Dreamscapes

In recent years, the “Great Australian Dream” of home ownership has become unattainable for the majority of young families. Due to a number of factors, such as a population influx and tax incentives, house prices have soared out of reach of the average family.

Kristin is particularly interested in the fact that the dream of home ownership is continually sold to consumers in the media and through advertising, despite the fact that the average house price is 6-10 times the average wage.

Her works explore the theme of the home as a utopian dream using a variety of media such as painting, sculpture and light installations. Kristin’s colour palette and choice of materials is drawn from domestic advertising, marketing and housing display suites.

A recurring motif within Kristin’s works is that of multiplicity and repetition, which mirrors both the suburban landscape and the shared ideals of its inhabitants. This multiplicity is carried through most of her works, be that multi-paneled paintings, repetitive minimalist sculptures and the use of “production line” techniques such as stenciling and screen printing.

Kristin’s artistic influences include pop artists such as Howard Arkley, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, each who have highlighted the idea of domesticity, mass production and commodity. Other Artists such as Donald Judd, Carl Andre and Bruce Nauman are also of particular influence.

Through Kristin’s continued research and artistic practice Kristin explores the ways in which the notion of the home has changed in recent years due to globalisation and urbanization.

Is the Great Australian Dream still alive today in the minds of the younger generation? If so, is this dream driven by demand or supply – the primal needs of families or the bottom line of big business? Is the Great Australian dream real, or is it just propaganda?

Please take the opportunity to meet the artist at the opening on Saturday 14th February 2009, between 4pm and 6pm. Or visit the exhibition, which runs from 11th February until 1st March 2009.