SIDE SALAD

As a young artist there were some stars in the sky that I looked to for hope and inspiration. Great Artists who had made their way out into the world with courage and determination, forging paths to follow, expanding the possibilities of practice for all of us. I was living in Western Australia when I first encountered the work of Carlier Makigawa, iconic photos of the artist’s work presented on the body in stellar galleries like Ra in Amsterdam and Funaki in Melbourne. Carlier had grown up in Western Australia, shifted to the east coast, and alongside her high-profile practice she was head of Gold and Silversmithing at RMIT, steering that programme to international recognition. An inspiration to so many of us. Exhibitions drew us together and with time we became friends and companions, travelling, eating, shopping, art, so many things in common, and now so many mutual adventures to reflect on.

For this dialogue exhibition Carlier has chosen some elements from my component collection during her stints in our studio in Munich. Ultramarine was a significant colour early on, giving room to dream, the colour of the night sky or the ocean. Other colours shuffled in as we developed work over the years. These are constellations of work from two friends and two artists carrying the residue in their materials of our time spent together.

Helen Britton, Munich, January 2025