My 10 Crushes - exhibition notes, press release

Armed with a box of sharpies and a wild imagination, Malaysian born, New Zealand bred and current Melbourne resident Joi Murugavell has been hard at work on Twitter, breaking down the barriers of formal communication to create an intimate, explicit, compelling and entertaining series of Oodlies for her solo exhibition, My 10 Crushes, at Gasworks Arts Park, June 14 – 26. 

My 10 Crushes is inspired by ten people Joi has met on Twitter, has interviewed, and created Oodlies of; representations of each individual’s character traits and a reflection of their stories. My 10 Crushes examines the relationships established on Twitter and showcases the bizarrely intimate and revealing relationships Joi shares with her subjects, whom she has never actually met in person.

As Joi explains, “My 10 Crushes is all about discovery; it is about ten people who I have never met, but have inspired me on Twitter over the last two years, and who I have then interviewed for the purpose of the exhibition. The interviews were quite quirky and casual and because of that, they actually reveal more. So I would ask a question like, ‘how big is your penis?’ and then next question would be ‘what was your childhood like?’”

Joi’s array of Oodlies takes you on a whimsical journey through the lives of these everyday people, whose stories intrigued her to the point of turning them into artworks. With hilarious and touching stories of people who have battled cancer, through to those who have worked as naked bartenders at their father’s nudist resort, My 10 Crushes is sure to have you laughing, shocked and thirsty for more...

MY 10 CRUSHES at Gasworks Arts Park An exhibition of Oodlies inspired by relationships formed on Twitter 14 June – 26 June

Opening Night: Tuesday 14 June:

Times: 6 – 8pm

Venue: Gasworks Arts Park Angela Robarts-Bird Gallery Cnr Graham & Pickles Street, Albert Park VIC 3206 Melbourne, Australia

Visit www.oodlies.com for more information

For interview requests and high res images, please contact Cara Williams, Public Relations Coordinator, Gasworks Arts Park, 03 8606 4208 or cara@gasworks.org.au