When Sally Piskuric found herself becoming frustrated by recent dialogues regarding women’s safety, pay inequality and the challenges of motherhood, she decided to channel this anger into something empowering.
‘Melbourne is filled with incredible female designers, many who have worked hard to fight for women’s issues and pay equality. They have mentored female designers and really tried to give women interesting opportunities. I’m constantly inspired by these women, and I just kept thinking, wouldn’t it be amazing to bring all these women together,’ Sally says.
So, with the help of her creative partner, Alison Lasek, they decided to do just that!
They reached out to women from a range of industries and asked them to choose a collaborator they wanted to work alongside with to create a piece for their exhibition, Up To Us.
This happened very organically, says Sally, with most choosing to work with someone had always hoped to collaborate with. Others were introduced to their artistic partner by Sally, who connected creatives based on their shared values and interests.
The show features a set of dishes from Beci Orpin and Ella Reweti, a mixed media installation about the power of failing from Tai Snaith and Pascale Gomes-McNabb, and an incredible rainbow light sculpture discussing gender roles by Kate Stokes and Amanda Dziedzic – plus so much more.
Sally says the show speaks volumes to this year’s MDW theme of ‘design the world you want’ with the participating artists covering topics such as isolation, disability and chronic illness, and motherhood – to name a few.
‘The world we want supports and encourages women, giving them the platform to discuss and create design solutions for complex issues that directly impact them,’ she says.
All proceeds from Up To Us’ speaker series ticket sales and merchandise will be donated to two charities doing incredible work to support women; Djirra and Safe Steps. Many of the artists are auctioning off their pieces are also giving proceeds going to these wonderful charities. Other works will be available for private sale.
You can learn more about Up To Us here, and shop the online auction here.
Up To Us
Le Space Gallery
1 Mater Street, Collingwood
March 17 – March 27
