Zilverster is an ongoing collaborative project, established in 2010 by Sharon Goodwin and Irene Hanenbergh, Melbourne-based artists renowned for their imaginative, elaborate and meticulously rendered solo practices. What began in 2010 as a problem solving exercise—with one artist offering problematic, unfinished works to the other for advice on resolution—has evolved into a rich shared practice that continues to extend the discursive as well as process potentialities of each artist.
While there are many shared interests and concerns between the two artists—fantasy, (art) history, cult iconography, alchemy, supernatural phenomena to name just a few—each operates from a distinct temporal and imaginative framework: Goodwin's contributions are embedded in a medieval, Gothic context while Hanenbergh's derive from a European Romantic sensibility. Zilverster's practice continues to develop out from an original series of beautiful, fantastical drawings that remain compelling in their strangeness.
Working to and fro on the production of each other’s drawings seemingly without end has led to a series of extraordinary works on paper that defy easy categorisation. While some elements are recognisable from their individual practices, the two artists consciously play an advanced game of exquisite corpse. Zilverster shift our attention and focus away from the idea of the author, to the joy and fun of creativity and drawing itself.
James Lynch, Deakin University, February 2018.