Mod Dogs: A Showcase of Emanations, Fragments and Wayward Artifacts
Image courtesy of the artists. Taken by Duncan Wright.
From 10 - 25th June 2023, artists Stephen Brameld and Jay Staples unveiled their brainchild, Mod Dogs; a showcase of world-making through large scape painting, sculpture, video and performance at the PS Art Space in Fremantle, Australia.
The Painter 2023, Mixed media. Image courtesy of the artists.
On opening night, visitors observed a performance by quartet Gun Fu; a project of Benjamin Witt’s featuring Ben Vanderwal (drums), Marc Earley (double bass) & Jayden Blockley (saxophone). Benjamin Witt composed 6 pieces of music in response to the artworks in the show which was performed for the first half of opening night and for the second half they improvised live in response to the exhibition.
The Archer 2023, Mixed Media. Image courtesy of the artists.
The Archer plus target. Image courtesy of the artists.
The duo has taken this opportunity to create a gestated universe with its own physical, psychological and sensorial laws. As it were, shreds of other worlds, and the beginnings of them. Visitors enter the space overtaken by Brameld and Staples, surrounded by a mix of semi-plastered brick and pristine faux walls. Large scale canvases are adorned with color; greens, reds, yellows, off-whites - a whirlwind of textures! Across from these hung pieces are sculptures standing about two metres tall made of metals and brass.
The Zoo 2023, Acrylic, enamel, wood stain on canvas. Image courtesy of the artists. Taken by Duncan Wright.
Writer Liam Blackford nudges visitors to perceive the pieces that surround the space with a sense of reverence as they stand, hang or move with unfamiliar gusto – as beings that do not exist within our universes. Opposing to his suggestion, the works are titled after beings and things that exist in this time and space. 'The Zoo', 'The Dancer', 'The Wheel' calls on viewers to ponder on the possibilities of what they could not be.
Lester Leaps In 2019, Acrylic charcoal on board. Image courtesy of the artists. Taken by Duncan Wright.
About Stephen Brameld & Jay Staples
Stephen Brameld & Jay Staples are WA-based artists who simultaneously work on the same surface or sculpture until they reach a point of mutual recognition. During this ongoing process of exchange, they have developed a singular, visual language, which is separate from their own individual pursuits. Two different artistic practices coming together, simplifying, mixing into a new form and then expanding. A whole which is other than the sum of its parts.
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