FACE IT PROJECT

I'm starting the Face It projects in Georgetown! I'm here alone and I need an excuse to talk to people. So here it is. The idea is to draw portraits of people and get them to answer a question. It's an ongoing project and the question might change, but for now, it's - What do you wish you'd known when you were younger? I intend to approach hotel guests, employees, food vendors, and trishaw drivers.. I'll try to get a wide range of social groups. Then I plan to post the drawings online and here are the links:
https://instagram.com/ninarupena
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nina-Rupena/

ART RESIDENCY AT HOTEL PENAGA

This is my home for the next three months. Hotel Penaga, a heritage boutique hotel is set in the historic colonial Georgetown, a UNESCO world heritage site. The owners of the hotel architect Hijjas and environmentalist Angela Kasturi also run Rimbyn Dahan residencies. I am forever grateful to them for the opportunity to spend 3 months here.

SHOOT MY BEAUTY

Anna Asz came to me with an idea for a project and got me so excited! It was to be an art director for a photo shoot and with a team of photographers and stylists to challenge the mainstream depiction of beauty. So in an artistic collaboration, we presented the stunning beauty of our models, all of whom are living with Down’s syndrome. Our project challenges viewers to question why people with disabilities are so rarely seen in the mainstream fashion industry and asks them to reassess their own definition of who is beautiful. Photos by Alex Gardener. 

HEARTS, FLAWS AND ALL

It seems like we need a reason or at least an excuse to look into someone else’s eyes… Well, we found the excuse! Let’s draw each other. Let’s look deeply into each others’ eyes and observe what makes us different but more importantly what makes us the same. Let’s examine how we share this condition of being human and how can we fight disengagement.
Come, put your guards down and be prepared to draw badly and honestly. The plan is to pair up on the day and each person gets around 10 to 20 min to draw the other person. 
 It doesn’t matter if you have never drawn a portrait in your life or if you are a passionate drawer. It’s more about the process than about the end result. So let’s be human together, let’s draw badly and flaunt our insecurities!

The project is part of Dagmara Gieysztor’s ‘Contain Yourself!’ art residency. Which is held in a shipping container on the Footscray Riviera, just down from Footscray Community Arts Centre. 

Photos by Paul Atkinson


ITALY AND CROATIA

This was the first time I visited Florence. I thought I knew what to expect after visiting other amazing European cities but the art and architecture in Florence left me in tears. Especially blown away by the early Renaissance.

TRIP TO NEW YORK, NEW ORLEANS AND ST LOUIS

I got an opportunity to travel to the USA and explore museums, galleries and architecture. The experience was so inspiring! Loved Creole culture and raw art in New Orleans.

BOOK 'IF THIS WERE REAL'

Gerda Stevenson BAFTA-winning actor and director, launched her book of poems, If This Were Real, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Gerda contacted me half a year ago and asked if my artwork could be used for the cover.

SALTY BLACK SUGAR

Production design and visual identity for short film Salty Black Sugar directed by film maker Mizuho Endo.

Synopsis: ‘Experimental film following a young boy as he learns what a shallow place the world can be. Angst ridden, void of passion, he drifts through life numb and detached. Through the journey of the black puddle that is his alienation, he learns the paradox of love which tastes like “Salty Black Sugar”.

THEIR SHADOWS IN US

This year I am involved as a lead artist in a social history project Their Shadows in Us. It is a multi-arts initiative interpreting archival research, interviews and imagery gathered by Tutti artists and emerging South Australian contemporary artists. Collaborative in nature, the project investigates and interprets the past 100 years of the iconic Minda Incorporated, South Australia’s residential institution for people with intellectual disabilities.

The project is curated by Melanie Fulton and the exhibition launch is at the Flinders University Art Museum & City Gallery, Adelaide on 13 Dec, 2013. It will run from the 14th of December 2013 till 16th of February 2014.

http://tutti.org.au/

http://www.flinders.edu.au/artmuseum/exhibitions/

EARIN FESTIVAL

Earin Festival is a three part concert series where each concert is a collaboration between musicians and a visual artist exploring different themes. Earin brings together new music and visual arts, with performances at interval and installations. The series seeks to inspire all the senses. For the first concert ‘Born of Cultural Dislocation’ and I was given the freedom to transform the ABC Studio 520.

For more details please visit http://earin.org/


LORETO COLLEGE

Another great opportunity that came out of winning 2012 SALife Loreto Emerging Artist Award, was meeting Jacky Hamilton Visual Arts Coordinator at Loreto College. She invited me to do presentations and workshops with her art students. It was a great experience to share the love for art with enthusiastic and keen ears.

SALIFE ARTICLE

As a part of winning the SA Life Emerging Artist Award article was featured about my art in SA Life magazine.

When I mentioned that I work as an abseiler to support my art practice, photographer thought it’s a too good photo opportunity to miss. So that side of my life was featured in the article as well… Nina Rupena the window cleaner!
Click on the photo to read the article.