ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

THAT SACK OF AIR explores the intricacies, sayings and silliness of Australian rules football.
So much of what happens in and around the game comes instinctually and the language is learnt from a young age. These bodies of work delve into my relationship and understanding of the game which has followed me and often anchored me through life.

I love the game and the people who make it. From a young age, I always felt like my identity was split between the sporty and arty worlds. Two worlds which are often placed far apart, but for me the venn diagram is a single circle.

There is no one way to play or create. Football requires creativity and art requires play.

I wrestle to make sense of all that football generates - in hope of creating a new perspective for those who peer curiously into the footy world, as well as those who live and breathe it.

ARTIST STATEMENT

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved sport and art. Growing up I would spend hours outside, in the front, side and backyards - diving for marks and weaving the ball between the trees. I was enthralled by the pursuit of growing my skills and learning to predict which way this ridiculously shaped ball would bounce. When I was inside, I would get my craft box out and sprawl my paper and beads across the lounge room floor. I’d spent hours furiously creating anything - a ring, a card, a little scrapbook, a miniature couch - whatever!

These two activities, both arty and sporty, have always made me feel happy.

It can feel as though sport and art are always placed at opposite ends of the spectrum. You’re either a sporty jock or a perceptive artiste. Those two worlds aren’t often seen to mingle, to dance together. But what if they did? And what if we recognised that they are so similar in many ways. The creativity and passion that sport evokes feels familiar to how art connects with people.

Football is a form of expression and art is a form of movement.
This body of work explores how I feel when I’m playing, how it has shaped me as a person, AFLW land and also the pure nonsense of it all.

WHO IS THIS EXHIBITION FOR?

For everyone. For arty people who have perhaps never seen an entrance into the world of footy. For footballers - at every age and level, for the community that surrounds footy, the diehards, the curious, the people who have always seen footy as a little silly - it is!

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Darcy Vescio is a Melbourne based, Wangaratta born footballer and creative. Much of their life has been spent chasing a sack of air around the backyard, dribbling kicks through the trees and hurling their body into the mess.

Growing up in the country Victorian town of Markwood, football created a deep sense of belonging.

Outside of sport, Vescio spent their time creating. From paper craft to beading, scrapbooking and sculpting, they are at their happiest when generating something with their hands

Vescio plays AFLW at Carlton FC where they started as an inaugural player in 2017. They have worked at the Club as a graphic designer during that time, as well as freelancing and collaborating with other creatives.

THAT SACK OF AIR is Vescio’s first foray into the art world.

Learn more about Darcy by clicking here.