Make or Break

Connie Anthes & Rebecca Gallo

02.12.2015 - 18.12.2015
Opening 02.12.15 6-8pm
Artist Talks 17.12.15 6-7pm

Make or Break is a live art project by Sydney artists Rebecca Gallo and Connie Anthes that explores the role of audiences and collectors in the generation of art works and art market value.
Starting on opening night and continuing for the next 3 weeks, the artists will be engaged in a daily art-making relay, continuing or destroying the work that the other has made during their previous session, as if it is their own. With no art supplies to work with and only a chair, 2 sawhorses and a basic toolkit at hand, the artists will rely entirely on the generosity of audiences to donate materials throughout the exhibition period. These materials can be anything: a piece of wood, metal, plastic or paper; a hand-me-down, rubbish or a cup of coffee; an idea, a conversation or an expert’s advice.

Gallo and Anthes are seeking to provoke genuine curiosity about process and demonstrate how artists working alone can – and do – influence one another. Make or Break is an open examination of art-making as a kind of performance, and an opportunity to challenge the value of art objects and artist labour.

A critical reader will accompany the work, which will be available to purchase via print-on-demand.

This project was assisted by The Australian Artists’ Grant, a NAVA initiative made possible through the generous sponsorship of Mrs Janet Holmes à Court and the support of the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council for the Arts.

This project was assisted by a grant from Arts NSW, an agency of the New South Wales Government and supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian State and Territory Governments. The program is administered by the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA). 

Biography

Rebecca Gallo

Rebecca Gallo is an artist, writer and editor based in Sydney. She holds a BFA from the National Art School is completing a Master of Art at UNSW Art & Design in 2015. From 2014-15 Gallo was a co-director of Archive_ ARI, an artist-run space in inner city Sydney that foregrounded history and memory in contemporary art, and was the editor of RAVEN Contemporary, a national online platform for visual art. Recent exhibitions include group shows at 107 Projects, .M Contemporary, Kudos Gallery, The Bearded Tit and the Rookwood Cemetery Sculpture Walk. Gallo has undertaken residencies at Hill End and Fowlers Gap. www.rebeccagallo.com.au

Connie Anthes

Connie Anthes is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Sydney. She holds a Bachelor of Design (Hons) from University of Technology, Sydney and a Master of Fine Arts (Painting) from the National Art School. Her paintings, objects and installations investigate the mechanics of vision and spatial experience, often using non-traditional materials and methods to interrogate these ideas. She has held solo shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Launceston and Leipzig and been the recipient of numerous grants and residencies, both in Australia and abroad. Anthes is now in residence at Sydney’s experimental ceramics lab Kil.n.it, and is a current board member at Runway Experimental Art Journal and the MCA Artists’ Advisory Group. www.connieanthes.com