The Universe, in its strange odd ways, magnetises certain people together as it does polarise others. For some reason, our lives are guided by a pathway that appears in front of us, winding itself around those of others’ and at times making crossroads between them. These crossroads we have to thank for bringing artists Lyn Blazer and Tony Perkins together, and for the magical thingamajigs that they bring into this world. You may have read about their shredded denim tribal masks before on Ponytail Journal, and if so, you would know that they draw brilliance from the fascinating Australian landscape, where they root themselves in uniqueness.
Australia is just that really – super unique. It’s a place where you’ll find grey bears with Master Yoda ears, constantly in a drunk haze from munching on eucalyptus leaves; some of the world’s deadliest snakes and spiders; a bright red dessert where sunsets never get boring; Alien looking flowers and plants that have been mimicked in sci-fi films time over; not to mention, Australia is where people are still trying to track down shadowy devils on its most southern island. Though overused, the words ‘exotic’ and ‘wild’ are two adjectives that fit like a glove in reference to the vast landscape. There is a tonne of inspiration to say the least, and our pals Lyn and Tony have built a winding art career around its strangeness. How dreamy indeed.
So let us introduce you to their current exhibition, ‘Scented Intoxication’, at the Australian Design Centre in Sydney. To us, it’s a splendid evolution, a tip of the hat, to Lyn and Tony’s work shooting balmy skinned nudes in the bizarre Australian landscape; collecting rare antiques, art, and taxidermy; creating a line of handmade wearable objects that lead you on a smoke trail around the outback by texture and materials; to more recently collaborating with our perfumer friend Elise Balzac (Maison Balzac), sewing the seeds to this very body of work that is full-immersion-scale-strangeness to us. Win.
‘Scented Intoxication’, a collection of sculpture, photography, light, and smell, is so intensely ‘Lyn and Tony’ flavoured, that it really is a manifestation of their character. You’ll be presented with leather that smells like an exotic garden, crocheted into an organ-like net hanging from the ceiling, Australian hardwood forms, and slabs of old marble that has watched time go by. It’s the same kind of psychedelic poetry that is responsible for patched re-purposed leather, stitched into something that could be an arial view of farmland, or perhaps a window into space. Here you’ll see the painful labour of love that Lyn and Tony have hand-produced to articulate the thrill of existence. It’s an all-sorts of delicious textures, stripped of colour, yet toying with our childhood memories collecting objects from curious places like rock pools, and reminding us of simple human pleasures like smoothing your fingers over cold rock. These forms remind us of the sea, the land, and the earth in the most indulgent, tingling way.
‘Scented Intoxication’ 16 Oct-18 Dec
Australian Design Centre
101-115 William St,
Darlinghurst,
Sydney
Open Tue-Sat
11am-4pm
Free
