PORT cities are often a breeding ground for great works of music and art.
The chaotic and vibrant clash of cultures can lead to some highly original works that draw on far-away influences and exotic traditions.
The new Fremantle exhibition Five Tides pays tribute to this melting pot with a collaboration between five artists from disparate backgrounds who ended up rubbing shoulders in the port city.
“We discovered profound common ground: all of us have navigated the complex journey of finding home in a new place,” says Five Tides exhibitor Nadia Rasheed.
• Five Tides Collective: Annette Wiguna, Junko Kitamura, Carolyn White, Diane Keating and Nadia Rasheed.
“Whether through migration or chosen relocation, we understand how geography shapes identity and how artistic practice becomes a bridge between worlds.
“We were drawn together by shared values around process-based practice and community engagement.”
In the exhibition, Rasheed explores her Palestinian heritage and memories of childhood through printmaking, textiles and ceramics.
“While migration and belonging naturally emerge as connecting threads given our shared experiences of relocation, this inaugural show intentionally celebrates each artist’s individual practice and current creative preoccupations,” Rasheed says.
“Rather than imposing a rigid curatorial theme, we’ve chosen to let our diverse voices speak authentically, allowing natural resonances and contrasts to emerge organically.”
The Five Tides Collective was founded by Rasheed, who wanted to work more closely with other Freo-based artists.
It didn’t take much persuasion for Diane Keating, Junko Kitamura, Carolyn White and Annette Wiguna to come onboard.
Wiguna combines natural materials like rust and pigments with photography and collage to explore the transience of life.
Kitamura ruminates on memory and emotion using printmaking, painting and mixed media.
Keating explores borders through bird migration using textiles and printmaking.
Last but not least is White, a multidisciplinary artist who showcases the natural world, often through her love of insects. In Five Tides she’ll be exhibiting drawings and paintings.
• Irish artist Kate O’Shea.
Engaged
In keeping with the theme of migration and displacement, the exhibition will feature guest artist Kate O’Shea from Cork, Ireland.
She’s been in Freo since March as part of an artist exchange between Fremantle Arts Centre and the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Her stay culminated in the exhibition Jump Cuts.
“Her socially engaged practice enriches our collective dialogue,” Rasheed says.
The Five Tides Collective is planning another exhibition at Mundaring Arts Centre next year, but right now they are busy getting ready for their pop-up debut at COLAB2 Gallery, SHACC Fremantle, 3 Cower Mews, White Gum Valley.
It’s on today (Saturday November 22) and tomorrow from 10am-4pm, with a Friday night opening if you get your Herald early.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK