Open cut, closed loop

Regina de Miguel, Georgia Nowak & Eugene Perepletchikov

Curated by Chantelle Mitchell and Jaxon Waterhouse


Open cut, closed loop unites the work of Regina de Miguel (ESP) with Georgia Nowak and Eugene Perepletchikov (AUS) in consideration of relationships across place, time and ecology through the lens of extraction.

Nekya. Una película río | Nekya. A film river (Miguel, 2022) operates as historical, critical and poetic view of Riotinto, a region in the province of Huelva, Spain, a mineral rich and largely exploited extractive and industrial basin. Rooted in mythologies, Nekya traverses the unique geological and biological qualities of this place, whilst considering interstellar material and
speculative connections.

Aurum (Nowak and Perepletchikov, 2020) is an essay film that traverses layers of history and mythology to examine complex relationships with gold. A symbol of power and a unit of value, the lure of gold has shaped civilisations across time and place. Aurum juxtaposes present and
ongoing extraction and production processes with and against history, revealing a narrative of obsession and the transformative power of a single material. Premiering these works in Western Australia, Open cut, closed loop operates in a circular manner, echoing the concentric processes of extraction, consumption and economies, inviting a consideration of the complex interrelationships across matter, industry, people and narrative.

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Regina de Miguel is known for her filmmaking and interdisciplinary artistic practice which is characterised by the critical analysis of the supposed objectivity of scientific devices of representation and the conditions of production of scientific knowledge. de Miguel’s work has
been exhibited widely internationally and is held in several large public and private collections. Nekya was commissioned by TBA21 for Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary.

Georgia Nowak is an artist and architect who works between the mediums of built form, sculpture and film. Her works attempt to navigate the complex ever-changing relationship
between ecology, society and place. Eugene Perepletchikov is a moving image artist and filmmaker investigating the dynamics of nonlinearity, memory and narrative within geographies and social structures. Working collaboratively, Nowak and Perepletchikov have produced a series of large-scale film works which have been presented across Australia. Aurum was awarded the inaugural Mercedes-Benz Design Week Award in 2020.

Exhibition opens Saturday 27 Jan from 3pm and runs until 11 Feb open Tue-Sun from 10 to 4.