Tent Theory et al. - Trocadero Projects
Tent Theory by Hunter Smith
I haven’t had many reasons to venture out west from my inner north bubble in the years I’ve been living in Melbourne, and I’m well aware of how much of a shame that is – especially as this was my very first time visiting the institution that is Trocadero Projects. There are currently three separate shows filling the gallery space which I had the joy of exploring before buying heading round the corner to pick up the weirdest assortment of groceries from Cheaper Buy Miles; Tent Theory by Hunter Smith, We live by inference from the Saluhan Collective and Discovering human-nature by Lan Anh Truong.
I started my time at Trocadero with the video works by the Saluhan Collective, and I’m glad I did, as the repetitive tune from Dodong and the Dais followed me through the space. The tongue in cheek mockumentary-esque titular video of the show sees Dodong, Dai One, and Dai Two in an interview style, cut with the same song as is sung in their earlier video. The videos felt so familiar to me, teasing my memory and I know that I’ve come across the work of the Saluhan Collective before, but I truly can’t put my finger on where.
Tucked around the corner is Discovering human-nature by Lan Anh Truong, the garden stakes twisting themselves out of the ground and emerging from the bricks of the wall. Hòn non bô is barely connected to the wall and balances on a teetering middle point, the delicate inhuman nature hanging in the balance, like a slammed door or visitor brushing too close would knock it off balance to come crashing to the ground. These works left me wanting more. I’m not sure if it’s due to their close quarter presentation in this back gallery space, but the scale feels off here. I either want more, or bigger, or grander. I want to be overwhelmed by these, not to overwhelm them.
Finally, Tent Theory by Hunter Smith; I knew this section of the gallery would be my favourite as soon as I walked in, so I left it to last as a treat to myself. The shining thermal blankets suspended in the space beckoning to me while I purposefully ignored them to take in the other work. If you haven’t noticed a theme of what I’m drawn to in my writing before - Smith’s work is almost made for me. The tented thermal blankets installed in the centre reflecting the softly glowing paintings on the walls. All of Smith’s presented works reflect each other in their physicality, and are further drawn together in the exhibition text that explains the show is “predicated on examining models of spatial enclosure and mythologies of space.” Envoi features the thermal blankets I’ve been mentioning; folds permanently creased into the crinkly silver non-fabric, holding a memory of their former days folded into a packet patiently waiting for their time to shine. They’re fixed to the floor with pieces reminiscent of guy ropes and pegs into the wet dirt of a forest or dust of a field, but in the wooden floor of the gallery these are transformed into fallen stars shining back the track lights. Peeking into the emergency tent the walls are lined with paintings that feel otherworldly, like looking through a telescope at the night sky. The raw edges of the canvas sweeping down to the floor and the points meeting at the apex of the tent, this is a portal to somewhere else. I feel like I’m back on a school camp, as if the walls of the tent are soundproof and our teachers can’t hear us, we’re in our own world and nothing can get in or out.
Disappointingly, the person gallery sitting had no idea about anything in the space. She couldn’t tell me anything about the artists, their practice, or the selection process which has drawn these three solo shows together to almost be a group show. I was going to write a linking sentence here but now I'm looking at rentals as I just received a notice to vacate my house. So … this may have been my first visit to Trocadero, but it certainly won’t be my last.
You can catch all three of these shows at Trocadero Projects in Footscray until Sunday June 28th.