Framed: Post-Post-Post-Irony - Exhibition Opening

Post-Post-Post Irony is an exhibition of new work by Perth-based artists Iain Dean and James Cooper, responding to the question: What does it mean to be an artist in a world overwhelmed by representations of itself?

Fellow artist Kieron Broadhurst explains the ideas behind the exhibition, stating "The last few years have seen a rise in the application of irony as a way of describing popular culture or our interactions with it. It’s not unusual to hear someone say that they were “just being ironic” or even that they’re “not sure if they’re being ironic or not.” Alongside this new subcultures or ‘aesthetics’ have emerged such as vaporwave and health goth. These are born primarily out of online meme and remix cultures which rely heavily on the recycling of certain visual motifs and the methods of display made available through online platforms such as blogs and message boards.

A quick Google search defines irony as “the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.” However, the application of irony as descriptor of people’s interactions with, and consumption of, popular culture does not sit comfortably within this definition. This usage seems to be more tied up in the reception of irony , as if popular culture itself is somehow personified as ironic, and that while an individual’s interaction with this culture may be genuine, which is to say they might genuinely enjoy vaporwave or health goth, that person’s interaction is inherently ironic because the culture they are consuming is delivered to them in this tone.

Faced with this enormous, uncertain field of imagery, text and sound, contemporary art can seem as though it might be drowned out. Nowadays artists are faced with a globalised web of production that far outpaces that of any particular individual. What is the function of art practice when people’s everyday interactions produce far more artefacts than the total production of all the world’s artists? Iain Dean and James Cooper respond to this question by aggressively disregarding out of date notions about what an artist should and should not do."

The exhibition opens tomorrow evening - Saturday the 6th of February - at 5pm, hosted at Daphne in Northbridge. We've featured a preview of the work within, and you can follow each of the artists using the links below.

Follow Iain Dean: WEBSITE

Follow James Cooper: INSTAGRAM