Tamara Mendels calls herself a painter. Her most recent works, while not actually paintings have been in painting format: stripped abstractions on canvas, evoking minimalist traditions and made in one strong determined movement. These works are like reflections; new powerful symbols of a parallel time line, perhaps even our own.
All Tamara’s works are created in one continuous fluid motion. This is then encased in a reflective layer, as if stopped just before infinite mass of color is about to engulf artists world. We are thus left with a pause, resonance; a half completed gesture that in its failure to be born exists on a super imposed level. Because of this Mendels’ works seem to transcend physicality, they are much like symbols we understood in past, hieroglyphs, and today we can only be reminded of these meanings- maps from some other existence. At the same time there is an escape from a rugged construct of written language - a set number of symbols which in conjunction form a meaning. In Tamara’s works moments of dramatic conflict between white (empty) space and color is captured in an aesthetic construct. Thus we are encouraged to make our own meaning. These clean reduced planes are formulae and an invitation to enter her world. And what a world it is.
Solo Exhibitions
2010 ‘New Works’ FX Art and Framing, Redfern, Sydney.
2009 ‘Gestural Minimalism’ FX Art and Framing, Redfern, Sydney
2007 ‘New Work’, James Dorahy Project Space, Potts Point, Sydney
Selected Group Exhibitions
2010’ Masters Graduation Show’ Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle.
2010 ‘Just Art 2010 – New York Civil Liberties Union’ New York
2010 ‘Postcard Show’ Air Gallery, Dumbo, Brooklyn, N.Y
2010 ‘Plastic People’ Jon Frum Art Foundation, Los Angeles
2009 ‘Jon Frum Miami’ Fountain Art Fair @ The Miami Art Fair, Florida.
2009 ‘Art Walk L.A’ Spring Street Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles.
2009 ‘Orgy of Frum’ Marriot Hotel Downtown, Los Angeles
2009 ‘Orgy of Frum’ Jon Frum Art Foundation, Brooklyn, New York
2009 ‘Somethingorother’ Jon Frum Art Foundation, Brooklyn, New York
2008 ‘Rookie Show’ Deloitte, George Street, Sydney, City
2007 ‘The Christmas show’, James Dorahy Project Space, Potts Point, Sydney
2007 ‘For The Hate Of Paint’, Pelaton Gallery, Chippendale, Sydney
2006 ‘The Strongest of the Strange’, G&A Studios, Surry Hills, Sydney
2005 ‘Student Diversity’, NSW Parliament House, Sydney
2004 ‘Paintings By’ Mary Place Gallery Paddington, Sydney
2004 ‘Abstract Painting 2004’, Newspace Gallery, Rozelle, Sydney
Published Articles
2007 ‘Tamara Mendels New Work’, exhibition review. The Planner, The Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 17th, PG 6
2007 ‘Tamara Mendels New Work’, exhibition review by Tracey Clement. The Metro, The Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 16th, PG 23
2006 The Art Life (online arts magazine), ‘Oh you crazy Artists’. ‘The Strongest Of The Strange.’ Exhibition review. Anonymous. 12/07/2006
Education
2007-2010 Master of Visual Arts, Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney, Australia
2000 - 2004 Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours Class 1), Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney
Competition and Awards
2007 Lloyd Rees Memorial Youth Art Prize; Highly Commended (3rd Prize)
2006 Cadry's Memorial Art Prize; selected
2005 Lloyd Rees Memorial Youth Art Prize; Highly Commended (2nd Prize)
2005 Woollahra Art Prize, Waverley; selected
