Pip & Pop, collaborative artist duo Tanya Schultz and Nicole Andrijevic from Western Australia.

Their exhibition, Under the Crystal Sky, was featured in May, an extremely popular show well received by visitors of all ages.

Under the Crystal Sky was a vibrant wonderland of rainbow sweetness, an on-site installation lavishly filled with dunes of coloured sugar, embellished with miniature objects and all things sweet. It was a delightful exhibition inspiring the inner-child within.

John McDonald, Art Critic and Facetnate! 2009’s guest judge, announced his decision with the following statement:

In its second year Facetnate has generated three vibrant and original exhibitions that show how deeply and thoughtfully Australian artists are responding to Japanese culture. The selected artists – Pip and Pop, Andrea Innocent and Gemma Cuneo – have each engaged with the Pop culture of Japan while showing a deeper understanding of traditions and historical sources. The artists have looked at the kawaii culture; the continuing relevance of folk traditions that are being perpetually reinvented for an age of new media; the society of mass consumption way, and its impact of the natural world.

These themes are not just significant for Japanese culture, but have universal ramifications. One might say, however, that the Japanese have given a highly distinctive twist to each subject. In the case of kawaii (“cuteness”), it is an obsession they have exported all over Asia and now to the western world.

In judging this year’s prize I was extremely impressed by the professionalism, hard work and presentation skills of all candidates. If I have decided to go with Pip and Pop for their installation Under the Crystal Sky, it is simply because the work was such a show-stopper that it had an immediate impact on everyone who saw it and left a smile on their faces. The effect of this piece was immediate and required no further explanation, whereas any understanding of the other exhibitions was assisted by reading the artists’ statements.

Pip and Pop have given us a vision of a fantasy city made of coloured sugar – a metaphor for the consumer paradise of late capitalism. It was over-the-top, but so is every dream sold to us via advertising and window dressing. The work may have looked good enough to eat, but too much sugar can be a dangerous thing.

I congratulate Pip and Pop, and commend Andrea and Gemma for their exceptional exhibitions.

John McDonald
September 2009