Jacqueline Fraser - 'THE MAKING OF LA DOLCE VITA 2011', 2011

Jacqueline Fraser – ‘THE MAKING OF LA DOLCE VITA 2011′, 2011

7 April 2011

"THE MAKING OF LA DOLCE VITA 2011" is a series of imaginary collage publicity shots as if Federico Fellini were re-making "La Dolce Vita" in 2011. The people are living in "La Dolce Vita" according to Jacqueline Fraser’s perverse vision. Each has a little mystery never quite revealed. A night time world in another Rome half imagined. Larger than life.

"THE MAKING OF LA DOLCE VITA 2011" consists of three giant LED light boxes and eight smaller ones set in a dark gallery. Fraser has chosen this technology to give a glow to the luminous mystique of the collages and illuminate their subtle details. The collages are camera copied to film at high resolution so even a blurred face is sharp when enlarged many times. This retains the intensity of the original tiny collages.

Fraser began scanning found images when she was living in Paris in 2004. Paris is a visual overload with stylish billboards, pulsating digital screens, and glamorous European magazines. Even internet images originating in Paris are the best. Fraser was hooked. Since then she has compulsively made collages, scanning images to jpegs. She has used found images in her last four exhibitions at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, both in installations and printed as backlit photos with fabric collage.

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"I was once again impressed not only by Jacqueline Fraser’s absolute dedication to her practice and the intelligence of the work, but also of its timeliness in relation to international developments in contemporary art."

Gregory Burke, Director, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada.

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Jacqueline Fraser has exhibited widely in a career that spans more than three decades. In 2005/2006 she was included in Superstars: From Warhol to Madonna, Kunsthalle Vienna. In 2004 she was shortlisted for two major art prizes: Artes Mundi in Cardif (one of 10 international artists) and the Walter’s Prize in Auckland. In 2001-2 Fraser had a solo exhibition at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and in 2001 she represented New Zealand in their inaugural presentation at the Venice Biennale, the full installation of which was acquired by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Also in 2001, Fraser was selected for the Yokohama Triennale. Fraser’s work is held in every major public collection in New Zealand, the National Gallery of Australia as well as numerous private and corporate collections around the world. "THE MAKING OF LA DOLCE VITA 2011" is Fraser’s sixth solo exhibition with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.

Exhibition opening: Thursday 7 April 6 - 8pm
Exhibition dates: 10 March - 2 April 2011