Untitled

Stuart Ringholt

Stuart Ringholt’s Untitled marked a thought-provoking departure from the socially-outward, performative aspects of his practice, which had previously been showcased in the exhibitions NEW 05 and A molecular history of everything* (*well not everything) at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Ringholt’s minimal installation comprised a laminex table with a small rectangular attachment adhered to one end. Over this attachment, Ringholt had painstakingly woven hundreds of individual strands of horse hair. The laborious process of making this work produced a resolutely formal, yet melancholic sculpture bearing poignant traces of everyday life, dislocation and violence. Accompanying this exhibition was an insightful catalogue essay by young writer Nicola Harvey. The second in an edition of four Studio 12 Catalogues authored by emerging writers under Gertrude and Express Media’s Emerging Writers mentorship program, the catalogue provided a thoughtful meditation on the issues raised by Ringholt’s intriguing work.

Stuart Ringholt’s solo exhibitions and performances include Backfence Jokes, Display, Prague, Czech Republic 2005; Rubbish Bin public performance, Prague, Czech Republic 2005; Untitled performance, Monash University, Melbourne 2005; Crimes of the Apple Worms, Studio 12, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne, 2004 (with accompanying Funny Fear Workshops, Studio 5); Recent Work, Kurb Gallery, Perth 2003; and Embarassed (series of ten performances), Basel, Firenze, Melbourne, Perth 2001 to 2003. Selected group exhibitions include Make it Modern, Deloitte QV Building, Melbourne, 2005; Salon de Freehands, Seventh Gallery, Melbourne 2005; d.u.m.b.o art under the bridge festival, d.u.m.b.o arts centre, Brooklyn, New York 2005; New 05, Australian Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne 2005; and A Molecular History of Everything (*well not everything), Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 2004. Stuart has received arts grants from Arts Victoria, Arts Western Australia and the Australia Council, and in 2003 he undertook an Arts Western Australia residency in Basel, Switzerland.