Always Moving (A performance laboratory in several parts)

Curated by Jared Davis

Always Moving (A performance laboratory in several parts) brought an active month of performance, sound, cinema, and event-based art to Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces (GCAS). In a unique exhibition and mini-festival, Always Moving transformed GCAS’ galleries into a lively hub, spanning a broad scope of performance happenings from Australia and abroad. Running alongside the exhibition was the Always Moving Event Series which hosted an unrivalled line up of talented curators, performers and artists.

Central to this exhibition’s premise were the core forces of experimentation, risk, collaboration and collectivity. This contemporary art event extended beyond the visual arts, bringing together a wide spectrum of creative and critical voices, drawing to the surface the role of creativity in critical discussion.

During gallery opening hours, the exhibition featured artworks that explore ephemeral and temporal processes that were also activated through live performance. This exhibition transformed GCAS’ gallery spaces into a dynamic and energised, ever-changing contact site featuring different performances and a range of film screenings over the course of the exhibition.

Always Moving threaded together contemporary art works with performances, drawing from a range of varied traditions. The exhibition extended from the iconoclastic music, performance and writing practices of Scott Foust (USA), to the participatory installation of Gabo Camnitzer (USA/SWE); from Marco Cher-Gibard and Rosalind Hall’s audio-visual work, to the installation and performances of Oslo-based artists Alejandra Salinas and Aeron Bergman, who performed in Australia for the first time; and from the active sound sculptures of Dale Gorfinkel, to Cait Foran’s amorphous video installation environments, to a screening and installation by Melbourne underground film cinémathèque Catacomb Carousel.

Always Moving’s Event Series hosted an eclectic program presented by guest curators Kim Brockett, Bum Creek in collaboration with Paul Wotherspoon, Chapter Music, Patrick O’Brien, OtherFilm, Danae Valenza and Speakeasy Cinema.

Always Moving was a one-off engagement with the intensity and excitement within contemporary performative practices today.

Alejandra Salinas and Aeron Bergman's involvement in Always Moving was supported by the Office of Contemporary Art, Norway.