Through a powerful assemblage of objects entwined around notions of the body or adornment, this exhibition delves into the textile practice of Troy-Anthony Baylis. The artist traverses disparate sources, from high to low brow and the ground in between – spanning literature, pop music, op shops and haute couture – to imagine a new language and reality; a technicolor dreaming of his own making. Borrowing from all things, including its title from the 1989 song by The Stone Roses, I Wanna Be Adored, the exhibition suggests an alternate dimension, one that embraces incongruity to celebrate the body, sexuality, Indigeneity, pop culture, art history and queer aesthetics.
The exhibition features serial works dating from 2006 to present, including new iterations and multi-component sculptural works, as well as a new series of appliquéd weavings.
A descendent of the Jawoyn people from the Northern Territory and also of Irish ancestry, the artist is Sydney-born, Brisbane-bred, and Adelaide-based. Troy-Anthony Baylis is QUT Alumni, having graduated in 1995.
Image: Troy-Anthony BAYLIS, ‘Postcard (Acacia and Sandy)’ 2015, reconstructed faux-mesh. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Grant Hancock.
