Posted by KB on May 11, 2010
Though she’s well known in her home country and across Europe, British artist Pam Glew is bringing her distinctive style to Australian audiences for the first time. In her debut Sydney exhibition, Luminaries, Pam continues her love affair with the flag, incorporating images of Australian personalities with hybrid versions of the Australian flag. The space for the exhibition is as unique as the work itself, a pop-up venue in Paddington presented by Bicker Gallery. We caught up with Pam to discuss how it all fits together.
KB: You've been a practicing artist for many years now, but this is your first Australian show. What's been the deciding factor in coming here now?
Pam Glew: I worked with Dom of Bicker Gallery on a solo show in the UK two years ago, so as soon as I could I took up the opportunity to show in his Sydney space.
KB: The work you have on display seems pretty much custom built for this audience: Australian personalities on Australian flags. Is this usually the case when you exhibit outside of the UK?
PG: Not always, but despite being a British artist I usually use US flags, this time I made the flags from scratch so I made some Australian flags from denim and linen. They're mostly hybrid flags made from other flags like the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack, so they connect with other countries’ influence too.
KB: Americans have a particularly strong relationship with their flag - what was the reaction to your work in the US?
PG: Strangely fine. There was more controversy of using a US flag when I first showed them in England. A gallery had eggs pelted at the window and the gallery had to take the work down every night in case of attacks.
KB: How did you come to develop such a distinctive style?
PG: I have worked on lots of vintage materials including metal and old books. When I decided to work in a new medium, fabric seemed a good choice. It was around the time of 9/11 in the news flags were being displayed and burnt on the street, and I guess I was affected by that visual. My first flag was burnt with a heat gun, but as a result I filled my studio with toxic black smoke, so I experimented with other ways of ingraining an image onto a flag to make it look like it had always been there. Finally, after a lot of experimentation, I settled on dye and bleach to paint with using sponges.
KB: Do you see yourself continuing to work with flags, or do you have plans for experimenting with other mediums?
PG: Certainly other mediums will happen, for me it's finding the balance between mastering a new technique, making it my own and being able to feel comfortable with a medium, then trying something new. When I went from metal to fabric it was a sudden change and inevitably some people prefer my older work! I have a strong vision of my next two solo shows but after that, who knows?
KB: Using such familiar faces in your work, do you ever worry that celebrities will become the focus?
PG: I think it's a fair representation of the world I see around me. I am obsessed about faces, and that beauty idea. But I do realise that it's just a starting point my paintings are loosely based on actors and models but they rarely look exactly like the subject.
KB: Finally, what do you hope visitors to your Australian show will take away from the experience?
PG: An understanding of the medium. My work has so many processes and techniques that I think are fairly unusual so that is just as important to me as the concepts. The ideas in the show are about celebrity, idolising and also multicultural heritage. I don't force political statements in my work so it's also up to the viewer to decide.
Luminaries continues at 443 Oxford St Paddington until May 22.
Pam will be giving an artist talk at the gallery on May 12, 6.30pm.
pam glew, bicker gallery, art