Words: Jamie Burcide // Photos: Pia Gynell–Jorgensen and Lawrence Bird
KIKI portrays art as an ever-changing realm shifting between mediums and creators.
Since opening its doors in May, the creative space has hosted mending circles to jewellery-making classes, while introducing its first resident artist Pia Gynell–Jorgensen.
The resident artist will change every three months, while over their stay, the artist will showcase their work and curate exhibitions that celebrate their community, friends and ideas. Exhibitions will showcase a spectrum of mediums appealing to a playful, dream-like aesthetic through rich colours and textures, delivered with a sense of gravitas through the skill and integrity shown in the collection.
As a part of Pia’s residency she has curated an artist line-up of seven Adelaide and Melbourne artists for KIKI’s first group exhibition on Sunday July 9. KIKI’s founder Eleni Criss says the space and the exhibitions within are a way to elevate artists and bring people together to celebrate their works.
“As a fellow creative, I wanted to really showcase the incredibly talented and unique crafts of people around me,” Eleni says. “I’m hoping to bring the neighbourhood together to celebrate the best things in life – art, creativity, community.”
Eleni says events like these are set to become a monthly occurrence where people can come and drink good wine, eat good food, and see some of the best up and coming local and interstate artists.
Partnering with a few hospitality legends, visitors can expect food and drinks by Paddy Barry’s catering, Parley wines and Bridge Road beers. Meanwhile, they’ll be a live DJ playing sweet tunes throughout the evening to keep the energy high.
“KIKI is an ever growing and changing space and I’m really enjoying seeing it evolve into something very special,” Eleni says.
“The aim of the event is to showcase talent, and also give artists the opportunity to sell their works. If you’re interested in buying your first piece of art, this is definitely the event for you.”
With that being said, here’s Pia’s rundown of the seven artists you’ll get to meet on the day >>
Pia Gynell-Jorgensen
Pia Gynell-Jorgensen is an Tarntanya/Adelaide based multimedia visual artist working largely with oil paints, graphite and coloured oil pencils. Her work ranges from larger-scaled abstract colour fields in oil paint, to intricately detailed graphite surrealist dreamscapes, that serve as a strange and intimate tableaus.
Pia’s curation of this eclectic collection offers a vision of play through colour and shape, celebrating some beautifully practiced techniques and experiments into new mediums.
Emmaline Zanelli
Tarntanya/Adelaide based artist Emmaline Zanelli’s practice is directed toward photography, and including performance and video works. Her recent work explores concepts of fabrication, memory, labour, and the relationship between the body and the machine.
Emmaline completed a Bachelor of Visual Art at Adelaide College of the Arts in 2015, and a Master of Arts – Photography at PSC in Melbourne in 2021. Her work has been exhibited in galleries nationally, and featured in publications internationally.
Since 2016, Emmaline has also been a co-director of South Australian artist collective The Bait Fridge, presenting experimental mixtures of music, performance, sculpture and digital media nationwide with a youth focus.
Billie Justice Thomson
Billie Justice Thomson is a mid-career visual artist based in Tarntanya-Adelaide. She studied painting at UniSA before moving to Melbourne in 2011 where she established a successful studio practice. Billie returned to Adelaide in 2016 to raise a family and focus on her career. Her work explores nostalgia and sentimentality through memorialising common objects, iconic Australian imagery, drinks and food. Painting directly on perspex Billie produces artwork that pops with joyful energy and offers a meditative appreciation on the small day to day miracles of existence.
Rosina Possingham
Early-career multi-disciplinary artist Rosina Possingham is motivated to
challenge, and rediscover the way people experience the landscape and environment.
Her evolving practice forefronts collaborative processes and digital strategies with a focus on ecological systems and dynamic image making. Rosina completed her Masters-Visual Art and Design at the University of South Australia, 2016.
Luke Day
Designer and self taught artist Luke Day lives and works in Naarm/Melbourne. His practice is currently focussed toward richly coloured abstract paintings using oil paints and textile collage.
Benen Hamon
Visual artist Benen Hamon currently practises on Kaurna country, Adelaide. His art practice spans from painting, casting, and assemblage, responding to his local surrounding built environment.
Benen’s recent work focuses on reimagining the overlooked suburban architecture through contemporary painting and sculpture, using geometric patterns and textures as his inspiration. Benen seeks to draw attention to the banal objects and built features that populate our living spaces.
Ella Davis
Ella Davis is a mixed-media creative and medical nurse, whose talent for textile crafts was born from learning crocheting as a hobby. Now well versed in the medium, Ella’s latest series of wearable crocheted works are best characterised by stunningly vibrant colours and untraditional decorative embellishments.
KIKI’s group Exhibition: Sunday July 9 // 89D Goodwood Road, Goodwood 5034
