EXHIBITION: LOUISE BUFARDECI & ZON ITO

In titles alone, the pieces from this ‘international pairing’ exhibition travel through similar thematic tributaries. There’s Louisa Bufardeci’s Australia & Japan (literal!) and Ground Plan; Japanese artist Zon Ito’s Slanted Woods and The End of the Neighbourhood. Both artists deal with boundaries, meticulous plan-making and privilege, whether in art practice or social status. Ito’s statements are more subtle, as are his visual messages; delicate, embroidered pieces using the neglected craft of sashiko (literally, ‘little stabs’), traditionally used to reinforce wear and tear, here to recreate ghostly rural scenes. Bufardeci builds in simple colour schema upon backlogs of suggested data – unearthed from the national census, CIA Fact Book and opinion polls – to highlight inequalities at large. Both offer truly beautiful, accomplished mini-exhibitions that are strengthened as much by their differences as similarities.

Until Oct 25, Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks, 9245 2400 or mca.com.au