Uneasy Idyll – Hill Smith Gallery at Art Central for Hong Kong Art Week.

Playing with form and figure, Uneasy Idyll presents four artists who explore the ambiguous and sometimes uncanny relationship between aspects of the land and the figure.

On exhibition currently at Hill Smith Gallery as part of Art Central Hong Kong, the gallery has selected four artists from the South side of Australia – Deidre But-Husaim (SA), Matt R. Martin (VIC), Shannon Smiley (VIC) and Adriane Strampp (VIC). Whilst distinct in their own practices, each artist plays with the emotion of the figure or the landscape and the potential connection this can hold with the viewer.

Deidre But-Husaim is known for her diverse works, focused upon the very nature of looking and making rather than solely the concept. Thus her works range from depicting people experiencing a work of art or might be purely an investigation into a phenomenon of nature.

Whilst Deidre switches between man and nature, Matt R. Martin is focussed purely on the subtle nuances of human gesture. Stemming from his mother’s passion for classical ballet, he continues a love for the capability of the human form. His works present the body in strange formations and orientations, reconstructing and depicting body language.

Shifting the gaze to the landscape Adriane Strampp paints tale of the Romantic landscape. Lyrically abstract, there is a sense of an in-between or passing time in her transient works. Strong washes of colour vary in tone across the canvas, painting an emotional narrative. In subtle contrast Shannon Smiley is drawn to the rough and cheeky urban setting – depicting a landscape where nature has taken back over the city. There is a tension between the natural and man-made that Smiley encourages, with the centre of the metropolis presented as unruly and overgrown.

Somewhere between curious ambiguity and painterly detail, look forward to evocative works that present settings that are both strange yet familiar.

EXHIBITION
Uneasy Idyll
Until 25 March 2017
Hill Smith Gallery at Art Central Hong Kong
Central Harbourfront Hong Kong

Courtesy the artists and Hill Smith Gallery, Hong Kong

Archibald Prize 2016: Esther Stewart wins Sulman Prize with abstract painting

Other Watson favourites included Adriane Strampp’s Brume, Reko Rennie’s Warriors come out to play, and Isriel Adams Water’s Edge.

Elie Choueifaty – Sydney Morning Herald

Adriane Strampp  Transference

Text and selected works can be viewed on Ocula here.

Hill Smith Gallery
Adelaide Australia

The painting Transition 2015  was borrowed recently to appear on a television advertising campaign by Monde Nissan for Black Swan dips. Image credit Publicis Mojo.

On the cover of The Sunday Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Melbourne interior designers The Stylesmiths borrowed Encounter 2015 for this Australian-themed shoot.

Arts News, Vogue Living (Australia) September/October issue.

Natalie Walton, the amazingly talented creator behind the popular Daily Imprint requested a second interview to update and rerun the original interview in 2009. The new interview can be read here. Thanks Natalie!

The Northsider

Arts & Lifestyle

Text by Melanie Dimmitt

Melbourne-based artist Adriane Strampp surrendered her home to a television series, incidentally becoming owner of one of the most sought-after lounge rooms in the country (at least, by a legion of Offspring fans). Her Collingwood dwelling (a coat hanger-factory turned two-storey warehouse) boasts an interior and an eclecticism bold enough to echo the chaos of the show’s heroine, Nina Proudman, and Strampp has decided to let it spill out – producing a limited edition of prints straight from the walls of the highly televised abode.

Read more…

Full link to magazine interview and images here.

Isn’t it incredible how light has the ability to change ones appearance and character completely? The illuminated service station you purchased a packet of gum at this morning seems much more dire past a certain time, and all of the creaks and squeaks that seem to rest in between your walls during the day find satisfaction in giving you the heebie-jeebies in the early hours of the morning, are two ideal examples of this. But when Melbourne artist Adriane Strampp exposed the overcast, murky surroundings we recognise in our daily lives on canvas, she determined that beauty truly can be seen – even in the darkness.

Strampp had always been interested in filling in the gaps; her childhood consisting of colouring books and dazzling presentations – the young creative often paying little attention to the written aspect of her assignments. Her correlation with hues and shades is evident in her exquisite oil paintings; a traditional art form Strampp is determined to preserve. “There’s sensuality to painting unlike drawing, printmaking or working digitally,” she states, “which tend to be more technical, and often employ harsher methods and materials.” The fluidity, tactility, and versatility of painting are three elements that Strampp has found herself falling in love with.

There’s something admirable and humble about the way Strampp connects with her individual pieces. Every morning, after picking up a take-away coffee, Strampp spends ten minutes simply observing her work before continuing to paint. She believes that time is needed to reconnect. The mood upheld in Strampp’s elegant paintings is a true indication of the frame of mind as preserved by the artist. Her art is a true indication of her awareness of the world that surrounds her and its alluring splendour, as seen through her visionary eyes. For more information on Adriane Strampp, don’t hesitate to visit adrianestrampp.ignitestaging.com.au.