Jennie is an author and artist; her vibrant works tend to have few words but the detail in her collages is amazing. I tried to get up close and take pictures from different angles so you could get a taste of it's stunning beauty.
Mirror is a visual story that both contrasts and reveals the parallels in the everyday life of a boy in the city of Sydney and a boy in a remote Berber village in Morocco. The intricately-detailed collages on display present similarities (and differences) between the two cultures. While I loved her collages I didn't actually love the book... I thought I would, but there you go.
Most of her other books were there too so I read/looked at the lot. Many have a depressing 'we are destroying the world' inner message (which I really get, and we are, but I just didn't like the feel of them). I did quite like Belonging and Home in the Sky which broke the mould a bit.
The exhibition was accompanied by art-making activities and a reading corner so the girls, their dad, aunt and I absorbed ourselves in piles of textured paper, ribbons, pencils and sticky tape... The wee girl and I curled up and looked together at the pictures in her other books too.
The collection is making its way round bits of Australia; so if there is one near you maybe go have a look.
5 comments:
I'm jealous!
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Thanks for sharing this! I would be keen to have a look. We have the rainforest one (but for the life of me I'm stumped as to the name... will remember it as soon as I post this) and the collages are so beautiful, I see something new every time I open the book.
I remember the window one from when I was young, but you're right, they are quite sad in a way.
Oh damn, we have missed the one in Melbourne! Too late!
Wow. Those are some amazing collages. I have obviously been living under a large rock.
How beautiful and what a wonderful exhibition to have seen. Like the Mama - I'm jealous!
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