August 2021 sees the launch of Hi Vis Fumes, a solo exhibition of new work by Brisbane based, multidisciplinary artist, James Hornsby. Hornsby’s work has been described as explosive, bold, hyper-real, unhinged. He wrangles the frenetic energy of digital experience into sophisticated visual forms. Hornsby is known for pushing boundaries, dismantling traditional photographic techniques in order to depict the unnerving effects of technology and the chaos of contemporary life.
Hornsby is inviting us to go to seed. His images are wild and unpredictable, shaped by a frenetic energy which, perhaps counterintuitively, offer us a strange declaration of hope; a willingness to embrace chaos and resist passivity. Hornsby’s work suggests that, despite our natural inclination for control and certainty, it mightn’t hurt to loosen our grip on the wheel, face the fear square on, and roll with the punches a bit. The only way out is in!
…His unhinged revelations relieve us of our duty to ‘keep calm and carry on’. Here, we find ourselves engaged in emergency foreplay; an artistic escape room providing us a ‘safe space’ to rehearse (and prepare for) the worst case scenario.
— Julia Scott Green [Catalogue Essay Writer]
Image: James Hornsby, ANXIETY FANTASY, 2021, Giclée print on Hahnemühle canvas, 60 x 40cm, AP + Edition of 3. Image: courtesy of the artist and Onespace Gallery.
