This is the idea

sioux tempestt

3–20 august 2023

A full time Perth artist, Sioux Tempestt explores the connection and divide between her public art and studio practices in this series. Free of client constraints, the dynamic mark making is intuitively expressive.

Moving between mixed media paintings and sculptural forms, Tempestt resists boundaries, with the resulting aesthetic inviting an open dialogue. Reclaimed paint skins from Tempestt’s mural practice undergo a conservation process. Exploiting combinations and states of substances, earthen originations converted to liquid forms undergo further transformation of state. Eliminating preconceived constraints and expectations, a process of deconstruction and rejuvenation emerges.

Residual paint metamorphoses into palpable skins. Contextually reassigning the conserved paint skins to coalesce with plaster generates exciting new sculptural formations, where the process of gently sculpting to excavate the surfaces reveals the layered fusing of materials. The process promotes resource conservation, exceeding conventional notions of material recycling. The ‘Tablet’ sculptures reference the construction sites and architectural forms onto which the paint was originally used in the generation of mural artworks. The ‘Relics’ challenge the aesthetic values and intrinsic worth of public sculptures. ‘Yeah But You Didn’t’ is a playful acknowledgment of the public commentary Tempestt receives while creating contemporary art in the public realm. This is the Idea. The idea is this.