Nature of Light is a solo exhibition by Helle Cook that expands on her ongoing enquiry into the sensory experience of light, place, and belonging in painting.
The exhibition features a new series of works initiated during an artist residency in Mantova, Italy, in June 2025. During this time, Cook dyed and painted sheer silk works while immersed in the surrounding countryside, creating ephemeral textile installations in nature as part of her process.
Tracing the natural elements of Italy, Denmark, and Australia, these diaphanous works inform her studio-based painting practice. Rather than literal depictions of landscape, the paintings unfold embodied memories through translucent layers, gestural movement, and subtle shifts in colour. Earthy tones merge with Nordic hues, while a recurring horizon line connects each work — reflecting a sense of living within, and between, light and place.
Opening Night: Thursday 26 February 2026, 6–8pm
Artist Talk: Saturday 28 February 2026, 1:30–2:30pm
