Forest installation in the Red Train!

We hope you can join us this Saturday afternoon for the opening of this unique and immersive exhibition or stop by before and see its development. Artist Stefanie Robinson will weave materials throughout the train and create a space of nests, sticks and paper drops. Using found objects from landscapes of natural disasters, such as Japan after the Tsunami and country Victoria after the bushfires, she will transform the materials and the space.

Forest – An site specific Installation of Woven Nests and Textured Paper Drops in Synergy Gallery in the Red Train at CERES by Stefanie Robinson

Exhibition Opening Saturday 20^th April 3pm Exhibition Dates 17-27 April 2013

Forest is an exploration into fragility, the strength and beauty in the fragile and the fragility of the human spirit.

Come and see artist Stefanie Robinson transform the train into a forest of layered hanging paper drops and woven nests. A vine has been woven into the roof and a gentle soundscape (by Glen Walton) will immerse you in this textural landscape. 

Stefanie Robinson artwork for Forest exhibition at Synergy Gallery 2013

“Each nest has its own story stemming from the place the rope was found and the shape it wanted to make. For example, ‘Tsunami’ has been woven from a piece of rope I found when in Japan with Polyglot Theatre at Minima Sanruki, and ‘Towts Road’ from wire left after a tyre was burnt in the Black Saturday fires. Not all the nests have such potent stories as these, but they all hold a story of a journey, an experience and a transformation. When hung with the paper drops they create a delicate world layered with stories. The nests are empty, but they resonate with memory and story.”  Stefanie Robinson “The installation is embedded in an old train, itself resonating with memories of journeys taken and filled with stories of passengers past.”

“What happens if the strands of self are woven around a dream ….and the dream dies?

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in your soul…..” (Emily Dickenson)

Stefanie Robinson is currently weaving the vine throughout the train and invites viewers to witness the development phase of this new work and discover how it will evolve and inhabit the space throughout the exhibition period. The exhibition opening will be held on Saturday 20^th April at 3pm at Synergy Gallery in the Red Train at CERES environment park, East Brunswick, Victoria Australia and continues till 27^th April, Wednesday - Sunday 11-4pm

The CERES Series

Synergy Gallery are delighted to be hosting an exhibition entitled The CERES Series by Pol McMohan, artist in residence at CERES over the last year. This exhibition will opening this Saturday 2nd March from 3-9pm and the exhibition will continue till 23rd March, the date of the Harvest Festival.

The CERES Series 

An exhibition showcasing the artwork about Ceres by 2012 artist in residence Pol McMahon.

Over the last year Pol McMahon (aka Pol the painter) has been producing a series of paintings detailing the day to day life in the much loved CERES Environment Park, in Brunswick East, Victoria.

 

In 40 or so paintings, sketches and murals in which Pol has depicted a great deal of the site, featuring the café, festivals, school tours and wildlife. CERES is a large area (4 hectares) and the artist has found even a year has not been enough to cover everything. Over the next month Pol will continue the series while the exhibition continues displaying this collection of works to the public.

Pol McMohan is an artist who works with a range of recycled materials and distinctive artworks painted on metal. In a fresh, sensitive and joyful manner Pol records our environment, finding beauty in the urban setting and pairs that with recording of the life of the community in play, work and their social activities in daily life and at festivals and celebrations. Pol McMohan's art celebrates the joyful harmony between nature and humankind, even within an urban, modern environment.

Pol has exhibited works recording local areas, such as his exhibitions previously at Synergy Gallery displaying works of High St Northcote. He also produces small books documenting this work. In an effort to finish his “Little Book of Ceres”, profits from print and painting sales will go towards production of this record of the residency.

In addition of recording the CERES environment itself Pol will be displaying a number of works of the surrounding area such as radio 3RRR, Brunswick East Primary School (where he has been working with pupils on two large murals), High and Lygon Streets in the neighbouring areas.

Opening this Saturday March 2^nd  3-9 pm at Synergy at CERES, in the Red Train beside the café at CERES. The exhibition will close after the CERES Harvest Festival, 23^rd of March.

Steampunk Solar System

'Alchemy' Exhibition by Erno Berkovics Sanders

The exhibition, Alchemy, showcases the work of artist Erno Berkovics Sanders, who has created his own unique vision of our solar system from gold, brass, bronze lights and old machines parts. These ‘steampunk’ style planet sculptures are formed from an array of recycled, found and re-purposed materials. Erno Berkovics Sanders is a reclusive mature artist, these ingenious sculptural works have never been seen by the public before. 

The artist has applied a certain alchemy to the challenges in his life and to these everyday materials, creating from discarded pieces these objects of wonder.

Erno Berkovics Sanders solar system includes Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Earth as well as the Sun and the Moon in Solid Bronze, Copper and Brass. Coloured lights adorn the sculptures as well as 24 Carat Gold guitar strings. These semi-functional sculptures light up and swivel on stands made of old fire hoses, using solid bronze gears from pastry mixers and pistons from a tea bag making machine.

Alchemy will be held at Synergy at CERES small works gallery in the hundred year old Red Train, from 6- 16 Feb.

We warmly invite you to the opening this Saturday night from 6-8pm.

EXHIBITION: Alchemy, Erno Birkovics Sanders

WHEN: 6 - 16 February, 2013

OPENING NIGHT: Saturday 9th Feb, 6-8pm

HOURS:  Wed - Sat, 10-4

WHERE: Synergy at CERES

Red Train, CERES Environment Park

Crn Roberts and Stewart Streets East Brunswick 3057

Our first exhibition of 2013 - Claire Chatfield

SYNERGY AT CERES – first exhibitions of the New Year in our new space!

Synergy Gallery is pleased to announce its first official exhibition for 2013 Claire Chatfield – The Secret Life of Birds, which will kick start our exhibition program for 2013 in our small works gallery, in the restored century old Red Train at CERES environment park.

Opening next Thursday night, 24th January 5.30-7.30 and running till February 2nd, 2013.

CLAIRE CHATFIELD - The Secret Life of Birds – Exhibition 24 Jan-2 Feb 2013.

Claire Chatfield’s exhibition, The Secret Life of Birds, is series of ink and watercolour drawings from her trips around Australia.

With a few brief lines and splashes of colour, she aims to capture mood of the moment and the unique character of each bird. She uses humour and emotion to dissolve the separation between the natural world and viewer. Nature, she believes, reflects us back to ourselves: if we take care of her she will take care of us.

To minimise her footprint as an artist, all frames have been sourced from tip and op shops and up-cycled. For this reason she has chosen to exhibit at Synergy Gallery’s new home in the repurposed red rattler carriage at CERES Environment Park, surrounded by the natural environment and bird life of inner city Melbourne.

Claire has been studying Dynamic Drawing in Byron Bay and Melbourne since 2005 and has exhibited with the group several times.

Claire Chatfield was the People’s Choice winner in 2009’s Macushla Doyle Memorial Art Prize in Lismore in New South Whales and is studying Design at Lismore’s Southern Cross University.

Exhibition Opens: Thurday 24th Jan 5.30-7.30pm
Exhibition Dates: 24th Jan – 2nd Feb
Exhibition Hours: Wed-Sat 11-4pm
Address: Synergy at CERES small works gallery in the Red Train
Corner Roberts and Stewart Streets, East Brunswick.

Call Out for Artworks!

It's that time of year, our annual art auction fundraiser the Synergy Salon is on again! Its a fun event where we raise the spirits and hopefully some funds for the gallery. Best of all, you can pick up an small scale original artwork, by a local artist for a tiny price - and give a very unique gift this Xmas.



All artworks (up to ten, under A4 size) welcome. Its free to submit work if you become a member of Synergy Gallery for 2013, which is only $30 concession and $50 full. Commission is 30% on works sold and you set the starting prince (including commission) Bring your artwork down to Synergy at CERES (in the Red Train) ready to hang on Saturday 8th Dec, or Sunday 9th between 12-4pm.

Art Auction Saturday 15th December between 1-4pm

Making Ground - Ceramics students exhibition

We are happy to invite you to Making Ground which opens this Saturday, 17th November between 3-5pm  at our small works gallery in the Red Train at CERES environment park. 

This is the first proper exhibition we are to host in our new gallery space and we are delighted that this exhibition showcases the diverse work of the ceramics students from our partners the  Thornbury Women's Neighbourhood House including hand-built, turned, mosaic, functional and sculptural works.

Artworks will be from both the adults and the children's classes so it should be delightful!


It is through this partnership with TWNH and the support of the Ian Potter Foundation that we can bring you this exhibition.

Synergy at CERES - Red Train

It is very exciting to be able to say that Synergy at CERES - Small Works Gallery, in the Red Train is open and launched! :)

It is truly a beautiful new home and gallery and we are very pleased to get to know this beautiful 100 year old train carriage and discover it makes a wonderful, unique and interesting art space. Our launch was a great event and if you weren't able to be there, we hope you can visit soon and see it for yourself.

 

All sorts of exciting exhibitions, events and activities will follow in the next few months as we start to see what will evolve in our new home; in our Art Nouveau train carriage, in the midst of an environment park, surrounded by the laughter of children, kingfishers and the ring of the bell birds, its got to be pretty wonderful surely!