Best of Figurativism: VR Morrison
After an almost 10-year hiatus, Gold Coast-based artist VR Morrison has returned to her easel. Morrison’s works have consistently looked to the rich tradition of vanitas paintings and morality tales, particularly that of the Old Masters. From the Renaissance to the Rococo, artists utilised a complex repertoire of symbols to convey ideas of faith, ethics […]
Best of Figurativism: Hannah Atherton
“Figurativism to me is a sense of familiarity, rather than outright recognition”, says Melbourne-based artist Hannah Atherton, “I want my works to be recognisable in what they depict, but not necessarily what story they are trying to tell”. Revelling in the unceremoniously familiar, Atherton portrays everyday activities like bathing, sleeping, eating and loving in her […]
Best of Figurativism: Steve Fitz
Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, the rebels and renegades of the art world moved further towards abstraction, leaving behind realism in favour of explorations of colour, composition and line. NSW-based artist Steve Fitz sees his practice as rebelling in turn against dominant aesthetic trends, bringing the body back into focus. “It’s more than […]
Best of Figurativism: Juli Balla
Pareidolia is the tendency of the human brain to interpret inanimate objects as faces, bestowing personality on things that are innately without it. Sydney-based photographer Juli Balla takes advantage of this with her playful works. “Figurativism to me is where the brain fills in the gaps”, she says, “my motto is less is more”. In […]
Best of Figurativism: Carlotta Hey
Clothing is a profoundly personal form of self-expression, and it is through their sartorial choices that the figures portrayed by German-born, Melbourne-based artist Carlotta Hey convey their feelings, dreams and desires. With a background in fashion, design and styling, Hey is intimately familiar with the way the human body is a vehicle for communication – […]
Best of Figurativism: Andrew Paranavitana
Coming from a background in architectural photography, it may seem surprising that the work of Melbourne-based artist Andrew Paranavitana is so driven by narrative. “I create visual stories within my work”, he says, “figurativism lends itself to the process of creating this story, forming the main character of every piece”. However, these main characters are […]
SPECIAL FEATURE: The Great AI Interior Design Shake-Up
The last couple of years has seen a huge uptake in the use of artificially intelligent interior design software by homeowners undertaking DIY projects and interior designers. What does all this mean for designers and the visual artists whose works are often used for inspiration or in renders? Grace Ellen Macpherson reports. Artificial Intelligence (AI) […]
Showcase: Rebecca Dzartov
Representing the ineffable aspects of God has been a goal of artists across thousands of years, each bringing their own skills and belief systems to their art. The practice of Melbourne-based artist Rebecca Dzartov is informed not just by her faith, but also by her work as a tattoo artist. In Jam Doughnut, we see […]
Showcase: Helena Newcombe
Based in the Hunter Valley, mixed-media artist Helena Newcombe is familiar with the enduring beauty of the Australian landscape. However, in her practice the artist chooses to transport her viewer to unfamiliar terrains, tracing the dips and curves of an imagined universe with paint and thread. In The Daylight Basin, we see a vast mountain […]
Showcase: Waqeea Chaudhry
The work of Sydney-based artist Waqeea Chaudhry comes from a place of emotional vulnerability, her paintings forming a visceral link between the viewer’s experiences and her own. In Bereft we see that, while the artist has delighted in a life lived abroad, she is unafraid to linger on the hardships that come with this lifestyle […]