Onespace presents Before the Object, an exhibition by Petalia Humphreys in the Lounge Gallery, featuring a collection of playful two-dimensional and three-dimensional architectonic paintings that trace the transition of an object from latent being to active becoming.
Across a practice spanning approximately 30 years, Humphreys has created abstracted objects, most recently using wood and house paint. Working with materials commonly associated with building sites, she constructs forms using mitred angles to create architectonic cubes, rectangles, hinged three-dimensional objects and stools.
Her creative process begins with a physical site or space, which she photographs and reinterprets digitally before recreating its distilled essence as sculpture. Although viewers may not know the original site or the extent of these transformations, the resulting plywood sculptures are designed to stimulate engagement and extend perceptions of space and place.
The works occupy a permeable space co-created with their audiences, inviting viewers to consider how objects evolve and how our experiences of space are shaped.
Opening Event: Thursday 22 October 2026, 6:30–8pm. Artist talk: 5:30–6:15pm. RSVP via Humanitix.
Additional Event: Petalia Humphreys gallery walk-through, Saturday 7 November 2026. Further information to come.
