365 Rotations
Elizabeth Gower

365 Rotations is assembled from an extensive collection of multiple paper units (tea bag tags, bar codes, product labels, price stickers) retrieved from routine domestic consumption and ‘junk mail’ catalogs. Each piece is temporarily fixed into circular motifs, serving as symbols of 21st century material culture and affluence. The sheer volume and repetition of the discarded residue enables Gower to reconfigure the multiple symmetrical units, capitalizing on its inherent ‘decorative’ structures, in order to aestheticize the waste material.

Each of the 365 motifs are scattered over the wall in a constellation-like installation. From a distance it is contemplative and has a ‘classic beauty,’ but close proximity reveals the multiplicity of familiar household detritus. By cutting-up, sorting and re-arranging this daily barrage, Gower re-directs the congestion and formulaic structure of advertising into a quieter structure and content.

 
 
Exhibition Images

About the Artist
Elizabeth Gower lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. She has held over 35 solo exhibitions in Australia and overseas. Her work has been included in major institutions such as the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (Melbourne), Heide Museum of Modern Art (Melbourne), Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney), Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), Brevard Art Museum ( Florida), Urban Institute of Contemporary Art (Michigan), and Artists Space ( New York).

She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Dame Joan Sutherland Fund, Alliance Française Art Fellowship and Australia Council New Work. In addition, she has been awarded residencies at Dr. Denise Hickey studio at Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), Paretaio studio (Italy), and the Australia Council studios (Barcelona,  New York).

Elizabethgower.com

Funding for this exhibition was provided by the University of Melbourne.