The internal window of Cool Change’s Gallery 3 is reflected in Armitstead’s latest iteration of his false series, an installation of temporary building materials and a bed of compressed flour. Also presented are a number of ceramic sculptural impressions created from previous installations from the series at galleries including Heathcote, FeltSpace and Old Customs House.
Other works include etched digital photographs exploring the Cool Change Contemporary space both before and after its transformation into a gallery, and a site specific work connecting the gallery space to a location across the street washed with water from the nearby Swan River. Remnants: false impressions of time & space ponders both viewer and maker’s relationship to the transience of site, object and image.
Armitstead’s work concentrates on playful interrogation of process and unconventional use of materials. He creates elaborate setups that are moments extracted for observation, contemplation and to various levels, understanding.
Based in Western Australia, Stephen Armitstead is originally from New South Wales and studied at COFA, UNSW. Armitstead’s work has been a finalist in the Mid West Art Prize (2018, 2015) and for the Joondalup Invitational Art Award (2010, 2012). He has collaborated on site-specific temporary artworks for the City of Fremantle (2013) and for the City of Subiaco (2011).