Alison Dower, Castaway, 2020. Mixed media on canvas, 91.5 x 122cm. Courtesy: the artist
AMBER CRESWELL BELL
Creative Director, Michael Reid Northern Beaches
The artist here is making a very personal commentary about world events – not in any literal or representative way, but more about how things feel. Using abstraction, Alison Dower is postulating these things, refracted through her own internal dialogue and psychological narratives. Her meaning is not explicit, instead it is as though she is working through her ponderings through layers of mixed materials.
JOHN STAFFORD
Director, Onespace Gallery, Brisbane
Dower’s moody, textured piece, Castaway, offers a sense of both abandonment and resolve in a sea of uncertainty, particularly in the context of Covid-19. The multiple layers and muted tones create a sombre scenario where small bursts of hope occasionally break through. However, rather than a crisp distinction between ourselves and the world around us, her work inevitably immerses us in an entwined coexistence.
FELIXE LAING
Curator, Sanderson Contemporary Art, Auckland
Castaway talks to the specific time of living in the midst of a pandemic. Fatigued by the mundanity of restricted routine and a doom-scrolling defining news feed, the artist casts off these pressures through her painting. She does so through repetitive layered brush strokes and manipulated and collaged newspaper clippings. Ultimately building up a patina-like finish, revealing an opalescent beauty.