Melbourne-based artist Julia deVille is a jeweller, taxidermist and animal activist, whose work is informed by a fascination with ‘memento mori’ traditions of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries and Victorian mourning jewellery.
This solo exhibition re-creates the ‘Victorian’ child’s bedroom, modelled as a self-portrait that deVille presented in during the Adelaide Biennial. It is a fantasy of deVille’s imagination, formed from old, new, salvaged and recycled animals and objects to make the artist’s ideal dream room. A child’s rocking horse is re-formed from a still-born alpaca, while a Victorian cast iron crib is adorned with a baby’s mobile made from taxidermy birds and ethically sourced animal hearts.
Sophie Gannon Gallery
9 September to 11 October, 2014
Melbourne
Rocking Alpaca, baby alpaca, sterling silver, white rhodium, black rhodium, 18ct white gold, antique pearls, chainmail, ostrich feathers, cockerel feathers, glass and oak, 127 x 120 x 18cm
Courtesy the artist and Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne
