REVIEW MIRIAMS TANNAGE

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ARTIST

Miriam Stannage finds herself in an enviable position at this stage in her life. Recently recognised as a Western Australian State Living Treasure, she has been a trailblazer locally and developed a ceaselessly experimental, technically surprising and conceptually rich oeuvre. She has delved into themes as broad as the human condition, death, religiosity, nature, war, sexuality and contemporary issues, often approached through attention to the sundry aspects of her everyday world. A perceptive sense of humour defines her practice as she refuses to pander to local parochial strictures, global trends or commercial trappings. Instead, she has been resolutely driven by a playful, critical and insistently curious vision.

Artistically, Stannage, curated by Lee Kinsella, at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery at the University of Western Australia.