Media Release 25 Mar 2011
Textile artist Wendy Lugg creates paths from the past to the present
Every family has stories to tell, and each story is an important part of our heritage. Artist Wendy Lugg, resident artist with the Royal Western Australian Historical Society, has explored the collections of both the Society and the State Library of Western Australia for stories that resonate with her own family memories.In the resulting exhibition, Mapping Memory, artifacts, maps, ephemera and documents from these two important heritage collections intermingle with the artist’s memorabilia and artworks in a rich layering of personal family story, collective memory, and the landscape they share.
A network of paths can be traced from a fragile embroidered old cushion cover to postcards from Gallipoli, a banjo, and artworks stitched from salvaged old cloth. This cloth is embedded with memory. It hints at the lives of unknown previous owners whilst exploring the identity of the contemporary maker, stitching art and history together.
Wendy Lugg’s childhood memories are filled with the presence of family members who died long before she was born. The artist grew up surrounded by faded embroideries stitched by a grandfather who learned to sew in hospital after being wounded at Gallipoli.
Old cloth plays a central role in Wendy’s work. She rescues worn-out domestic textiles and gives them new life in stitched and printed artworks which explore her heritage. Her grandparents were ordinary people who all came to the state from elsewhere, and whose stories will strike a familiar chord for many Western Australians.
The Mapping Memory exhibition is on at the State Library of Western Australia from Saturday 9 April – Sunday 10 July 2011, and entry is free. Open during State Library of WA opening hours.
Wendy Lugg gratefully acknowledges the assistance of The Janet Holmes à Court Artists’ Grant in the presentation of this exhibition. The Janet Holmes à Court Artists’ Grant is 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.
The State Library of WA is proud to be a partner of the City of Perth Winter Arts Season.For further details, please contact Doug George, Manager Public Programs.
Tel. (08) 9427 3150 email: doug.george@slwa.wa.gov.au
