Celebrating the humble comb
THE humble comb has saved many a red face with its propensity to turn a wild mop of hair into a work of art.
It's not often the simple tool gets the limelight itself.
Tweed River Art Gallery shed some light on the comb when it unveiled a special wall installation in the foyer by nationally renowned artist Sherrie Knipe based on the humble comb.
For "Comb Over" Ms Knipe crafted dozens of oversized and oddly- scaled combs.
"The comb is a popular motif for me," Ms Knipe said.
"The works are very big compared to their functional counterparts, and individually they could be likened to the oversized plastic 'joke' combs of the 80s."
Ms Knipe said the comb was an item she keeps coming back to in her work.
"Combs have been coming and going from my oeuvre for over 15 years now, with them returning in quantity in the past few years," she said.
For the Tweed River Art Gallery installation they have grown somewhat and spread over the wall of the Gallery's foyer.
They meet the terms of a pun and yet allow the audience to reflect upon their own experiences of a Comb over, according to the artist.
Assistant Gallery Director Anne Schardin said the work was a departure from Ms Knipe's recent work in terms of scale.
"Ms Knipe usually creates many small objects joined together to create a piece," she said.
"I'm sure visitors will be amazed and fascinated by the scale of this installation."
Visitors are invited to join in a family activity Combed Over: make your mark in the foyer during the April school holidays.
Everyone is welcome to participate in Ms Knipe's continuous stamping project working with stamps handmade by the artist to leave their mark.
Exhibition dates are Thursday 5 April to 23 September.
Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm.
The Gallery is open on Easter Saturday and Sunday and closed on Good Friday.
