Ants 3.0 - Unassigned Gallery
Now in its third year, Ants at Unassigned Gallery feels like a cornerstone of their calendar, the embodiment of the community focused gallery in Brunswick. The show is one in a number of small works exhibitions either on or coming up on the Melbourne arts calendar at the moment, though this iteration of the genre feels distinctly community minded, as most shows at Unassigned do. The show runs the gamut of genre, medium, and style, though there are a few recurring themes (namely the titular insect). With the smallest work measuring at just centimetres, it’s an exhibition that firmly shows you size isn’t everything, and that even the smallest works can pack a punch. The show is massive - 183 artists - but not unruly. The size made me focus on the details, in which I was too wrapped up to be bogged down by the sheer number of works on display.
The works that grabbed me the most were the smattering of textiles, including the woven, and beaded ones, which are playing with form and detail to fit the size limits of the show. The embroidered doilies by Edwin Devril Ants and The smell of smoke both had me longing for summer picnics in Fitzroy gardens, thinking of the snacks that will lay forgotten in the grass while I lay in the sunshine. Romey’s Moth bee, made from woven raffia, is gorgeous, similarly airy and unexpected. Combining the traditional craft of weaving with the four-winged form of a moth allowed for the sunlight to stream through the work, doubling its size with the shadows on the wall. Julia Earley’s Golden Hour is deceptively simple- a sunset coloured woven basket. The minute details grabbed me in this work. The colour shifts, the tiny handles, the 12cm diameter, I could picture fairies carrying it, foraging for flowers in the forest. Nearby was Indigo’s A sweet treat for little feet, a gorgeous beaded embroidered brooch. From far away it looks like it is simply a strawberry, up close you see it is in fact covered in ants.
The ants, unsurprisingly, are a common theme. I was quite taken by the works that explicitly drew on the title- often I find that group shows can be repetitive, especially ones with open callouts. You find yourself seeing the same work that has been displayed elsewhere, or the works are so disparate you find yourself overwhelmed by the quantity. The proliferation of these ant-themed works is a testament to the love Unassigned’s community has for them. Nowhere is this more visible than in DJ tax fraud’s Lesbian ants 4 Palestine. It is incredibly on theme for both the exhibition and the space, who are and have always been unflinching in their outspoken support for Gaza. The title is a call back to the Big Lesbian Fundraiser for Palestine hosted by the gallery and Lesbian Mud Wrestling, where they raised $27,380 for Palestinian families. The work is reflective of this, and it is refreshing to see values so clearly displayed on gallery walls, exactly where they belong. Also within the theme is Darcy Vescio’s ANT TOWN. The almost Simpsons-esque scene is a streetscape, but start reading the shop names and suddenly you see the detail that has gone into making this work. Vescio and I share a love of puns, with my favourite being the Antpol station. You can imagine Adventurer Ant, Inge’s clay sculpture wandering down those roads on a winter’s day, or at least their brethren. Sean Seymour’s A_T GALLERY could be a snapshot inside the Museum of Modern Ant. Caitlin Knight’s Books for ants are gorgeous. The detail of the covers and spines of these hand bound books is astounding, especially at such a scale. Rendered in gouache, Cameron’s Monolith is almost eerie. The towering chicken salt is imposing over the ant, as it must be in their world. It unsettled me in a way no seasoning has before.
Still ant themed, though veering into the philosophical, is Schrodinger's Ant, the mixed media work by Joshua So. The work reminds you to question everything, especially online, and especially the existence of the ant beneath the cloth. Callum’s Portrait is a portrait of no one except the artist and the social contract. It had me thinking about promises kept and broken, and wondering if the artist did in fact deliver, if not a figurative portrait, but a metaphorical one. Georgia Laughton’s Bite Me is oil paint on a metal spoon, rendering something previously biteable into something no longer fit for purpose in the best way. Right underneath is Jemima Cudmore’s starchild? a panel of painting that feels like you could keep smoking the still lit dart.
The strength of this exhibition is not just in its art but in its curation. The scale of works make them approachable, but the number is daunting. Curated by Unassigned’s own Nour Abdullatif, the show is broken down into clusters. You’re given a break between groups, allowing you to rest for a moment before continuing on. This works exceedingly well in the space, giving me the sense that I was almost drifting between friend groups at a party, each as welcoming as the last.
Ants 3.0 is on at Unassigned Gallery until 1 December.