{"id":4863,"date":"2016-07-05T01:26:52","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T01:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yumstudio.com.au\/?p=4863"},"modified":"2020-08-08T06:53:57","modified_gmt":"2020-08-08T06:53:57","slug":"stranger-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yumcreative.yumstudio.com.au\/stranger-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I was asked to give the opening speech for a fabulous artist Ms Anne Chibnall. Anne and I worked together making films\u00a0for about ten years at Future Films. In that time she became a fast friend. Here’s the speech along with some of her films.<\/p>\n

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I acknowledge that tonight we walk and talk on Wadawurrung Country.\u00a0Together we acknowledge the people of the Kulin Nation. Once was, is now, always will Aboriginal Land.<\/p>\n

\"Anne's

City of Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson addresses the crowd.<\/p><\/div>\n

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I feel incredibly honoured to be asked to open Anne\u2019s exhibition<\/a>. Thank you Mitty.<\/p>\n

Anne\u2019s Fix It Up Native Creative Creation<\/strong><\/p>\n

So like Anne \u2013 to name the thing exactly what it is\u2026<\/p>\n

Anne \u2013 action, little to big, loud, pinks and reds, fully grown.<\/p>\n

Pink \u2013 Salmon Pink, Dark Pink, Crimson Pink, Raspberry Pink, Pink Smoothie gives me pink, Bright Pink. Give me pink. Wild Pink. Pink Pink.<\/p>\n

Fully Grown \u2013 I am a machine, I am texture, I am a filmmaker, my hair is pink, I am green, I love pink, once I was 18, now I am 36. I am fully grown and everything else is different.<\/p>\n

Anne Chibnall. Darling Anne, Annie, Chibs!<\/p>\n

I met Anne when she was 18. An honest to goodness wild woman. Wild, crazy, out of control, so much energy, so many ideas\u2026 just like her mum Mitty!<\/p>\n

An artist who could not then, nor now, be contained.<\/p>\n

Anne I hope your ok with me talking about you and your work in an academic way for a bit. Talking about you, not to you! It will help everyone here climb inside your works, sit down and think a bit. Ok?<\/p>\n

\"Anne's

Anne in front of BackSpace Gallery, in the prestigious company of Inge King’s Sculpture, and Melinda Muscat’s work (verandah)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the 40s French Artist Jean Dubuffet<\/a> used the term Art Brut<\/a>, raw art. Later rephrased as Outsider Art<\/a>. Artists working outside accepted aesthetic norms, working outside the mainstream, outside accepted culture. Outside. Hence outsider.<\/p>\n

Anne\u2019s work is Outsider Art. Art Brut. Anne told me that sometimes people think she is a stranger. They tell her this by\u00a0making the ‘crazy’ sign, rotating a finger near their temple. So Anne might characterize her work as Stranger Art.<\/p>\n

Dubuffet characterized art brut as:<\/p>\n

“Those works created from\u00a0solitude\u00a0and from pure and authentic creative impulses \u2013 where the worries of competition, acclaim and social promotion do not interfere \u2013 are, because of these very facts, more precious than the productions of professionals. After a certain familiarity with these flourishings of an exalted feverishness, lived so fully and so intensely by their authors, we cannot avoid the feeling that in relation to these works, cultural art in its entirety appears to be the game of a futile society, a fallacious parade.” \u2014 Jean Dubuffet. Place \u00e0 l’incivisme (Make way for Incivism).\u00a0Art and Text<\/em>\u00a0no.27 (December 1987 \u2013 February 1988). p.36 from wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n

Dubuffet believed that only Art Brut was immune to the influences of culture, because the artists themselves were not willing or able to be assimilated.<\/p>\n

Imagine for a moment being an artist working outside. Outside the mainstream, beyond culture.<\/p>\n

When those sometimes people told Anne she was a stranger. Anne told me she is more interested in her work.<\/p>\n

I called bullshit!<\/p>\n

Really? I said<\/p>\n

And she laughs uproariously, body shakingly, eye tearingly, ear achingly. She finds it hard to stop. And I cannot NOT start.\u00a0Composed again I ask how she feels about it.<\/p>\n

She replies,\u00a0\u201cThey are really doing it to themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly it says more about them than it does about Anne. But she feels it.<\/p>\n

\"Anne

Erin & Anne<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Laughing again, she says:\u00a0\u201cWell sometimes I throw words at them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they can see what its like\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to take me on!”<\/p>\n

Sure Anne is an outsider; but she can see clearly through the windows, and wonders why people can\u2019t be happy where they are.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t put reactions into other people\u2019s heads.\u201d She says.<\/p>\n

Then adds: \u201cThey are eggheads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently there have been some media consternation about the use of the R word. I have asked some friends, in private, to edit online posts where they called people they didn\u2019t agree with, the R word. Australian Tennis badboys were asked to publicly apologise for using it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

People I know who have an intellectual disability or mental illness had none of the stupidity or anger these people want to use as a label. So who will stand up?\u00a0I\u2019m sad that some don’t think its\u00a0an issue; I hope that you\u00a0do!\u00a0Folks please don\u2019t use the\u00a0R word,\u00a0or any version of it. F\u2019tard seems popular at the moment! It\u2019s hurtful, its ableist, and it\u2019s a complete misnomer.<\/p>\n

Anne response? \u2018Have your say in the world about how good we are with our creative abilities. Tell the world that. Yeah!\u201d \u00a0YEAH!!<\/p>\n

\"annes

Anne gives her speech, supported by Sarah Lloyld.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had so many adventures together. Anne and I.<\/p>\n

The early naughties at Future Films where we had red carpet premieres with champagne, paparazzi, awards and dancing.<\/p>\n

2004 when the future filmmakers presented to an online international learning conference, the only Australians representatives, talking about how they make films.<\/p>\n

2007 when we flew to Hobart to train other artists with disabilities in filmmaking in a national first.<\/p>\n

Or that time when Anne was ensconced in the control room of the award winning TV production No Limits<\/a>. Our mentor was Walt. Anne hadn\u2019t seen him for some time. And when he walked in Anne announced him! OH HEY HEY you screamed aloud. YOU\u2019RE THE BIG GAY.<\/p>\n

Walt was not confronted by the content, he was out and proud, but the 20,000 decibels almost did him in!<\/p>\n

Or when your films screened in London, in Melbourne, in Geelong, in Ballarat.<\/p>\n

But you were never JUST a filmmaker. Film couldn\u2019t contain the creativity of you!<\/p>\n

You were always an artist looking to bring your vision to life, whatever way that came!<\/p>\n

So is Anne\u2019s work Outsider Art? Stranger Art? Anne\u2019s work is Art!<\/p>\n

Think about these works as directly connected to the artist\u2019s heart, without artifice, without self-consciousness, without pretense or pretext. They simply are explosions from Anne\u2019s heart to you. No interpretation. No intermediary. A direct connection, if you let it.<\/p>\n

\"Anne's

Anne’s Chair<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anne says of flowers which feature in her exhibition:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • They are all whooshing past,<\/li>\n
  • Like a picture book in my head,<\/li>\n
  • I like to know the colours,<\/li>\n
  • So if I know the flowers names<\/li>\n
  • Then I can talk to people about the colours<\/li>\n
  • When you look at flowers<\/li>\n
  • You feel emotions<\/li>\n
  • And the emotion is love<\/li>\n
  • MY emotion is love<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    So Anne would like to say thank you all for coming and would particularly like to say:<\/p>\n

    Thanks to Sarah who is always nice, looks out for me and if I’m in trouble helps me understand. She challenges me to add more detail to things. We talk about colours.<\/p>\n

    What a joy you are Sarah! Working with Anne since 2011. How well I know the honour to work with such an artist as Anne. And others do too. How Anne has grown in the time you have worked with her Sarah. Not completely fully grown yet!<\/p>\n

    \"Anne's

    Sarah Lloyd, Anne Chibnall, Linda Franklin, Erin McCuskey, Geoff Hassall.<\/p><\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Thanks to my mum and dad, Mitty and Darryl who are the most important people to have.<\/p>\n

    AKA Big Mitty Little Mitty, Big Anne, Little Anne.<\/p>\n

    Thanks to Blanch, sorry Blanche (nice BBC style accent getting an airing)<\/p>\n

    Thanks to the Lady from Backspace (the woman we know as the beautiful Deborah)<\/p>\n

    Anne said she wants people who come to her exhibition to feel secure. She also said \u2018My mum says when you really want something, and its too sweet, split it and have some later!\u201d<\/p>\n

    We hope you come back later for a second slice!<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s to Anne \u2013 Hip Hip Hooray<\/p>\n

    AND THE CROWD GOES WILD>>>><\/p>\n

    \"Anne's

    By Anne Chibnall<\/p><\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n

    PS Thanks Anne for the most wondrous painting you gifted me in return! You are a treasure!<\/p>\n

    Annes films are also fabulous so here are a couple so you can see the breadth of her work.<\/p>\n

    Anne’s Film Mysterious Night:<\/p>\n