issues. In recent years, he has been deeply concerned with the impact of climate change upon the natural world, and these works, carefully arranged with recycled materials act as meditations on our environment and our shared duty to act.
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 exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout Australia. In 2017, Alex was awarded the CAPO Fellowship by the Capital Arts Patrons Organisation and was the recipient of the Workplace Research Associates Award by CAPO in 2015. In 2020, Alex worked as an art mentor and tutor for Regeneration an arts organisation working with local bushfire-affected communities. Alex’s work has 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, Denmark and the Netherlands.
