17 August to 10 September
Opening Saturday 20 August, 3pm to 5pm
Kate Shaw‘s paintings deal with the paradox inherent in our relationship to the natural environment – one fraught with awe and fear, closeness and distance, creation and destruction. Formed out of poured paint and collage techniques, the landscapes capture the transcendent beauty of nature. The swirls of acrylic paint, ink, glitters and powders mimic the flow of natural processes. Through this, Shaw is seeking to illuminate the brutal beauty and the overwhelming magnificence of nature as well as its minute details. Yet, beneath these psychedelic natural scenes, one can find hints of pollution and artificiality, inviting both wonder and discomfort. This intersection of creation and corruption in these alchemical creations teases out our conflicted relationship with the natural world.
Shaw’s newest body of work particularly considers the Anthropocene, which is defined as a geological age where human activity is the dominant influence on the climate and the environment. Her works consider this new epoch, conjuring imagery that conflates the artificial and the natural, the sublime and the toxic, the creative and destructive. In this exhibition Shaw draws upon imagery of places she has visited that show the evidence of past and present climatic change, such as Iceland, Central Australia and the South West of the United States. New forms of geology created by human activity – such as plastiglomerate (rock and plastic conglomerates formed from burned garbage) and Fordite (a “rock” made entirely of layers of automotive paint) are also represented in these works, and play a crutial role in the overall story of her works.
Shaw has been selected for numerous prizes over the last 10 years, including being a Wynne Prize Finalist several years in a row, Scegg Redlands Prize finalist in 2014, Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize finalist in 2013 and Substation Contemporary Art Prize finalist in 2012. Shaw has works in the collections of Artbank Australia, Macquarie Group Collection (VIC), Museum of Brisbane (QLD), Rockhampton Regional Gallery (QLD), Royal Sydney Golf Club (NSW), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (VIC), University of Queensland Museum (VIC), Westpac Collection Australia, as well as various private collections across Australia, New Zealand, USA, United Kingdom and Korea.
Shaw’s selected solo exhibitions include Radiant Orb (Mirus Gallery, San Francisco, USA 2016), Blue Marble (Turner Galleries, Perth 2015), Eternal Surge (PointB, New York, USA 2014), Stardust in our Veins (Fehily Contemporary, Melbourne 2014), ART14 London(Fehily Contemporary, London 2014), Uncanny Valleys (The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong 2014) and Luminous Worlds (Gippsland Art Gallery, Victoria 2014).
Selected group exhibitions include NOW16 (Fehily Contemporary, Melbourne 2016),ART15 London (Olympia Stadium, Kensington, London 2015), Synthetica (Wangaratta Art Gallery; Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery; Counihan Gallery; Latrobe Regional Gallery; Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, curated by Claire Anne Watson 2015), 18 x 8 (PointB, New York 2015), Art Is… (Horsham Art Festival, Horsham Regional Gallery 2014) and Sublime Point(Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, curated by Carrie Kibbler and Graham Kime 2014).
Fehily Contemporary
935 High Street
Armadale VIC 3143
03 9508 8873
Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 5pm
or by appointment
