Jan Manton Art is excited to present a new exhibition by Melbourne based visual artist Saffron Newey entitled Menagerie.
Menagerie is an exhibition which is conceptually steeped in history, yet anchored to the present through Saffron’s creative processes. With this new body of work, Saffron draws on the rich Romantic tradition in visual art. The artworks in Menagerie represent a collection of Romantic vignettes and motifs, “the epic seas, skies, flora and fauna of the Enlightenment period,” reimagined through digital techniques of artmaking.
Saffron is not just content to represent the historical tropes of Romanticism, opting to invent her own aesthetic sublime. Menagerieis a collection of hyperreal works of art that imbue the viewer with a sense of awe and wonder at their place amongst original and overwhelming land-, sea-, and skyscapes.
“Classic examples of Romantic painting from the 19th century have been sourced online, colourised, collaged and resampled in graphics software and repainted by hand in this series. It represents an ongoing conversation between the past and present in which information gets skewed. …
Animals float as apparitions, clouds and waves glow in neon pink. This confluence of past tradition and futuristic vision contemplates our perception of time.”
Saffron is currently completing a PhD in Fine Art at RMIT University. She has exhibited extensively throughout Australia in both solo and group exhibitions, while her work is held in numerous private and public collections. Saffron has lectured at a university level, and currently teaches visual art through RMIT VE. Menagerie is the second solo exhibition of Saffron’s at Jan Manton, following on from 2016’s The Immediate Past.
Opening Event: Sat 4th November, 2017, from 2pm till 4pm.
