Khemia: Living Alchemy Exhibition & Workshops - Part I - Artists Introduction

Khemia is an exhibition celebrating the nexus of science and art through the talents of some of South Australia's established and up and coming artists.

Angela Valamanesh
Angela is a well known South Australian arist known for her striking yet simple and inspiring work with ceramics. Graduating from the University of SA in 1993 before continuing her studies in the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, curtosy of the Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship, Angela has since been established herself as an expert in her field.

Angela's work fits right in with theme of the exhibition, that being biological life forms as a lot of Angela's previous work has focussed on exactly that.

John Willanski
John has a very unique style of art that incorporates simple shapes, complex images and words to create the subject of the piece.

In Khemia, John worked in collaboration with Angela Fish to create "Inky Depths", a unique and beautiful display of creatures of the deep completed in Johns unique style of shapes or complex images and descriptive askew words, that from a distance form the subject of the work. Each piece glows a bright neon blue behind a piece of perspex/glass 20cm squared with 1cm depth, hidden behind a black curtain design to keep light out.

John has other work available for viewing at the Sala Inc website. It's worth a look from some very unique and eye catching art. John also has his own company Ink Rain specialising in "multimedia services including logo and corporate design, animation for web and broadcast and amazing one of a kind portraits".

Niki Sperou
Niki is what you would call a true BioArtist. Focussing on the subject of Chimeras, which allude to cultural hybridity, biotechnology and the fanciful, Niki takes us on a path to the confronting, beautiful and technological side of art.

Since 2006, Niki Sperou has been the Flinders University, Department of Medical Biotechnology Artist in Residence. Working closely with Biotechnologists, Niki has fine tuned her Biologist skill and knowledge allowing her to incorporate the science into her art.

Pictured to the left is a small sample of Niki's work for Khemia. The carnations have been placed in vessel, with many other carnations , containing a sample of Niki's blood. The picture shows that the blood has travelled up the flowers stalk and into the petals as though it were water. This feat is accomplished via two processes, known as capillary action and transpiration.

I will talk more about the details and have more photos of the artists in my next blog on the Khemia series. I will also bring you an interesting look at a behind the scenes exposé of BioArt after I attend a work shop on the subject at the Royal Institute of Australia.