DAMP
DAMP | Established 1995 | Melbourne, Australia | Untitled 2007 | Acrylic paint, chairs, mdf, timber, cornices | Dimensions variable | Installation view Uplands Gallery, Melbourne | Photograph: John Brash
DAMP is a collective with 12 current members: Dan Cass, Rob Creedon, Narelle Desmond, Sam George, Sharon Goodwin, Ry Haskings, Deb Kunda, James Lynch, Dan Moynihan, Lisa Radford, Nat Thomas and Kylie Wilkinson. Membership has been fluid over the years, with an alumnus numbering over 70, though not all members identify themselves as artists. DAMP’s performances, actions and installations explore the potential of working collaboratively. Frequently irreverent and occasionally anarchic, DAMP’s projects are always imbued with a sense of fun. Many invite audience participation and this often involves either temporary inclusion within the collective or its diffusion into the audience, deliberately confusing the two. DAMP does not have a particular identity beyond being simply a group, and is consequently open to change and external influence. The collective’s work remains cohesive, however, and continues to manifest playful engagement with the complex relationships between contemporary art and its audience.
Exhibitions (solo): Uplands Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, 2007; Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide, Australia, 2001; 200 Gertrude Street, Melbourne, Australia, 1999. Exhibitions (group): ‘I Thought I Knew But I Was Wrong: New Video Art from Australia’, touring to Bangkok, Beijing, and Seoul, 2004; ‘2004: Australian Culture Now’, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, 2004; ‘Charley’, PS1, New York, United States, 2002; ‘Octopus 2’, 200 Gertrude Street, Melbourne, Australia 2001.
Blog
The Plinth Cubby
Video
View DAMP’s artist performance from the APT6 Opening weekend
Installation photography
APT6 | DAMP | Untitled 2007
