11 Aug HUMANZEE BY LISA ROET AT BECKER MINTY
Gold Ape – Lisa Roet AUD $4,500 at BECKER MINTY
For the past 25 years, Australian artist Lisa Roet has been working with the theme of simians – the ape and monkey – travelling widely to gain first-hand experience of her subject. Environmental issues, genetic discoveries and the evolving place of humanity within nature are further themes addressed in her art practice. Lisa’s latest project, titled Humanzee – Humans, Apes, and Monkeys. Examining our relationship with the ‘Other’ – will be on exhibition and available for purchase from 16th July 2014 at BECKER MINTY.
Lisa Roet was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1967. Lisa obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from RMIT, Melbourne in 1987. Over the past two decades, she has had various collaborations and residences with major international zoos, primate research institutes and conducted personal research of apes within the wild (including Malaysia Borneo). Her prolific works including drawings, sculptures, computer generated photography, video and sound installations have been exhibited extensively within Australia and internationally since 1987. Lisa’s work crosses over into the realms of scientific and anthropological research.
For the BECKER MINTY exhibition, Lisa has worked with jewellery as a way to adorn the human form with the ‘Other’… a silver bracelet made from cast gorilla skin hangs on the skin of the human, a gibbon hand wraps itself around the arm of the human wearer as if hanging from his/her arm. The works/jewellery serve to remind us of our connection with our closest animal relatives and objectify our relationship with the ‘Other’.
Sculpture and jewellery are connected in this body of work, with sustainable elements of gold, silver, bronze, and also mammoth and recycled deer bone carved and cast to make this range of extraordinary jewellery pieces for both men and women to wear.
The golden hand of a gibbon gently clasps a human wrist
Gibbon Hand Bracelet, Silver- Lisa Roet AUD$2,350 at BECKER MINTY
“The collection started by my thinking about the human form as seen compared to the ape/ monkey. I didn’t want the jewellery to adorn the human form but rather to use the human form in highlighting the monkey and apes similarities yet ‘otherness’. I wanted the works to reflect my ongoing visual art practice but with the idea of the works being more accessible as well as physically wearable. The fingers are 10 centimeters tall not 200 centimeters tall. The bracelets can sit on a bedside table as a small sculpture, while also travelling on the arm as a bracelet. I like the idea of the monkey's hand and finger being physically in the hands, on the arms, fingers and necks of the human.” – Lisa Roet
Lisa’s artworks can be found in many international collections including the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), Auscorp Corporate Collection (Melbourne), City of Brugge (Belgium), City of Port Philip (Melbourne), Deakin University Collection (Melbourne), Geelong Gallery (Victoria), Gold Coast City Art Gallery (Queensland), The Flinders Collection (Melbourne) and various private collections in New York, Berlin, Brussels, Sydney & Melbourne.
Bronze Hands, life size – Lisa Roet from AUD $6,800 at BECKER MINTY
Fingers, 10cms, in materials including gold, bronze, obsidian and deer bone – Lisa Roet AUD $395 at BECKER MINTY
Images: All photos courtesy of Becker Minty.
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