Artists Tanja Bruckner and Steve Tierney are challenging a range of gender stereotypes and societal norms in their sneak peek exhibition at The F Project ahead of their Port Fairy Winter Weekends art installation.
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Photographer Bruckner and collage-creator Tierney were teenage friends before losing contact and re-finding each other through social media.
"I was looking for changes in my work and wanting to use my own photography for my source material and Tanja's work complimented what I was thinking," Tierney said.
"We started talking about what I wanted to create with my inner self and feelings through images and Tanja convinced me into modelling for the shots.
"It's become really powerful and has resonated with our audiences with positive feedback."
Through the exhibition, the typical place and poses or a female model have been re-defined by Tierney as the subject. Through mixed-media editing a collage is produced and another new meaning is given to the photograph.
"The idea behind this exhibition is to introduce ourselves to the region and our work before and after our collaboration," Tierney said.
"This is one of the only times we've shown the before photos and the final result."
Also hung throughout the gallery are the artist's individual pieces.
Tierney's bright collages fuse together nostalgic and everyday images creating a new whole while Bruckner's photographs break out of the traditional gender and LGBT+ stereotypes.
In June-July, Bruckner and Tierney will again come together and showcase large body shapes, atmospherically lit for Port Fairy's Winter Weekends festival and immediately transported viewers into another world.
"Winter Weekends will be the biggest project we've done together," Tierney said.
"The idea behind the location in Port Fairy is to re-purpose a space that has never been considered as an art space.
"It will be an installation and an experience; more than an exhibition.
"We want to break down any anxieties existing for the average person when they walk into a gallery and allow them to take what they want from it.
"As artists, we have our ideas about what our piece mean but it's important for audiences to get what they want out of it."
Winter Weekend's performance coordinator Loren Tuck is thrilled the region get a sneak peek into the festival's highly anticipated art installation.
"We really want to have events that really blow people away," she said.
"People travelling to Port Fairy sometimes don't expect the incredible events that happen in this small coastal town.
"Steve and Tanja are putting on a never before seen show for Winter Weekends, and they were both so up for it and excited.
"Winter Weekends likes to harness home-grown talent, and display it in ways that really break the mould, as well as utilising venues across the town that you may find unexpected choices. We have been following Steve's work when he was exhibiting in Mexico, and we knew that our festival had to have Steve and Tanja.
"The festival really can secure big talent and is a huge draw, and this is apparent through having these talented artists on board for our 2020 event."
Tanja Bruckner and Steve Tierney exhibition at The F Project open tonight, Thursday February 6 at 6pm. The F Project is open from 10am-4pm on Wednesday-Sunday.
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