Quiet Voice

Sub 12 Exhibition
Substation Melbourne, 2010

Quiet Voice has allowed me to continue to explore notions of fragility and change but has challenged me to respond to the space that my paintings inhabit as an additional element to my work. An extremely rigid, ordered and precise physical space, with the noise of trains, traffic and the city ever present. I seek to create a place of stillness; of peace where the viewer is encouraged to take a journey. To breathe in and be conscious of their presence but also aware of the fragility of that stillness.  I want to suggest the stillness required to calm a bird but the tension created by that stillness.

“Quiet Voice” is something I hear my self say often as a mother to a young child and is also something that I have endeavoured to reflect in my work. I wish to create works that are quiet and contemplative and that offer gentle conversations with the viewer. The act of painting to me is also reflective of these things and I find that this is where I find  my own sense of stillness.

As a response to the highly ordered and regimented space, Quiet Voice is intended to take you on a journey. I have been very drawn to the structure within the room and also with the strong geometric forms.  Elements such as the pillars and small circular elements will become integral to the overall exhibition, as will the graffiti apparent on the walls. In response to this, the exhibition will consist of a series of small paintings and larger works separated by translucent screens. The screens will encourage the viewer to take a slow, considered journey through the space but also suggest containment.