Sylvia Griffin is a Sydney based artist whose work focuses on trauma, displacement, memory and history, advancing the notion that contemporary art can offer a means to express grief and mourning as an alternative to the traditional monument or memorial experience. Sylvia's practice is materially diverse ranging across sculpture, installation, textiles, video and photography. She often employs materials traditionally used in memorial culture – such as metal and stone – unconventionally, to lend a playful yet political aspect in personalising and feminising this inherently masculine domain. Sylvia often works with a range personal objects to maintain a connection to memory and intimate families history, including using her mother’s dowry linen and filming herself unraveling then reknitting a 55 year-old childhood cardigan.
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| Sylvia Griffin, Inhabit, 2016, human hair and monogrammed damask linen, 63 cm diameter |
Over the past fifteen years Sylvia has exhibited in many exhibitions, awards and prizes, both nationally and internationally. She was the winner of the $20,000 Willoughby Sculpture Prize in 2013. Last year Sylvia was awarded a PhD from Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney for her practice-led research entitled Inscribing Memory: Art and the Place of Personal Expressions of Grief in Memorial Culture. During the course of her postgraduate candidature she was the recipient of several scholarships and research grants. Later this year she will be presenting a conference paper based on her research and practice titled Presence and Absence: The Role of Contemporary Art in Engaging with Jewish Heritage in Krakow, Poland.
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| Sylvia Griffin, Soot, 2016, soot on marble, 10 x 520 cm |
While at Gunyah I plan to create new work for several shows scheduled for later this year including an exhibition with photographer Anne Zahalka at the Sydney Jewish Museum and work for a solo show in the inaugural Biennale of Australian Art (BOAA) at Ballarat. I also hope to finalise my conference paper and take advantage of Gunyah’s beautiful natural environment to indulge in a little bushwalking and birdwatching!
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| Sylvia Griffin, Untitled, 2017, plaster, wax, metal pins, human hair, cat whisker, cardboard, matchboxes and marble, dimensions variable |
To see more of Sylvia’s work please go to www.sylviagriffin.com.au
