::: ART, CRAFT & DESIGN



Our first
Treasured
Tasmanian

By ELEONORA COURT | It’s official. Tasmanian furniture designer and visual artist Patrick Hall is now a ‘Treasured Tasmanian’. He received the accolade from Arts Minister Lara Giddings at the start of Tasmanian Living Artists Week for 2004.

“He is an outstanding artist whose work is rich in character, humour and deep poetic meaning,” she said.

Patrick’s work is the subject of a new monograph, the first in a specially commissioned Bicentennial series that will celebrate the achievements of Tasmania’s creative stars.

Simply entitled Patrick Hall, the Thames and Hudson publication features stunning colour photography by Peter Whyte, with text by Grace Cochrane, Senior Curator of Australian Decorative Arts and Design at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.

The attention is well deserved. At the relatively young age of 41 Patrick has achieved an enviable reputation, with national and international collectors digging deep into their pockets for the privilege of owning one of his evocative, elaborate creations.

“It’s kind of like waking up and it’s your birthday, and when you unwrap your present it turns out to be bungy jumping off the Tasman Bridge, or abseiling off the Organ Pipes”

But for this unassuming and thoughtful artist, who would happily trade the spotlight for the ordered life of his studio any day, his recognition as Treasured Tasmanian is “half honour, half ordeal”.

“It’s kind of like waking up and it’s your birthday, and when you unwrap your present it turns out to be bungy jumping off the Tasman Bridge, or abseiling off the Organ Pipes”, he quipped.

Patrick was quick to acknowledge that his work was merely “one piece in the jigsaw puzzle that celebrates our culture. We have voices that are strong and passionate and some are shy and more gentle”.

“All of those voices need to be celebrated”, he said, and “like being Miss Tasmania, somebody else will be ‘it’ next year”.

The Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board and its specialist advisory panels selected Patrick as the state’s first Treasured Tasmanian.

One of his extraordinary cabinets, “Of Broken Pieces”, can be seen at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery as part of Design Island – Contemporary Design from Tasmania until August 29. In September, the exhibition will travel to the Launceston Design Centre, where it will be on display until October 31 2004. ¶

Back to PART I | PART II