JODIE WHALEN (NSW) - LIFTING MY WEIGHT

Opening - 5:30 PM - Wednesday, 3rd February

Artist Talks - 6:00pm

Running - 4th February 2016 - 20 February 2016

Lifting My Weight is a new work that continues Whalen's exploration into rituals, activities and processes that are meant to transform us from one state into an improved other. The title and the series of performances that comprise the video, suggest that the state being transformed is her physical self. Yet the weight the artist is trying to lift is not off her body but off her spirit and mind. The only time the artist ever feels she is close to attaining this goal, are in the moments when she is having to carry herself up ... up suburban hills on sunrise walks and up stairs when encountered in her day. These are the only times where her physical and mental state are one, focused on the same goal, clear headed and free to be present in the moment. The viewer does not see the artist perform these rituals and activities, but rather is present as the artist carries out these rituals and activities. Seeing what the artist see's as Whalen lifts her body through the presented landscapes. The sound piece, enveloping the viewer within the idea that these moments are meditations, for the artist and for the viewer.

Jodie Whalen is a Sydney based artist who practice explores the routine, rituals and experiences of the every day through a performance, sculpture and installation based practice. Recent shows include; Common Woman II Metro Arts, The Social Campbeltown Arts Centre, Onside Casula Powerhouse and Workout at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Whalen is a graduate of the College of Fine Arts with a Master Of Fine Arts. She lives and works in Sydney and is currently a resident at Parramatta Artists Studios.