In Tandem
- curated by Olivia Welch, 2014
22 April to 17 May
 Al Munro, ‘Molecular Measure 14’ 2014, acrylic paint, nail varnish, glitter on balsa wood, 33 x 30.5 x 1.5cm |  Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen, ‘Moths and I knew: it was easier to leave when the bear was sleeping (bear)’ [detail], 2014, copper + ink on terracotta, watercolour and ink on paper, coir-peat, flocking, thread, wire, 20 x 60.5 x 41cm |  Waratah Lahy, ‘Window Distortion 4’ 2014, oil on canvas, 18 x 18cm |
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 Melinda Le Guay + Leslie Oliver, ‘Dangerous Liaison II’ 2014, thorns, metallic thread, beads, brass, wire, 24 x 27 x 17cm |  'In Tandem', Brenda May Gallery, installation view, 2014 |  Al Munro, ‘Molecular Measure 9’ 2014, acrylic paint, nail varnish, glitter on balsa wood, 23 x 45 x 9cm |
 Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen, ‘The forest seemed lighter than boy remembered: The boy seemed taller than the forest remembered but I always knew (but refrained from saying ‘I told you so’)’ [detail], 2014, pigment + ink on earthenware, watercolour on paper, coir peat, fibre, twig, 37 x 17 x 23cm |  Waratah Lahy, ‘pattern play 2’ 2014, oil on canvas,16 x 16cm |  Melinda Le Guay + Leslie Oliver, ‘Double Vision II’ [detail], 2014, cotton paper, charcoal, galvanised wire – framed, 50 x 66 x 1cm (paper size) |
 'In Tandem', Brenda May Gallery, installation view, 2014 |  Al Munro, ‘Molecular Measure 13’ 2014, acrylic paint, nail varnish, glitter on balsa wood, 44.5 x 52.5 x 4cm |  Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen, ‘It is always wise to bring a cloud: Because clouds always know where they are going and where they need to be’ [detail]’ 2014, copper + ink on terracotta, oil on polymer clay, fibre, zipper, thread, wire, wool, 79.5 x 26 x 22cm |
 Waratah Lahy, ‘Window Distortion 3’ 2014, oil on canvas, 18 x 18cm |  Melinda Le Guay + Leslie Oliver, ‘Dangerous Liaison I’ 2014, thorns, metallic thread, beads, brass, wire, 19 x 11 x 15cm |  'In Tandem', Brenda May Gallery, installation view, 2014 |
 Al Munro, ‘Molecular Measure 14’ 2014, acrylic paint, nail varnish, glitter on balsa wood, 33 x 30.5 x 1.5cm |  Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen, ‘Moths and I knew: it was easier to leave when the bear was sleeping (bear)’ [detail], 2014, copper + ink on terracotta, watercolour and ink on paper, coir-peat, flocking, thread, wire, 20 x 60.5 x 41cm |  Waratah Lahy, ‘pattern play 3’ 2014, oil on canvas, 16 x 16cm |
 Melinda Le Guay + Leslie Oliver, ‘Double Vision I’ [detail], 2014, hand-knit thread, pins, glass beads, charcoal, acrylic + pastel on paper – framed, 50 x 66cm (paper) |  'In Tandem', Brenda May Gallery, installation view, 2014 |  Al Munro, ‘Molecular Measure 12’ 2014, acrylic paint, glue, glitter on balsa wood, 21.5 x 26.5 x 5.5cm |
 Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen, ‘The day pigeons taught bear to fly’ 2013, bronze, oil + pigment on terracotta, twig, Coir-peat, watercolour + ink on paper, 36 x 19 x 18cm |  Waratah Lahy, ‘Window Distortion 2’ 2014, oil on canvas board, 21 x 21cm |  'In Tandem', Brenda May Gallery, installation view, 2014 |
Playing the role of creative matchmaker, the curator, Olivia Welch, paired together artists to see what two minds and four hands produce when working in tandem. This project was not solely concerned with the end product - the entire process was captured and documented on the Brenda May Gallery blog, accessible from their website.
Artists included: Melinda Le Guay + Leslie Oliver, Al Munro + Waratah Lahy, Mylyn Nguyen + Todd Fuller.
Although artistic partnerships are abundant in the art world, not all are alike. In Tandem began with the pairing of six of Brenda May Gallery’s represented artists to form three duos who, in turn, interpreted this brief of collective creation in differing ways. Where Mylyn Nguyen and Todd Fuller collaborated to create joint narratives of whimsy and curiosity through sculpture, Al Munro and Waratah Lahy worked in conversation with one another, using aesthetic and thematic crossovers as a point of departure to realise individual bodies of work. Leslie Oliver and Melinda Le Guay demonstrated another type of artistic relationship, collecting and swapping items with one another that will compose works reflective of their mutual obsession with rescuing materials.
In Tandem greeted its viewers with bold colour, whimsical narratives and engaging, layered scenes. Occupying one corner were Al Munro's multicoloured structures finished in bold neon hues and glittery stripes, which were constructed with inspiration from Waratah Lahy's paintings. Independently, Lahy offered intimate canvases of distorted views, painted in rich colours and with geometrical forms that pay homage to Munro's use of crystallographic shapes. Captivating audiences with their dual micro/macro effect, Todd Fuller's bot-bellied, ceramic boys and bears embellished with Mylyn Nguyen's delightful figures and miniature worlds display an emerging, yet incredibly simpatico, artistic relationship. In their 'Double Vision' series, Melinda Le Guay used erasure where Leslie Oliver employed colour and form. Le Guay buffed the charcoal background that Oliver filled in and layered with chicken wire, and after Oliver created a field of shape and colour, Le Guay removed tone and visibility, shrouding the piece with hand-knitted thread.
Click here for the latest on In Tandem, recorded on the Brenda May Gallery Blog.
Images courtesy of the Artists and Brenda May Gallery
Fuller + Nguyen
video created by Emma Conroy
Catalogue
Process + Opening
Exhibition Documentation
 Emma Conroy filming Mylyn Nguyen and Todd Fuller |  Mylyn Nguyen process |  Mylyn Nguyen process |
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 Al Munro and Waratah Lahy |  Leslie Oliver, Brenda May and Melinda Le Guay |  Exhibition Opening |
 Mylyn Nguyen, Todd Fuller and Emma Conway |  Al Munro + Waratah Lahy |  Leslie Oliver |
Below are articles and essays, written by Olivia Welch, associated with the In Tandem exhibition at Brenda May Gallery.
 Trouble Mag May 2014 A look at the conversational approach artists Waratah Lahy and Al Munro took in their respective bodies of work that pay homage to one another's practices. |  Leslie Oliver + Melinda Le Guay - A Curator's Perspective Framework Magazine April 2014 An observational essay that looks at the beginings of an artistic relationship between Leslie Oliver and Melinda Le Guay. |  In Tandem - curated by Olivia Welch April 2014 The catalogue to accompany the exhibition In Tandem. This catalogue features an introduction, artist biographies of Todd Fuller, Mylyn Nguyen, Al Munro, Waratah Lahy, Leslie Oliver and Melinda Le Guay, as well as three essays - 'Four Hands, Two Minds', 'In Cooversation' and 'Rescue, Gather, Collect'. |
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 Focus on Waratah Lahy + Al Munro Brenda May Gallery Blog March 2014 A short article looking at Al Munro's work in relation to Chinese tangrams and Japanese temple geometry, and comparing Waratah Lahy's work to those of the French Impressionists. |  Todd Fuller + Mylyn Nguyen Deuce Magazine Blog November 2013 This article reveals the collaborative artistic practice of Todd Fuller and Mylyn Nguyen as an introduction to the upcoming exhibiton In Tandem. |
Media
 Art Almanac. 'In Tandem'. Art Almanac. May 2014, p 57. Print |
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 Elphick, Nicole. The Sydney Morning Herald - Shortlist Planner. April 25 2014, p 6. Print. |
 Elphick, Nicole. 'Tuesday April 22: Going Out'. The Sun-Herald - Unwind. April 20 2014. Print. |
 Stretch, Angela. Interview with Olivia Welch for 'In Tandem'. Eastside FM. April 4 2014. Radio. |
