At PICA we recognise that we are situated within the unceded lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation. We pay our respects and offer our gratitude to Elders past and present, and to those emerging leaders in the community. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the importance of their care and continued connection to culture, community and Country.

Always was, always will be.

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Triskelion

Triskelion

Triskelion is a collective exploring the artists’ shared interest in the paranormal, mysticism, religion and magick, borne of each participant’s lifelong experiences with unexplained and seemingly supernatural phenomena. The artists’ aim will be to manifest contact with ‘the other’ that countless mystics, magicians and artists throughout history have encountered, (whether this be agents of the spirit world, the drive of the personal or collective unconscious, or their own higher selves).

Throughout the residency the artists will draw upon techniques, processes and technologies from a range of traditions, aimed at ‘energising’ spaces, invoking unseen intelligences, and accessing the unconscious. They will undertake a series of performative rituals, and create images and objects with a ceremonial function. Through so doing, they hope to ‘pierce the veil’ that is commonly understood to separate the physical world from the metaphysical in multiple world religions and spiritual systems, and engage with unseen ‘collaborators’ in the creation of their work.

“Whether or not someone chooses to ‘believe’ in them, experiences of ‘the paranormal’ are an intrinsic part of the human experience, and have been well-documented for thousands of years, with startling consistency across diverse cultures, geographical distance and time,” state the participating artists. “Such documentation suggests that the paranormal, like the unconscious, speaks in the language of symbols, archetypes, coincidence and synchronicity, expressed with a high level of co-creation and collaboration whereby the experiencer’s own sensibility frequently filters and shapes the occurrence. As such, the paranormal itself is a powerfully creative force, making it rich subject matter for artistic exploration.”

About the Artist

Andrew Nicholls

Andrew Nicholls is an Australian/British artist, writer & curator. Nicholls has exhibited and undertaken residencies across Australia, Southeast Asia, Italy, the UK and the US. He has been the recipient of two Creative Development Fellowships from the State Government, and undertaken commissions for organisations in Australia and the United States. He is represented in collections including Artbank, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the City of Perth and the Kedumba Collection of Australian Drawings. In 2018 his solo exhibition Hyperkulturemia was presented at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

Sion Prior

Sion Prior is an emerging artist and writer. He previously undertook a solo residency at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art in 2016 and was a finalist in the Midwest Art Prize in 2017. In 2019 he exhibited a solo show at Spectrum Project Space, and a collaboration with Andrew Nicholls at Cool Change Contemporary, featured in Art Almanac. In 2021 he was a finalist in the Mandorla Art Award for contemporary religious art. He is represented in the Curtin University and Saint Mary’s Cathedral collections.

Louise Hamill

Louise Hamill is an emerging artist from New Zealand. Louise has exhibited in Melbourne, Wellington & Perth, including Melbourne International Fashion Week, Mikala Dwyer’s Monoclinic at Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington, City of Perth Light Locker Project, City of Gosnells Whiteley Room, William Topp Gallery, with residencies at Midland Junction Art Centre in 2017 & 2018, Cool Change Contemporary in 2019.


Supporters

Image Two: Triskelion Study 2 (Mammoth Energy), The Triskelion Collective. Digital Image, 2022.