Sarah CrowEST, The Joy of Beauty, DVD still 2005
Dieting and Delinquents
22 August 2005
Diaries of delinquency and the dilemmas of bodily dissatisfaction form the basis of two new exhibitions opening this week at Adelaide’s Experimental Art Foundation. An unusual pairing perhaps but the work of Matthew Bradley and Sarah CrowEST continues the EAF tradition of showcasing innovative work that is diverse in media and interdisciplinary in scope. 
Matthew Bradley’s The Weet-Bix Kid is, in the artist’s words, “a kind of diary of delinquency”. Believing that the path through space must be created – that it doesn’t pre-exist, The Weet-Bix Kid follows the journey of a solitary figure through the urban landscape, recording the marginal behaviour that so engenders “delinquency”. Documenting behaviours that range from manic playfulness to cheeky irreverence to reckless, occasionally illegal acts, Bradley’s work is not so much interested in delinquency as a destructive act, but in the creativity inherent in the journey, which Bradley believes is the key to avoiding a complete descent into chaos.
A literal record of these journeys, one such work is 5-9 May Dawn, which is a helmet-cam recording of someone breaking into a sports field and climbing a 30m light tower without any equipment.
Get Rid of Yourself NOW! is Sarah CrowEST’s solution to solving the dilemmas of bodily dissatisfaction. Lo-fi and humorous, CrowEST’s works present creatures both cute and pathetic engaging in a series of home beauty remedies including body sculpture and surface enhancement. More an exploration of the inherent potential for both pleasure and disgust in these rituals than an overt criticism of the desire for aesthetic improvements, Get Rid of Yourself NOW! includes the video work The Joy of Beauty which is CrowEST’s response to the singular idea of beauty promoted by multi-million dollar advertising campaigns.
Bradley and CrowEST have both exhibited extensively. Bradley has participated in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Primavera exhibition in Sydney and CrowEST, as well as exhibiting widely overseas, is also the Co-curator of Adelaide’s Downtown Artspace.
The Experimental Art Foundation was established in 1974 by a group of Adelaide artists and theorists as a place for the exchanging of ideas and the exploration of new approaches in the visual arts. Exhibitions, forums, publications and special projects are all regularly scheduled at the EAF, which is now housed in the specially-built Lion Arts Centre.
More Information
Matthew Bradley: The Weet-Bix Kid & Sarah CrowEST: Get Rid of Yourself NOW!
25 August – 24 September
The Experimental Art Foundation
Lion Arts Centre, North Terrace (West End)
Adelaide
Tues – Fri: 11 – 5 / Sat: 2 – 5
For more information: 08 8211 7505
Sarah CrowEST will talking about her work on Monday September 5 as part of the SA School of Arts Artistspeak Program.
When: Sept 5
Time: 11am - 12pm
Where: Lecture Theatre, Level 4, Sir Hans Heysen Building, University of SA (adjacent to EAF)
Inset image: Matthew Bradley, HBJJP, c-type photograph 2003.
Website: http://www.eaf.asn.au/
