The Contextual Villains

....welcome to our small piece of this giant puzzle...... please excuse the out-of-dateness of the website, we have been busy of late with our first child... now that he is almost one, we are working a major redevelopment of this site and hope to be back on track soon... we have also been busy setting up a design studio which you can have a look at here, Studio Racket

July 2007

We recently had a solo show at Canberra Contemporary Art Space - Gorman House. The exhibition, titled 'Filtering Remnants' was the result of our Synapse residency with the ANU last year. The exhibition runs until the 25th August 2007.
You can find out much more about the project and see some images here.

June 2007

The Contextual Villains recently travelled to Canberra to produce a set and live media installation for Jennifer Proctor's show Aperture. The performance was held at The Street Theatre, other artists involved in the show were: Don Asker, Judy Clingan, Kimmo Vennonen and Jan Wawrzynczak.
You can find out more about the performance and see some images here.

June 2007

Boom was a International New media Festival Conference & Exhibition held in Taiwan, 2007. The Villains had their video work 'Lake Hart' exhibited at the Kuandu Museum - Taipei National University of the Arts.
You can view the video here. (26Mb)

March 2007

The Villains had a work in The Golden Age of Transfiguration exhibition at Viewing Space Gallery as part of the 2007 Melbourne Fashion Festival. The show was curated by Jason Lingard: "Today we strive for the ‘Golden Age’, a mythological time perceived as an ideal state of utopia. In the 21st Century, as our quest for perfection climaxes, are we in a new Golden Age?"

November 2006

The Villains won third prize as part of Greenpeace's Changing Nature Exhibition... The Changing Nature exhibition explores the profound changes being imposed on global and local natural places by climate change and technology. It invites considerations of the symbolic place of nature in our lives, how we shape our environment and how it shapes us?

November 2006

We have spent the last couple of months finishing off our book, entitled 'The Present History'. It features the work of over twenty five artists from Australia and England. The Contextual Villains then collaged these artists works together with found imagery into new works... The book was then soundtracked by Sam Karmel & Tarquin Manek, kind of like a film score... except for a book. The project is realised as a 74 page hard cover section sewn book, full colour throughout with black foil debossing on the cover and spine.
View full details about the project here....

September 2006

We have been blown by the great southerly winds of South Australia onto Kangaroo Island. We have almost finished our jaunt across Australia and are gradually heading East again... we've had lots of time to play whilst on the road, and we'll put some more work up once we get a bit settled... but for the moment here is a sneak preview...

August 2006

Since the beginning of August we have been gradually heading west through Australia. We have made it all the way to Warburton in Western Australia, where we will be staying for a couple of weeks helping to make some music videos and finishing off our book

June 2006

One of the Villains has been named on Art & Australia's list of most outstanding visual artists aged 25 and under. More details here.

June 2006

"I'm not really sure what they do which is usually frustrating when visiting sites, but for some reason these guys pull it off." - Carole Guevin (Editor of Netdiver). Villains get an honorable mention by the judges of May 1 Reboot.

May 2006

Timothy Gray-Prices latest works go under the red stick. View images here

May 2006

We have started a blog for our Synapse residency, to view click here.

May 2006

We have produced a new series of limited edition badges and a new zine for our Market.

May 2006

We will be exhibiting some of our works at Flinders Lane Gallery in Melbourne as part of Exploration 6. The opening night is the 2nd May 5:30pm to 7:30pm and the show runs until the 20th May 2006 ...

March 2006

The Villains have received a Synapse residency with the Department of Archeology & Natural History at the Australian National University. This project is facilitated by Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) with a view to fostering collaboration between artist's and scientists..

November 2005

The Contextual Villains were lucky enough to receive a grant from artsACT to publish a hard cover artist book with CD soundtrack... it will be launched in November 2006, but more of that later...

September 2005

The Villains were interviewed by The Program, view the full interview here

August 2005

Yep thats what the sign says.....the abandoned Childers Street studios where the first Canberra empty show was held is finally being demolished for the ANU to persue educational outcomes... Continue reading...

June 2005

The Contextual Villains have been included in the First Australian Poster Annual, which will be exhibited at the Atrium, Federation Square, Melbourne (08-31 July). The posters will also be exhibited at random poster sites throughout the city of Melbourne, before travelling to Paris for an exhibition held at the Australian Embassy early 2006.

June 2005

The Villains have some of their work included in The Gang Artist Exchange, which is on it's way to Indonesia. Included is The Sad Little Girl and Collectomania and a new piece called Exit.

May 2005

This fine beverage was the catalyst for the formation of The Contextual Villains.
Here is one of Beth's stolen exploding bottle recipes....
Enjoy........with care....
x