Lino, Canberra and tile formation (2000) by Vivienne BinnsCanberra Museum and Gallery
Vivienne Binns was a leading figure in feminist art-making and criticism in Australia in the 1970s and a pioneer of community art, starting with the ground-breaking Mothers' memories, others' memories project in Blacktown, Sydney, in 1979.
'Lino, Canberra and tile formation' is a work from the series In memory of the unknown artist, in which Binns acknowledged the anonymous artists and designers of everyday objects.
The work is a patchwork of linoleum fragments of different designs, salvaged by the artist from old Canberra houses and cut into small rectangles, then reassembled in an animated and elegant composition.
It is both abstract and representational, as are the different lino patterns, and includes elements from a variety of cultural sources.
The work also has a strong connection to landscape, evident in its horizontal format and the artist's juxtaposition of lino shards selected and placed to suggest land and sky.
'Lino, Canberra and tile formation' provides a link to the domestic heritage of Canberra through its materials.
The work is both an emblem of the physical and cultural landscape of the Canberra region, as well as a hybrid of modernist art and industrial design.
Discover more about 'Lino, Canberra and tile formation'.
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