Anita Johnson Larkin feels "empowered" to know how to mend a broken chair while also having the tools to do it.
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It's a skill she says many women and girls no longer have, but is happy to show people how through sculpture and the tip at Dunmore.
The Illawarra artist is currently exhibiting her love for fixing broken things with many repurposing household items - including her own dining chairs - on show at Wollongong Art Gallery.
My dad always took us to the tip most weekends with my siblings and we were able to climb all over the tip face and collect whatever we wanted.
- Anita Johnson Larkin
Her work comes from salvaged objects, often picked up from the kerb or local recycling centres, items which others render useless.
"When I find something broken I get pretty excited ... for me the fracture is the interesting part, because it presents an opportunity for intervention," she said.
"The chairs in the exhibition are my dining chairs. I just store all my artworks [at home]. Some of them get used just around the house and then every now and then they get their moment in the spotlight."
Ms Larkin's love for all things broken began as a child during rummaging expeditions to the tip with her family.
"My dad always took us to the tip most weekends with my siblings and we were able to climb all over the tip face and collect whatever we wanted," she said.
"We were building our house and the chicken sheds, and each of us kids built our cubby houses. We were always doing something practical.
"Now that I'm working at The Tinkerage it's not such an experience for girls, which is a shame because it's quite empowering to be able to use tools and fix things."
When Ms Larkin isn't busy creating in her own shed, teaching at the National Art School or studying for her doctorate in creative arts, she is managing The Tinkerage.
It's a creative repair and upcycling workshop at the Shellharbour Recycling Centre at Dunmore, which also holds classes in fixing things.
"The things I find really interesting are broken, they're often missing a wheel, or they've really bad fractures in them," Ms Larkin said.
"I always start with the missing part or the broken bit as the point of departure for what i'm going to make."
Ms Larkins quirky exhibition can be seen at Wollongong Art Gallery until October 11, with interviews with the artists on their website.
Wollongong Art Gallery is operating under COVID-safe conditions, and remains open to the public.
At this stage a free artist talk and performance is scheduled for October 11 as part of the exhibition, but patrons will need to check with the gallery closer to the date due to changing COVID-19 restrictions.
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