Abi Skye, Observing Transformation, 2021. Oil paint on canvas, 76 x 61cm. $9,000. Courtesy: the artist
LUKE POTKIN
Fair Director, The Other Art Fair, Australia
There is real fragility in this piece but in that vulnerability there is beauty. The flower and butterfly are alluring yet delicate, and the expression on the subject’s face is one of uncertainty, as she attempts to understand her place within the world she finds herself in. The use of the same colour palette to depict both the person and her surrounding environment suggests this symbiosis, that her feelings are a reaction to the world around her but whereas the figure is solid and considered, her environment is more chaotic. The piece conveys the importance of being open, mindful and doing one’s best to respond to a world as it transforms around us.
ASHLEIGH JONES
Curator, COMA, Chippendale, Sydney
Miles’ Smoker’s Lounge gets to something very compelling very quickly, using line and colour as deeply evocative media. The artist rids their composition of superfluous detail, centering instead an empty chair and a troubled sitter, whose unflinching gaze stares beyond the viewer. This drawing exudes great confidence and celebrates its maker’s familiarity with charcoal and pastel.