Madeleine Beech is a multi-disciplinary West Australian based Artist and Maker. Beech’s practice is driven by an ‘intuitive making’ approach with an interest in material response, process, experimentation, play and the transformation of found objects and materials. Madeleine Beech completed an Associate Degree of Visual Arts at North Metropolitan TAFE in 2017 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Curtin University in 2018.
Broad Bean Findings (I- III), 2019, wood broad beans, clay paint, MDF, 61x51cm.
2020
BABAR
The Anjelms Summer Clothing Collection
Print Design - Madeleine Beech
Babar is a tale of a young elephant named Babar whos mother was killed by hunters. Babar escaped the jungle to the big city only to return to an elephant civilisation, the king of this civilisation dies and Babar becomes king of the elephant kingdom. Babar marries and has children, then teaches them valuable lessons. Although colonial the story of Babar depicts the freeing of elephants.
The story of Babar is a playful, absurd, yet wholesome tale that both my mother and I grew up with. We equally enjoyed the experience of colour, simple shapes, animals that are alike to humans and hot air balloons. These books encapsulate notions of both my mother and I’s childhood and French heritage.
This shared nostalgia through reading the books together founded the inspiration 'for this season's prints for the collection.
BABAR
The Anjelms Summer Clothing Collection
Print Design - Madeleine Beech
BABAR
The Anjelms Summer Clothing Collection
Print Design - Madeleine Beech
BABAR
The Anjelms Summer Clothing Collection
Print Design - Madeleine Beech
THE ORDER
Group Exhibition
Bandung, West Java
This exhibition provided a diverse and complex look at local community and individuality that traverses class, isolation and camaraderie, focusing on those formative years of youth and optimism.
THE ORDER
Pillars of communities, 2020, digital media/print A0 dimensions
THE ORDER
Pillars of communities, 2020, digital media/print A0 dimensions
(detail)
THE ORDER
Pillars of communities, 2020, digital media/print A0 dimensions
(detail)
(E)MERGING
(e)merging celebrated artists emerging in Perth. Room101 partnered with Artsource to present an exhibition showcasing the works of over 40 early career artists.
(E)MERGING
Time Tool, 2020, copper, wood, metal, cane & encaustic ground,
72 x 40 cm
MADE BY HAND
2020 Winter Collection,
Collaboration with Omra Caoimhe & The Anjelms Project
The garment is a human staple to which individuality, function, and sentimentality are attached through life’s wearing and tearing. Delving into these ideas, artists Madeleine Beech and Ómra Caoimhe collaborated with The Anjelms Project to create a collection of garments which echo styles of the past combined with contemporary ethical fashion sense. With an inherent quality of aesthetics inspired by the artists own creative history and a sense of functionality and sentimentality influenced through The Anjelms Project’s previous collections and new-found influences from life and creative thinking, the garments are curated with a sense of humanity emphasised through their visual nature.
Image: Jing Song
MADE BY HAND
2020 Winter Collection,
Collaboration with Omra Caoimhe & The Anjelms Project
Image: Jing Song
MADE BY HAND
2020 Winter Collection,
Collaboration with Omra Caoimhe & The Anjelms Project
Image: Jing Song
MADE BY HAND
2020 Winter Collection,
Collaboration with Omra Caoimhe & The Anjelms Project
Image: Jing Song
OTHERSIDE CONFIRMS LOCAL ARTIST MADELEINE BEECH AS FOURTH WINNER OF CREATIVE RELEASE
Freo artist Madeleine Beech has been confirmed as the fourth local Western Australian artist to have her design selected to be immortalised on our Sabbath can.
Maddy’s work entitled ‘Metamorphosis’ now features on cans of Sabbath Pastry Stout as part of the brewery’s Creative Release.
Commenting on what inspired her to submit her artwork for the Creative Release grant, Maddy said, “I think sharing is really important. By collaborating with different industries, people are able to not only see your artwork in different ways, but experience it in different ways as well.”
“I just heard this quote, ‘Bloom where you are planted.’ And I thought that summed up this (collaboration) quite well. Otherside is from Freo and so am I”
OTHERSIDE - ‘METAMORPHOSIS’ ORIGINAL SUBMISSION
Explaining the concept of her artwork Maddy said, “When I was young I was captivated by the observational anatomical drawing studies of Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1400’s-1500’s. Alike to myself, Da Vinci was also interested with the notion of ‘what remains inside’, although he investigated and dissected the human body…Through my inspiration from the drawings of Da Vinci and notions of personal questioning, the can and label of the Sabbath created a transformed and imagined abstract of ‘what remains inside’.
THE LOBBY
Beech’s practice draws inspiration from her mother and father’s home
in White Gum Valley. Eccentric, eclectic and free-spirited individuals,
they created a dwelling that was filled to the brim with found objects,
artefacts and antiques. They both have a knack for mixing things that
don’t go together, but somehow make it work with integrity and intuition.
Beech’s practice is deeply informed by this innate understanding of
place and connectedness to immediate surroundings. She evokes the embedded time and sentimentality of the objects whilst allowing for an opportunity of transformation and a moment of personal playfulness.
This gives the object a new meaning while continuing to nurture its past history.
Halt, 2020, copper, metal & plastic, 78 x 38 x 12 cm
THE LOBBY
Metamorphosis, 2020, metal, lead, found objects & plastic, 31 x 145 x 44 cm.
THE LOBBY
Ferris Wheel, 2020, wood, metal, found objects & clay paint, 64 x 70 x 58 cm.
WATKINS STREET PROJECT
Jarrah pillars, clay paint, seeds, handmade cement bricks & galvanised wire ~ 2020
WATKINS STREET PROJECT
Jarrah pillars, clay paint, seeds, handmade cement bricks & galvanised wire ~ 2020
WATKINS STREET PROJECT
Jarrah pillars, clay paint, seeds, handmade cement bricks & galvanised wire ~ 2020
2019
CONTINUITY, CHANGE; FUTURE - MUNDARING ARTS CENTRE
Melanie Dare and Madeleine Beech started their collaboration discussing the pillars from a neighbour's vandalised fence which Beech had collected earlier that week. An old, worn, violated border. Both artists explored this venerated object in different ways within the parameters of their own artistic and conceptual practice as well as life experiences.
Beech’s work exists as a sculptural assemblage of elemental forms. Classified, ordered and positioned next to each other, they emerge as artefacts. The arch unknown and the column is known, objects transformed yet familiar. By utilising found and familiar objects, with the intention of transforming them we can make new meanings whilst nurturing the past and history. This is realised through the process of remodelling. The found objects form an Arch which represents the artist as a transition point, a passage through time; past, present and future.
CONTINUITY, CHANGE; FUTURE - MUNDARING ARTS CENTRE
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, cast iron, silk, clay paint
CONTINUITY, CHANGE; FUTURE - MUNDARING ARTS CENTRE
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, cast iron, silk, clay paint
Photographed by MAC
HEATHCOTE SELECT - HEATHCOTE CULTURAL PRECINCT
By being exposed to places, spaces and people I have findings, these findings are objects or materials I deem of value usually for their formal ambiguity or their form, tone, texture, and patina. These attributes are valuable because their original use can be obscured and be understood as something new. These findings embody their own narratives and discourse that I engage in, but I am also a witness to. These findings have both personal and collective history and are worked into my own methodology of art-making. I focus on processes such as carving, painting, sanding, assemblage, classifying, ordering and positioning. I transform the found.
Photographed by Daniel Grant
HEATHCOTE SELECT - HEATHCOTE CULTURAL PRECINCT
Broad Bean Findings
Wood broad beans, clay paint, MDF
61x 51cm, 45 x 45cm
Photographed by Daniel Grant
HEATHCOTE SELECT - HEATHCOTE CULTURAL PRECINCT
Pillar Findings
Wooden posts, beans, clay paint
Photographed by Daniel Grant
(CROSS)HATCHED
Transformed Artefacts
Found Objects, thread, plaster, nails
Documented Artefacts
Calico, clay paint, ink
Photographed by Molly Werner
IN THIS FORM - PAPER MOUNTAIN
“Still ocean grey
A being jumps in –
The sound of water”
The stillness of the ocean symbolizes silence, wholeness and integrity with nature and surroundings, the breaking of silence once the being independently jumps in signifies action, movement, growth and experience, and the sound of water represents a happening, a moment in time.
IN THIS FORM - PAPER MOUNTAIN
Still Ocean Grey
Installation
IN THIS FORM - PAPER MOUNTAIN
The Entity Jumps In
Video stills, ship windows
IN THIS FORM - PAPER MOUNTAIN
The Entity Jumps In
Video stills, ship windows
IN THIS FORM - PAPER MOUNTAIN
Still Ocean Grey
Graphite, calico
IN THIS FORM - PAPER MOUNTAIN
FOUND - PAPER MOUNTAIN
Madeleine Beech’s work exists as a sculptural assemblage of elemental forms. Classified, ordered and positioned next to each other, they emerge as artefacts. They read as precious things akin to a historical relic in a museum.
Beech selected objects for their formal ambiguity because their original use can be obscured/transformed and understood as something new.
Found objects, wooden objects and other material findings are specifically chosen for their form, tone, texture, and patina. Within this monochromatic assemblage of white, brown and beige is an endless and subtle variation of tones which is in no way restrictive.
Beech intends to evoke the embedded time and sentimentality that exist in the objects whilst processes allow for an opportunity of transformation and a moment for personal play. This gives an object new meaning while nurturing the past and history through remodelling.
Photographed by Emma Horvat
FOUND - PAPER MOUNTAIN
Transformed Artefact
Found objects, thread, ceramics
FOUND - PAPER MOUNTAIN
Transformed Artefact
Found objects, thread, ceramics
Photographed by Klara Vincent
FOUND - PAPER MOUNTAIN
Transformed Artefact
Found objects, thread, ceramics
Photographed by Klara Vincent
2018
Curtin Graduate Exhibition
My work exists as a sculptural assemblage of elemental forms. Classified, ordered and positioned next to each other, they emerge as artifacts. They read as precious things akin to an historical relic in a museum.
Found objects, wooden objects and other materials are specifically chosen for their form, tone, texture, and patina. I select objects for their formal ambiguity because their original use can be obscured and be understood as something new.
I use a monochromatic scheme of white, brown and beige. Within this monochromatic range there is an endless and subtle variation of tones which is in no way restrictive. I use both the materials, plaster and wood, to elevate and transform found objects.
I intend to evoke the embedded time and sentimentality that exists in the objects because of the contrast between the raw materials; the smooth surface of the plaster against the rustic patina of hardwood. I concentrate on the finish of the natural surface so that everyday objects can be considered of value in the current production of art. This gives an object new meaning while nuturing the past and history through remodelling.
Transformed Artefacts
Installation
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Installation
Photographed by Bo Wong
Documented Transformed Artefacts
Drawing
Charcoal on calico
Photographed by Bo Wong
Documented Transformed Artefacts
Drawing
Charcoal on calico
Photographed by Bo Wong
Documented Transformed Artefacts
Drawing
Charcoal on calico
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found wood and cast plaster
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, cast plaster
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, cast plaster, clay paint
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, thread, nails, cast plaster, clay paint
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, thread, cast iron, cast plaster, clay paint
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, cast plaster, clay paint
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, thread, tape, metal basin, cast plaster, clay paint
Photographed by Bo Wong
Curtin Quarter Gallery, WA, 2018.
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, cast plaster, thready, woven fibre, ceramics, cuttlefish, nails, clay paint
Photographed by Bo Wong
Transformed Artefacts
Found objects, wood, cast plaster, thready, woven fibre, ceramics, cuttlefish, nails, clay paint
Photographed by Bo Wong
2017
North Metropolitan Exhibition
A ritual is that something that can be as the simple gesture of the hand, or an elaborate ceremony. It can be working unconsciously in everyday life and moments, or a carefully designed and acted out for a specific occasion.
My work explores the ritualistic process of art-making, using materials such as straw, string and clay. I am using techniques such as binding and weaving to craft offerings that deal with presence, power, birth and death.
Presence and Remnants
Photograph
Presence and Remnants
Wood, plaster, wool thread, hay
Private collection, WA.
Photographed by Gary Paris
Presence and Remnants
Prints
Presence and Remnants
Weave
Wood, thread, hay
Private Collections, WA.
Photographed by Gary Paris
Presence and Remnants
Hay, thread, wool
Photographed by Gary Paris
Presence and Remnants
Hay, thread, wool, ceramic, cuttlefish
Photographed by Gary Paris
Presence and Remnants
Photograph
Prints
NMTAFE Collection, WA.
Private Collection, WA.
Presence and Remnants
Installation
North Metropolitan TAFE, WA.
SEASONAL PRINTS
The AnjelMs Project
THE CLOTHES YOU CHOOSE TO WEAR CAN BECOME A VOICE FOR THE WORLD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN
The ANJELMS Project aims to create collections ethically produced through sustainable and socially responsible practices while using fashion as a vehicle to protect and empower disadvantaged communities in Bali, Nepal and India.
The ANJELMS Project was created in 2008 by Gaelle Beech and her Balinese friend Luh Ariadi “Arik”. In 2012, their project template was taken to Kathmandu, Nepal where basics, knitwear and accessories are made with the collaboration of the Himalayan Nepal Export group. In 2014, The ANJELMS Project started a collaboration with The Stitching Project in Pushkar, India.
Madeleine Beech collaborates and designs seasonal prints for The AnjelMs Project, 2016-2020.
Interview with Madeleine Beech - Feb 23rd, 2019
How has your work with The ANJELMS Project influenced your practice?
Madeleine: The ANJELMS Project has influenced my practice in many ways. I was given the opportunity to work at the Anjelms stores to assist customers, gallery sit, learn about the story of each product, and learn about ethical fashion, fair trade and of Fremantle as a community. This gave me an insight into what people wanted and what they liked whether it be the story, print, style of an outfit or the originality, sustainability and quality.
From this understanding and education in Art, I was given the opportunity to work on seasonal prints for The ANJELMS Project and travel to Nepal and India. The projects I visited, such as The Stitching Project, taught me about the printing, stitching and tailoring processes in their workshops. These truly valuable experiences led to many collaborative print designs and creative relationships. Through my years working with The ANJELMS Project I have been involved in the making and understanding of their products from ethical and sustainable perspectives whilst being immersed in community. My practice has benefited from developing interpersonal skills, learning art processes, travelling and meeting the projects and people involved with The ANJELMS Project. Be responsible, understand and educate ethical and fair trade lifestyle choices.
Three ethical things you do in your everyday life?
Only buy second hand or invest in good quality ethical fashion
Recycle, trade, repurpose and pass on materials for my art practice
Connect with the people in my community
Where do you draw inspiration from?
M: I usually draw inspiration from my own identity, surroundings, history, the selection of materials, skills/mediums and the act of making.
The Stitching Project, Pushkar, India.
Les Indiennes - Summer 2019/2020
Model: Bianca Roose
Photographed by Jing Song
Les Indiennes - Summer 2019/2020
Model: Bianca Roose
Photographed by Jing Song
Les Indiennes - Summer 2019/2020
Model: Bianca Roose
Photographed by Jing Song
Traveller's Tale - Winter 2019
Model: Bianca Roose
Photography by Jing Song
Traveller's Tale - Winter 2019
Model: Bianca Roose
Photography by Jing Song
Humanity To Community
Model: Bianca Roose
Photography by Jing Song
Humanity To Community
Model: Bianca Roose
Photography by Jing Song
Humanity To Community
Model: Unknown
Photography by James Taylor
Waste Not What Not Collection
Models:
Bianca Roose
Sara Cermos
Ben
Photographed by Jing Song
Reflections Collection - 2018
Photographed by Lepk Media
Reflections Collection - 2018
Photographed by Lepak Media
CURRICULUM VITAE
Education:
2018:
Bachelor of Fine Art from Curtin Unitversity, Bentley, WA.
2016, 2017:
Associate Degree of Visual Art from North Metropolitan Tafe, Northbridge, WA.
2015:
Cert VI in Visual Art from North Metropolitan Tafe Northbridge, WA.
2013:
Cert II in Film & Design at Mount Pleasant Baptist Community College, WA.
Internship
2016 – 2020:
Collaboration with ethical clothing label The Anjelms Project designing seasonal prints.
Assisting:
2019:
Eveline Kotai – AGWA, Breathing Pattern Exhibition & Activation Room Exhibition
Penny Bovell – Public Art design proposals
Public Art:
2020: Street Project - Dave Delahunty
Group Exhibitions:
2020 : The Order - Fries & Sauce
(E)merging - Old Customs House
Dwellings- The Lobby
2019 : Continuity and Change; Future – Mundaring Arts Centre
Heathcote Select– Heathcote
Crosshatched– Leederville YMCA
Found - Paper Mountain
In This Form– Paper Mountain
2018 : Pay Me -Smart Casual
One Night Only– third year sculpture show
30 x 30- Fine Art Silent Auction
Show Case - Quarter Gallery
Curtin University Graduate Degree Show
2017 : 360° - Gallery Central - North Metropolitan Tafe Graduate Show
Residencies:
2020: Mess Studio Fremantle Social - Otherside Creative Release Awarded
2019: Paper Mountain Residency (3 months) – Artsource Awarded
Positions:
2018: Treasurer for Curtin Art Club
2020: Member of the Artsource Reboot Panel
Awards/Nominations:
2020: Otherside Winner of Creative Release
2018 - 2019: Hatched National Graduate Show Nominee, PICA, Curtin University
Art Source Industry Ready Award, Paper Mountain, Curtin University
CONTACT
Thank you for your interest. For any inquiries, commission requests or studio visits, please contact Madeleine Beech today.
https://www.instagram.com/madeleine_beech/
