Floor Talk with Vipoo Srivilasa

Ceramic artist Vipoo Srivilasa's solo exhibition re/JOY is touring to Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in a joyous celebration of migration, belonging and hope.

Vipoo Srivilasa is a Thai-born artist who has been based in Australia since 1997 who creates work that engages with complex questions of queerness, migration and spiritual meaning. Working predominantly with porcelain but also creating works on paper, mixed media sculptures and large-scale public art pieces, Srivilasa often incorporates food and interactive performance into his ceramic projects. His practice frequently explores cross-cultural and migration experiences, with a playful blend of European historical figurines and Asian decorative art.

For this collaborative community project Vipoo has taken seven precious, yet broken, ceramic objects donated by strangers, each with their own story of migration to different parts of Australia. Around these pieces he has built seven towering, large-scale works, plus a smaller one in honour of his own story. re/JOY aims to engage with overseas-born Australians, but anyone will recognise the connections we form with objects that hold special memories and can evoke strong emotions.

Curated by Lisa Cahill, ADC’s CEO and Artistic Director, and designed by Stephen Goddard, re/JOY captures the diversity of migration stories and how people build their different lives in Australia. It also looks at the complex feelings and challenges that come with relocating countries and finding a new place to belong, the pain of leaving family and friends, the difficulties of applying to stay.

re/JOY is a joyful, playful and hopeful project – a rich tapestry of humanity.

Entry to this event is by donation, feel free to share as much or as little as you are able to. All donations will support our ongoing work with artists. The floor talk will be followed by exhibition opening with drinks and light refreshment at 2pm.

Read Vipoo's interview with Daniel Browning on ABC Radio's Art Show here.

Presented by the Australian Design Centre ‘On Tour’, this project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program and Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

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Host or Publisher Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Nowra