Edwina Corlette Gallery presents Omnivorous Cast, a new exhibition by regional Victorian-based artist Pia Murphy. The title reflects Murphy’s approach to painting as a gathering of experiences, inspired by her residency at The Barn in Montauk, New York. There, she embraced an “omnivorous cast” of observation, experimentation, and engagement with the natural environment.
Working directly on canvas without sketches or preconceptions, Murphy allows forms to emerge spontaneously. Found objects, natural elements, and everyday details are transformed into figures, gestures, and abstracted landscapes. Inspirations include a tree viewed from her studio window, a fragment of barbed wire collected on a beach, and the trunks of surrounding silver birches.
The exhibition explores openness, curiosity, and the possibilities of abstraction. While rooted in Murphy’s personal experience, her work remains deliberately ambiguous, inviting audiences to bring their own perspectives and enter into dialogue with the paintings.
A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (BFA, 2004), Murphy has exhibited nationally in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and internationally in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Her work is held in private collections across Australia, the United States, Italy, and Switzerland.
