WHEN : 9th April – 27th April
WHERE : Jan Murphy Gallery
Figuration is in celebration of the artist’s long time love affair with the figure. Veteran exhibitor Graeme Drendel, is joined by newcomers Natasha Bieniek and Monica Rohan. Bieniek’s minature portraits depict female figures in various states of repose. Seen alone within their personal environment they are absorbed in a sentiment of feebleness. Through the creation of tiny, miniature like works her intention is to portray the illusion that we are gazing in on a situation through a keyhole-like perspective. Based in Melbourne, Bieniek is inspired by her admiration of 17th Century genre painting. She has enjoyed success with a number of awards including the Metro Art Award, runner up in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2012 and she was shortlisted for the Archibald Prize in 2011 and 2012.
Graeme Drendel, who has had a number of solo exhibitions with the gallery, has an enduring fascination with the way we interact with one another as a community and on a more intimate level. Drendel believes his works should be viewed with a sense of humour and places a degree of emphasis on the important place of the imagination of the person scrutinising a work of art.
Emerging artist Monica Rohan attempts to negotiate issues of subjectivity by portraying herself in a struggle against overwhelming surroundings. Derived from photos of herself reacting to her environment, Rohan’s source images undergo a transformation through the painting process, warping her surroundings to dissolve boundaries between physical and cognitive realities. Rohan’s paintings question a state of emotional consciousness, and how one views oneself from the perspective of this intense self-awareness. Monica is a recent graduate from Queensland College of Arts and has a promising career ahead of her.
Image & Text : Liveguide 2013
