Tea Taking Paraphernalia

Tea Taking Paraphernalia

Kylie Marie Stevens

Encaustic, tea and spoon on mounted linen

600 x 600mm

2011

$250

The opening night of Infused is tonight at The Swich Contemporary Art Space.  I have been in and had a look at the show and it looks fantastic.  It was so much fun working on this piece and contemplating all things tea.

This is the artist statement that accompanies my piece...

“Tea Taking Paraphernalia”

While exploring tea for the Infused exhibition I began contemplating the parallels between tea and other drugs. 

Both the taking of tea and drugs are often steeped in ritual, both provide comfort, become ingrained in habit and require specific paraphernalia. 

Similarities can be seen between the chopped leaves at the centre of both the tea and marijuana rituals.  Connections are also present between the spoons used in tea making and in the cooking up of injectable drugs. 

“Tea Taking Paraphernalia” is a mixed media encaustic painting, created using real tea for the pigment.  Tea leaves float within the texture and the used spoon adds a sculptural element, hinting at the parallels between tea and drug taking.

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If your local or in the area during July I hope you can get along and see the exhibition in person.