Julie Blyfield - Flowers of the sea
1 March – 21 May 2023
In a new body of large-scale copper objects, Julie Blyfield a South Australian metal artist with a practice spanning 35 years, investigates the unique red sea weeds found along the coast of southern Australia.
By researching, photographing, and sketching marine algae, Blyfield gained an understanding of each of the specimens, which were the inspiration for the fifteen works commissioned and presented by Samstag Museum of Art in 2022. Shown as a sculptural installation, Blyfield’s work references 19th century specimen albums, and highlights both the fragility of our precious marine environments and the elements that threaten and sustain them.
MPRG is thrilled to present this new body of environmentally conscious and beautifully realised works.
SAMSTAG PODCAST
Julie Blyfield, a South Australian/Tarntanya based artist and UniSA alumnus, sits down with art historian, writer and curator Julie Ewington to discuss her exhibition Flowers of the sea. Julie shares how her grandmother was a formative influence, the importance of engaging with scientific collections, and the unique quality of bi-metal (copper and sterling silver) that uniquely lent itself to this new body of work. ON ART is supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation and Solstice Podcasting, edited and produced in Tarntanya/Adelaide on 13 July 2022.
Listen here
Image credit: Julie Blyfield, Flowers of the sea, 2022, detail. Photograph by Grant Hancock, courtesy Samstag Museum of Art, University of South Australia.