bastard saint of meritocracy

nike jacket, tarp, plastic and real weeds, glitter, resin, synthetic arms, vynal,

words by ANDREW GAYNOR from the catalog essay for A SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS

"In a return to the phenomena of cargo cults and nature-worship, Simon Pericich introduces us to ‘a harbinger for a planet obsessed with a shiny greener future.’12 Dressed in a faux-Nike jacket and with a face composed mostly of weeds, this scarecrow-of-tat bears little genetic relation to the ironic currents found in similar photographic works by Simryn Gill or Christian Thompson; rather, The Bastard Saint of Meritocracy (weedhead) is pure B-grade mock-horror, invoking Scream or Freddie Kruger. It is also grimly humorous, covered with crap bits of bling and splattered with discarded glitter, as if this innocent ghoul has just emerged from the leftovers of a consumer party gone way, way wrong. Pericich’s pet theme – ‘the colonisation of surface’13 – continues into the salvaged camouflage advertising backdrop, alluding to the idea that plants are not the only weeds. Culture itself can be just as insidious... "


With Jane Burton,
Luke Pither,
Paul Gazzola,
Rewi Lyall,
Richard Giblett,
Sally Ross,
Simon Pericich,
Starlie Geikie,
and selected Victorian botanic artists.



curated by Andrew Gaynor.Shown at LINDEN. & toured to FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE

and included in the show...
Tips for anxious gardeners
Library Arts Space
19th Aug- 11th Sep 09
J-Studios Library Art Space . 100 Barkley St, North Fitzroy
with
Ben De Nardi
Laura Woodward
Kelly Manning
Michael Needham
Hannah Raisin
Kieran Stewart
Anna Leaton
Benedict Earnst