“Rose Moon”
Fiona Abicare
15 Feb → 13 Apr 2019

West Space presents an all-gallery exhibition by Fiona Abicare, forming her 2019 West Space Commission.

Rose Moon is a large-scale exhibition exploring the origins of the interior design style Shabby Chic in relation to art history and feminine aesthetics. Taking shape as a series of site-specific sculptures, Rose Moon considers the practice of the female home decorator as sculptor, painter and craft practitioner.

Abicare works across sculpture and site to explore diverse material histories. Influenced broadly by modernism and its interaction with art, design, architecture, film and fashion, her work absorbs and reflects cultural histories, personal memories and other embedded associations. She is interested in transforming the traditional distinctions between art and design through her decisions, materials and methodologies, and pays specific attention to the material qualities of objects and how an audience might encounter their placement in space.

This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

Front view of a large wooden sculpture or a wheel placed on a bench. The wheel is balancing on the intersection of two pieces of wood crossing over on the bench. The wheel is placed in front of a large window with natural light shinning through.
Side view of a large wooden sculpture or a wheel placed on a bench. The wheel is balancing on the intersection of two pieces of wood crossing over on the bench. The wheel is placed in front of a large window with natural light shinning through.
Installation view of a large wooden sculpture or a wheel placed on a bench. The wheel is balancing on the intersection of two pieces of wood crossing over on the bench. The wheel is placed in front of a large window with natural light shinning through. On the wall in the background is a sculpture of a smaller wheel.
A sculpture that resembles an old car wheel on a white wall. It is creme in colour with some silver parts. In the centre of the wheel is a silhouette of a lady's head.
Close up up of the work 'Drawer 2'. The sculpture is hanging on the gallery wall and has two brass handles on the top and bottom of the draw. Inside the draw is a bronze cast of a twisted tree branch next to a white torso with arms and hands wearing a brown knitted cardigan.
Front view of 'Drawer 1' sculpture in Rose Moon'. The draw is leaning against the wall and light from widows either side of the work is shinning softly through. There are two rose shaped earrings, two brass branches and three other objects in white, blue and green attached to the wooden draw. Two brass handles are attached to the sculpture on the top and bottom.
Installation view of 'Rose Moon' with four wooden draw sculptures with cast brass and cotton objects as well as a brown kitted cardigan and torso with arms and hands.
Installation view of 'Rose Moon' exhibition at West space. Three wooden draw shaped sculptures are visible. The sculpture at the forefront of the image is sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall with light shinning through windows next toto the work. Arranged on the surface of the rectangular sculpture are two rose shaped objects, two brass twigs and three more objects in white, green and blue. Two other sculptures by Fiona Abicare can be seen in the background.
Two of Fiona Abicare's barn door sculptures situated in the corner of the gallery against the wall and hanging on the wall with windows. They each have a decorative brass handle.The doors is adorned with blue, white and yellow and pink painterly and abstract shapes. squiggly lines are carved into the wooden surface around the colourful shapes.
Two of Fiona Abicare's barn door sculptures situated in the corner of the gallery against the wall and hanging on the wall with windows. They each have a decorative brass handle.The doors is adorned with blue, white and yellow and pink painterly and abstract shapes. squiggly lines are carved into the wooden surface around the colourful shapes.
A barn door sculpture by Fiona Abicare hanging sideways on a narrow wall so that the work covers some of the windows behind. There are blue, yellow and white painterly shapes on the wooden surface.
Fiona Abicare's barn door sculpture with a decorative brass handle leaning up against the gallery wall. The door is adorned with blue, white and yellow painterly and abstract shapes. squiggly lines are carved into the wooden surface around the colourful shape.
Front of Fiona Abicare's cast pair of legs in blue jeans with a colourful printed image and teal colour boots. The legs are leaning against a ledge in the gallery, self supported by the bottom and thighs of the sculpture.
Side view of Fiona Abicare's cast pair of legs in blue jeans with a colourful colourful printed image and teal colour boots. The legs are leaning against a ledge in the gallery, self supported by the bottom and thighs of the sculpture.
A cropped detail of Fiona Abicare's three sculptures featuring a close up of the textured fabric on the moon shaped lounge, the white wooden and fabric covered couch and the pair of legs in jeans.
Front view of Fiona Abicare's white couch sculpture. The couch frame is provincial in style and made from wood that has been painted white. The arms have been covered in white fabric and at the bottom of the couch is a frill of white gathered fabric.
A sculpture of a five seater half moon shaped lounge is situated on the floor of the gallery. The fabric is a light teal colour that appears to be soft the touch. There is excess fabric on the work that is draped over the back of the lounge to form a flap or cover.
Installation view of 'Rose Moon', an exhibition by Fiona Abicare. There are three sculptures in the space. A moon shaped longe covered in teal fabric is the focal point of the image. A second two seater couch upholstered in white denim sits behind the first sculpture. A sculpture of a pair of legs in denim jeans and boots leans against the gallery wall in the background of the image.

Fiona Abicare completed a Bachelor of Fine Art in Sculpture at the Victorian College of the Arts (1994) and Honours in Sculpture at RMIT University (1999). In 2006 she was awarded a Masters of Arts in Interior Design from RMIT University, and she undertook an Australia Council London Studio residency in 2012. Abicare has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions.