Bright and optimistic | The West Australian

RIC SPENCERThe West Australian New Works New Faces, co-hosted by Perth Galleries and Gallery East, introduces us to a new crop of art graduates who will, hopefully, take WA art to the world

over the next few years. Gallery East is packed to the rafters with hanging shelves of jewellery while Perth Galleries is more spacious, although dominated by Denise Brown's chequered

floor installation, Feudopoly. The jewellery is a highlight of the show for me and shows a maturity and confidence missing in some of the other works. Yee Sum Chan and San Wei Lee have both

created sophisticated work in sterling silver. Sarah Brown has amalgamated other materials to good effect into her geographically influenced neckpieces. This year's New Works New Faces

is a bright and optimistic show. Much of the work invests in themes relevant to art history, popular culture and primarily aesthetic issues. Louise Joesbury's combination horse

paintings and brooches, Tim Blaxell's Brush Trees, Sophie Burgoyne's absent figures and Susanne Hamlin-Sullivan's light paintings are all interested in the history of

representation and the mechanics of art making. Ayla Dare-Collard's minimal vessels and Chloe Tupper's stitch drawings are also interested in aesthetic response. New Works New

Faces is at Gallery East and Perth Galleries, North Fremantle, until April 1. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails