Historical information

Pattie BEERENS (1962- )
Born Sunshine, Victoria

Pattie Beerens was enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Ceramics at Federation University in 2018 after completing a Graduate Certificate Visual Art at the Victorian College of Arts, University of Melbourne in 2017.

Physical description

Artists' Statement:
Red. Broken structure on its side supported with an unrecognisable form. It is cast from an electronics packaging carton. Triangular arrows piece the structure with a spider on either side.
I created fertility spiders to protect the Minoan women from predators. I collected spiders as a child to ward off the bullies and, like the octopus, spiders have eight legs and a head and body.
The stylised spiders reference links between the Minoan octopus and other symbols of fertility.
The natural light elongates the form in a shadow reflection on the floor. The form is surrounded by black space.
This piece took on an anger I felt on the day that [Malcolm] Turnbull was overthrown and materialises the bully-boy behaviour we were witnessing.
What is most interesting about this piece is that I created it as a Minoan reflection. It dawned on me , when I had it ready for the kiln - on the day that Dutton challenged the Turnbull leadership, that my anger was both reflective and contemporary because nothing seemed to have changed. We were witnessing first hand how the power struggles continue and goodwill suffers."
Winner of the 2018 Deputy Vice-Chancellor's Award