We are proud to present work by five up and coming artists from Melbourne and Canberra: Zoe Brand, Annie Gobel, Marcos Guzman, Inari Kiuru and Lindy McSwan.
Gallery Funaki has long held a privileged position with young and emerging contemporary jewellers, largely thanks to our close involvement with institutions like RMIT, ANU, Monash and international graduate academies. Through these links, our advice and mentorship has been sought by several generations of students and graduates. The last dedicated exhibition of Australian emerging work, however, was a distant 16 years ago. 'Emerging', in 2000, assisted in launching the careers of now-well established artists including Simon Cottrell, Kirsten Haydon and David Neale – two of whom have gone on to teach the artists in '5x7'. It’s high time a new generation of talent be celebrated within Funaki’s walls.
I have had an eye this diverse and dedicated group for a long time, in some cases from their first or second year of jewellery study. Some artists I’ve watched from afar but with several, I’ve enjoyed hours of conversation and critical discussion over many years. In all cases, I’ve been honoured to watch and share in their development.
Katie Scott, April 2016