The Taxidermist solo exhibition by Penola based crochet artist Trevor Smith is now on display at The Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre, presenting a new collection of his much-adored crochet sculptures.
The exhibition will be on display until 28 January 2024 and assembles a body of sculptural work exploring animals, birds, sea creatures, coral and even wall mounted mammal heads.
Using predominantly pure wool yarn and basic crochet stitches, the supports of the sculptural and wall pieces incorporate various combinations of polystyrene, foam rubber, wire and foamcore.
Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre Team Leader Curatorial Chris Clements said Smith’s series The Taxidermist neatly brings together decades of exploration of soft sculpture into a concise and playful body of work.
“Trevor has masterfully realised pieces transform the world we live into a parallel world of wonder,” Mr Clements said.
Completing a Diploma of Visual Arts at Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education in the early 1980s, Trevor is a self-described obsessive maker who has crocheted his way through hundreds of kilometres of yarn in the production of an array of unique flora and fauna wonders.
I am always making something, whether it’s irons and toasters, legs of ham or mounted deer heads, I like to keep busy - but there is no pattern, I couldn’t make the same thing twice if I wanted to. - Artist Trevor Smith
The exhibition will officially open on Friday 8 December at 6:00pm and will be followed by an Artist Talk on Saturday 9 December 2023 at 12:00pm.
The Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre will be running gallery tours for children as part of the City of Mount Gambier School Holiday Program at 10:30am on Saturday 3 January and Tuesday 9 January and 2:30pm on Thursday 25 January 2024. Bookings are essential. Please contact The Riddoch on (08) 8721 563 or email riddoch@mountgambier.sa.gov.au
The Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm weekdays and 10:00am to 2:00pm weekends and most public holidays. Entry is free.
Media contact: City of Mount Gambier Media and Communications Coordinator Sharny McLean on 0413 798 327 or smclean@mountgambier.sa.gov.au
