“Thas Mento Ilness Luv” 2023
“Thas Mento Ilness Luv” was a group show curated by Kathy Sarpi, Aaron Billings and Aoife Billings exhibited at Platform Arts Geelong in January 2023
Along with curating, for this exhibition Kathy produced 3 29cm x 41cm watercolour and gouache paintings depicting her friends and herself at various nights in her life. The original photos referenced were distorted in the paintings to add a sense of playfulness and fluidity. A glimpse into Kathy’s personal life and her own sense of humor, this series of paintings were simply titled “Having Fun with Friends”
Additionally, kathy also produced a fully gouache painting on canvas depicting a female guinea pig named Patches getting an ultra sound. This painting was referenced from a photo on TikTok and was titled “Patches’s Surprise”
Promo GIF’s made by Kathy Sarpi
“Is that a chicken?”
Animation by Kathy Sarpi projected onto embroidered and quilted textile by Aaron Billings. Script written by Kathy Sarpi and Aaron Billings.
This project Is a collaboration between two good friends:
Kathy Sarpi and Aaron Billings.
Aaron did the embroidery and quilt making, Kathy made the animation and they both worked on the script. Kathy and Aaron both love improvised comedy and are both interested in how memes can become shorthand for emotions in conversations. For this improvised performance Kathy and Aaron drew on the opening scene in one of their favourite graphic novels, ‘Acting Class’ by Nick Drnaso. Two people on a first date, unable to communicate in an authentic way, instead relying on anecdotes and awkward pauses to keep the conversation flowing.
