Conical
Subpoena
28 October – 18 November 2006
Louise Hubbard + John Vella

John Vella’s capping off an adventure-filled year with an exhibition with Louise Hubbard at Conical in Melbourne. His work, described as “Modernist abstraction, Beuysian politic and R.Mutt reincarnated as a BMX bandit” is a sculptural piece that has been in development for the greater part of the year.

Skidmarks 2006, pictured above, is made of found carpet (from Dickenson’s Arcade, Moonah, Tasmania) wood and masking tape. Local youths have taken the narrow corridor of the Arcade to test brakes and burn rubber on carpet that Vella has ‘rescued’ from further disrepair and from being assigned to the garbage.

Skidmarks explores the dilemma of found objects being art or artefact. On recalling the collection of the carpet, Vella says, “the energy that takes place when you are about to throw something out, and when someone else asks if they can have it, occurred when on handing over the carpet for free (that was to be discarded anyway) one of the workmen pulled me aside and asked ‘…so this sculpture thing, is there a lot of money in it?’”