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Controversial Fremantle Footy Show: The New Religion August 24th - 27th4 Day Showing Only
In an attempt to understand our passion for the game, artist Naomie Hatherley poses a series of questions to audience by overprinting the bible and art history to include our saviour – the humble footy…or is that Ben Cousins? Familiar with football fanaticism and accused of ‘keeping the rumour of God alive’ Christchurch Grammar’s Rev. Canon Frank Sheehan will open the exhibition with a lively oration on all things sport and spirituality. A dedicated Essendon supporter, Rev. Canon Sheehan will share a personal yarn about his double confirmation as a ten year old that led to a lifetime commitment to God and Essendon on the same sacred day. UWA lecturer in Sport and Spirituality and former Olympic water polo player Rev. Canon Richard Pengelley has invited Hatherley to present her exhibition to human movement students just prior to the exhibition opening to talk about the connection she sees between religion and our love of ‘the game’. 'The church of Football is so important to so many people and I just don’t get it. I haven’t really been interested in the football other than to be frustrated that life stops when the footy is on like society is holding its breath. People are gob smacked to discover you don’t follow the footy and look at you with a mixture of ‘what planet are you from’ and sheer incomprehension. I am sick of living in the margins as a footy heretic, I want to know what I’m missing out on. Like Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, this is a search for the meaning of footy.’ ‘The works are a bit of an exploration, asking a series of questions with images – what does football mean to us? What makes it so important? How does our passion for the footy reflect on us as a society? Are we as serious about it as it appears?’ Hatherley likens herself to a traditional subjective cultural anthropologist of football, taking notes from the sidelines as an ignorant observer; ‘My works are jottings from the sidelines; anthropological notes from an outsider or heretical hysterics from a secular spectator. The works have become a reflection of what I see around me as well as interpretations of conversations about what it is that makes football so special.’ ‘What I have found incredibly interesting is the gap that exists between people’s behaviour and their perceptions of themselves. When you have a mass all following the same patterns of behaviour it is normalized – some are happy to admit it is a religion for them while others are quick to deny despite obvious attitudes, values and behaviour traits that scream fanatical devotion.’ ‘Another fascinating aspect of this exhibition has been people’s reactions. One would assume ripping apart a big, beautiful 150 year old Bible and slapping haphazard and garish artworks over it might upset our good Christian community.’ ‘As it turns out, given the beating Christianity has received over the years most moderate Christians find it warily amusing. It is the footy fans that are more contentious. It was made abundantly clear on many occasions that I was treading on very precarious ground – heresy of The Game would not be tolerated at any level. Be Warned, fans on high alert prepare for a revolt.’ Why Christianity? While she does not subscribe to the Christian faith, Hatherley says she sees an important link between the decline of the institution of the Church and the rise of the institution of the AFL in our community. Our society is based upon the Christian tradition, from the constitution to Christmas our culture was formed out of the fellowship of the Christian community. Sundays were sacred for church where we would drink and eat the blood and body of Christ. We now share Footy sponsored beer and break the pizza with friends and family over a game of triumphant and tragic proportions that unites us as one big warm fuzzy footy loving community. Have we simply replaced one institution for another? The New Religion? is a toe in the water In order to find out Hatherley said. It’s a bit like the Chaser boys – I am road testing the language and associations connected with football in the media and the community. When we say ‘we were crucified’ is that what we really mean? Is Ben Cousins really the messiah? They say the football is a religion – I am putting that to the test. The exhibition is divided into two sections with a New Old Testament that pays homage to the old masters with some interesting reinterpretations and a New New Testament that stretches from Pop Art through to references to today’s graffiti culture. The gilt-framed sepia-toned oil glazed works of The New Old Testament feature many traditional religious scenes from art history, with a twist. The birth of football in a manger in Bethlehem, a series of Ben Cousins as the Messiah, and many a Madonna lovingly cradling a football sample some of football’s finest moments in history. The New New Testament moves into 20th century art with references to Pop Artists like Warhol and Lichtenstein in a series that concerns itself more with the marketing and consumer culture that has evolved around a red oval ball. Garishly bright hand cut screen print stencils hastily slapped over antique bible pages create a sense of urgency and speed with which this has evolved. Nothing is sacred anymore, not if it has the capacity to make money for us. It is harder and harder to find evidence of ‘the hand’ in the creation of things – time and money is so important we manufacture everything to perfection. These works are evidence that the human hand has laboured, full of human error and completely lovely in their imperfection. Naomie Hatherley has exhibited many times since pursuing a career as a professional artist in 2005; however this is her first solo exhibition. Owner and Director of Mullalyup Gallery with her husband, Eliot Money she calls herself a second-year apprentice and sees this exhibition as an important step in establishing herself as an artist; ‘I graduated from university over 10 years ago but only now feel I have the drive, determination and ideas to develop my skills as a professional artist.’ ‘It is difficult getting established outside the hatchery of the university circuit but I am fortunate in that I have the opportunity to immerse myself completely in the industry at many levels through the gallery and exhibition opportunities like this one with such a great topic to explore.’ ‘The most frustrating thing is that I have only just chipped at the top of the iceberg of where I’d love to go with this. I am captivated by people’s passion for the game and am finding myself lured into the fold as a veritable Pandora’s Box is opening up before me. Ask me this time next year which team I support and I may actually have an answer!’ Fanatics, martyrs, prophets and heretics all welcome.
Exhibition opens 6pm Friday 24th August Naomie Hatherley - Curriculum Vitae
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