Obsessions: Elizabeth and Arthur Bach
Obsessions is an exhibition of painting and sculpture that explores the human tendency to hoard and collect items that may be useful in some way. Painting, woodworking and design elements are utilised to make a statement about the lives, actions and habits of both the artists themselves and the greater population.
Elizabeth Bach draws inspiration from a history of women’s craft with fabric design from William Morris to Marimekko. In the past women have learnt to thriftily recycle and re-use scraps of valuable fabric and other items. Today’s cupboards often groan under the chaos of these obsessive collections where mundane things like string, rubber bands and plastic containers gather dust.
Arthur Bach’s working life of designing buildings and woodworking has crossed over into the realm of creative obsession as he crafts miniature stairs and ladders that offer a path to nowhere. These staircases are a tongue in cheek look at the patterns of human behaviour where things which at first appear to have use are in fact useless.
The artworks in this exhibition stimulate the audience to question the strange enthusiasm for collecting and coveting objects, whether useful items or items of beauty. They show that there is something attractive in the ordered repetition of objects while at the same time something sad in the wastefulness of objects that will never be used.
