Kim Anderson completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (First Class Honours) at the University of Ballarat, and in 2007 was awarded a scholarship to study a Master of Fine Art at the University of Dundee in Scotland.  Since then Kim has undertaken a number of residencies around the world including an Australia Council Studio Residency at the British School at Rome, at Australia House in Echigo-Tsumari, Japan, Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, Scotland, twice at Murray’s Cottage in Hill End, NSW, the University of Tasmania and Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston, and The Art Vault in Mildura.  In 2016 she undertook a three-month residency at DRAWinternational in Caylus, France, which was supported by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, the Copyright Agency Creative Industries Career Fund, and Creative Partnerships Australia.

In 2010 Kim received an ArtStart Grant from the Australia Council, and she has been a finalist in numerous national awards including the Paul Guest Award, the Rick Amor Drawing Prize, and the Hazelhurst Art Award.  Along with more traditional works on paper, Kim has also created ephemeral installation projects involving site-specific drawing and projection, most notably in Scotland and Tasmania.  Her most recent large-scale project was The Space Between, a visual/sound installation at the inaugural White Night Ballarat in March 2017 which had an outstanding response.  Next year  Kim will be featured in the inaugural Biennale of Australian Art (BOAA) in September with a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

Close observational drawing has always formed the core of my practice. Through my drawing I am able to peel back the protective layers I display to the outside world and undertake a deeply personal journey of intense psychological scrutiny, exploring my deepest responses to the world around me. In attempting to capture not only the physical attributes of a subject but also the less tangible emotional aspects, I repeatedly explore themes such as the physical manifestations of a mind in turmoil, the relationship between the psyche and the environment, the minute traces we leave upon the world and the imprint it leaves upon us. While dealing with some very private emotions, my drawings also relate to a more universal experience of our human condition.

Hiding in Plain Sight centres around my personal experience of eating disorders, anxiety and depression over the past twelve years, as well as exploring wider themes of grief, yearning, confusion, despair and finally, hope.  Many of these works also contain a hint of dark humour, as I consider how insignificant my own struggles are within a wider context.  I have reached a point where I am compelled to undertake a raw and honest reflection upon how far I have come and how far I have yet to go.  For me this project is a form of exposure therapy; it is work that I need to do in order to process the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that have dominated my life for so long and begin to understand them, and also to depict my on-going daily struggle to overcome these physical and mental battles in order to forge on with my life and work.  These drawings have been in development over the past three years, and this is the first time they have been displayed collectively – to do so is both terrifying and liberating.

Kim Anderson, 2017

On the final day of this exhibition, join Julie McLaren, Curator at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and Kim Anderson as they discuss the background and themes explored in this body of work.

Saturday 16th December @ 2pm

fortyfivedownstairs
45 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000

Exhibition concludes 4pm Saturday 16th December.