NOW SHOWING  
4 - 27 October 2019

Feeling Sheepish  CASPA Castlemaine Contemporary Art Space
Above Stoneman's Bookroom, Crn Hargreaves & Mostyn St Castlemaine  10-5 Daily
                                 

​"So interesting – well done! The sculptural pieces are so beautiful and well constructed
​– fun/disturbing and so visceral" Anon

Candy Stevens, Australia rides on the sheep's back, acrylic on canvas, 2018

Artist Statement                        

Introduced to Australian soils through colonisation, the humble sheep has become a leading national export of wool and meat. In its short history, the sheep industry has drastically transformed the Australian landscape, its inhabitants and way of life.

   “In Australia on the continental scale, clearing for agriculture and the introduction of sheep, cattle and     other animals from the Northern hemisphere have had an environmental effect beside which all else is
 minor.” (Seddon)

Feeling Sheepish features a selection of new painting and sculptures by Candy Stevens that confront the environmental impact of sheep grazing in Australia. These works build upon a previous series To Market (featuring cow hides) exhibited in 2017, further exploring the complex relationships between agriculture, economics, environment and indigenous culture. In doing so, Stevens continues to reflect on Australian landscape and identity from a post-colonial perspective.

                                                                          Artist & "Suspense" at opening night

Using sheep as her muse, Candy draws upon their iconic Australian status to expose notions of Western idealism and to explore the way the continent has been re-shaped through overgrazing. 

“I find it ironic that sheep, singular; are shy, innocent herbivores, and yet en-masse they become destructive beasts. They provide warmth, food and gross national income whilst they jackhammer cleared land with their hooves causing environmental devastation, dispossession and species extinction. Feeling Sheepish is my sense of shame around this paradox of attachment and impact that plagues our national pysche and identity. I use puns and playfulness to combine the conceptual and material content to better contemplate our human nature and the paradox revealed in the issues surrounding sheep farming in Australia.”

When it comes to the question of how we personally identify with the national psyche, Candy is interested in developing consciousness. She does this through her art by challenging icons and questioning the established cultural paradigms that they represent in a playful and confronting way, in the tradition of the larrikin.

Seddon, G 1997, Landprints: Reflections on place and Landscape, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pg 214.

"Awesome! Thought provoking! Beautiful wooly-work and fun to sit and add to the Country Living collage. Will be following your work from now on, Thank you." Sandy Dunnne
​

Eric and Zoe add to "Country Living" Collage