Hard Work is an exhibition of new work by Dominic Reidy and Jack Rodgers. Rodgers paints portraits of fishermen from photographs found on the walls of his local fishmonger. These paintings are a celebration of his family’s trips to the ‘fisho’ and a satirical poke at tanlines, beer guts and Aussie male past times. Reidy is similarly interested in the rituals associated with an 'Aussie' identity. His small sculptures aim to document and question the way dominant masculinity is presented and performed in a culture where seemingly meaningless rites of passage take place around blowmould altars.
Individual Statements
Jack Rodgers
Jack Rodgers paints from found photographs to explore what he calls ‘inherited nostalgia'. He examines how we construct narratives around our history and develop a longing for times we've never lived. His work often deals with people in specific historical moments or locations of significance. These latest paintings draw inspiration from photographs displayed in his local fishmonger. Rodgers’ local fisho gives him a jumping off point to explore masculinity, nostalgia, and Australiana. These paintings invite viewers to reflect on their own relationships with nostalgia and identity.
Dominic Reidy
My work documents the relatively young culture of 'aussie' masculinity. I am interested in the way men's work and hobbies become new forms of rites and ritual. Worship takes place at the big green temple. We line up for a sausage eucharist passed over a blowmould alter. Bumper stickers become sacred verse and bro influencers are the new prophets. It's a culture of dominance where success is often measured by how much you have. ~ Dominic Reidy
Click on thumbnails below for artwork details.
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