Emerging QLD artist Monica Rohan has quickly established herself on the Australian art scene, attracting considerable interest nationally. Her latest series of paintings will be presented in a solo exhibition at Jan Murphy Gallery in mid 2017.
Floating transcendence and anchored realism share equal magnitude in Monica Rohan’s painting. Rohan’s sensitivity to her surroundings is evident in the carefully composed works, which reveal a love of pattern, light and colour. The paint retains a lucid quality and the decorative potential of textiles and luxuriant foliage act as ready symbols for the day lit world.
The title for this series, Look down at the ground, speaks about avoiding and averting eyes and selfconsciously turning inward. The artist strives to explore this space of self-scrutiny through painting, which visualises the way our mind can intensify and distort our experiences. Rohan states:
“The trees establish a strange space between the internal and external. They are a neutral force within which the figures are neither threatened nor sheltered. The exaggerated movement and space of the paintings bely the quietness of a momentary glance toward the ground, this gesture becomes as precarious as the figures falling through dense foliage or swept up in swaying branches”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
In 2016, Rohan was successful with her first attempt at entering the Archibald Prize, becoming a finalist with her portrait of fashion label duo, Easton Pearson. She has also been a recent finalist in The Gold Award, Redland Art Award and the Churchie National Emerging Art Prize. Rohan was selected for the significant survey show, Goma Q, which showcased Queensland artists at QAGOMA in 2015. Her work is held in a number of private and public collections, including the University of Queensland Art Museum, QAGOMA, Tweed River Regional Gallery and the Griffith University Art Museum.
Image: Monica Rohan Hoped you wouldn’t notice 2017 oil on board 80.0 x 61.0 cm
