MI’ANDERIN – a collaborative exhibition by Kate St James, Catherine Whitting and Monique Sartor
Presented by Barbara Hamilton and Curated by Mary Brown
Gang Gang Gallery, Lithgow

When four creatives meet at the Sydney Home Show and discover their joint love of art, only great things can happen.

Interior designers are no strangers to selecting and specifying art in their residential and commercial projects but not all interior designers are artists in their own right. Discovering each other’s talents and passion for art and brought together by a fellow designer and art enthusiast, things could only take off for this trio.
Mi’andarin is an exhibition of original art by design duo Kate St James and Catherine Whitting from the St James Whitting studio and Monique Sartor from Sartorial Interiors. Interior designer, Barbara Hamilton owner and curator of The Curious Art Bar, recognised their talents and brought the artists together and now represents them nationally.
St James and Whitting started creating collaboratively in 2016. After graduating from Sydney College of the Arts with a degree in Visual Art and design, Catherine Whitting took on various roles from teaching art at high school, running her interior design business and lecturing interior design at the Design Centre, Enmore – a role she still undertakes in conjunction with running her design practice St James Whitting along with Kate St James. Whitting has exhibited her art in Australia and New Zealand since 1993 and her works feature in many private and commercial collections.
Prior to joining forces with Whitting, St James’ career spanned more than 30 years as an interior designer and design magazine editor. The pairs’ collaboration came about through their realised passions for design and they started working together in 2016. Discovering each other’s talents for art and photography they began experimenting in various mediums, culminating in a series of collaborative as well as individual works, which they exhibited in three successful exhibitions in 2017.
There is a deep connection to nature and the environment in St James’ and Whitting’s works. In this current exhibition abstracts and mixed media reflect joint and collaborative journeys of travels and experiences, nostalgia, the present, fleeting moments and the past. Colour and textural techniques are explored layer upon layer – the common denominators found in their environments and in their works.
Monique Sartor has been a keen amateur photographer for almost twenty years. She focuses on the stories behind the image. She also believes in allowing for happy accidents such as blur, shards of light and grain which some might consider a fault but Monique sees them as adding to the mystery!​
Blanc & Noir is a photographic retrospective of culture and landmarks through the lens of Monique Sartor, with her perfectly fitting subtitle ‘my life, my lens.’

Beautiful photography has the ability to draw us into a story; even if we know little about what that might actually be. Moody black and white shots, blur and grain add to the mystery, allowing our imaginations to fill in the blanks”.
From famous landmarks to traditional costumes, Monique focuses on detail and atmosphere and applying a healthy dose of humour to her works.
The exhibition will include original and mixed-media paintings, limited edition artworks, fine art photography, handmade jewellery by MZ Form, and home wares and apparel all featuring the artists’ original works.