Gray Street Workshop Information

Gray Street Workshop Gallery is delighted to present an exhibition of new work by Sydney based contemporary jeweller Erin Keys. In 2013 with the help of a Helpmann Academy grant, Erin embarked on a 6-week residency at the Sanskriti Foundation in India. The exhibition Fallen Collections is the outcome of that experience. Some of the works were made in India, others in response to and on reflection of the dichotomy of the culture. Erin quotes the founder of the Sanskriti Foundation O.P Jain as having said "not being part of the industrial revolution, India was far better off. If there had been an industrial revolution there would never be 40,000 artisans hand making work" The tension between the hand made and the manufactured is one of the aspects that Erin weaves through her work. Hand cut paper, machine cut steel, Sujani embroidery and laser cut silk, a collection, a dowry, a diary of objects that capture the beauty and the brutality of life in this complex country. Erin started making work for the show 10 months ago and she describes the work as "very much from the heart, very much an emotional suite of work to tell a story" The story of the people she met, the story of traditional crafts, the story of life as an Indian woman and the story of her experiences as an artist and observer. Erin will be giving an artist talk at 5.30pm on Thursday 2 July, after which Jane MacFarlane, CEO Helpmann Academy will open the exhibition.