From the Little Art Spell Book (Dark Rituals, Magical Relics)

From the Little Art Spell Book (Dark Rituals, Magical Relics)

This artistbook has been managed and published by the University of Sunshine Coast Art Gallery. The artist book innovatively combines visual and creative writing forms of storytelling as an interdisciplinary creative work in its own right. The book contains visual and written pieces contributed by each artist that interpret the ritual of their making process as a spell. The act of making art is likened to the ritual of activating spells and engaging in practices that are perhaps perceived as unorthodox. These practices are referred to as ‘little art’, a term created by project initiator Beata Batorowicz and used in reference to her own practice. The term is a subversive one that embraces personal narratives as a counter argument to the grand narratives of art history. The artists’ personal spells reiterate the potency of the individual voice as a means to disarm the universal and authoritative voice of history. The publication becomes a physical relic of the project and its ideas. This 100-page colour publication has received Australia Council for the Arts ($44, 409) funding with in-kind support from project partners; University of Sunshine Coast Art Gallery (USC), University of Tasmania Gallery and University of Saskatchewan Gallery. The spells are framed by a foreword written by co-curator Megan Williams (USC) and a 4000-word critical essay by respected Australian art writer, Louise Martin Chew, that investigates the ritual in women’s practice globally through examination of the participating artists. The book is sold at RRP $40 online and has been deposited with state, national gallery and university libraries in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

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