Dream and Reason: Paradoxes of the Sublime
18 August - 11 September
Opening Event: Wed 26th Aug, 6pm-8pm
Andrew Totman, Wendy Sharpe AM FRSN,
Salvatore Gerardi, Juanita McLauchlan,
Annika Romeyn, Bridget Hillebrand
W Sharpe represented by King Street on William Gallery Sydney
J McLauchlan represented by Casandra Bird Gallery Sydney and Paris
A Romeyn represented by Flinders Lane Gallery Melbourne Victoria
Dream and Reason explores the Romantic notion of the sublime, a concept that is both catastrophic and transcendent, quiet and terrible. Standing in for that which lies beyond thought and language, the sublime is unbounded, paradoxical and polarising, with the power to provoke both awe and fear. The exhibition examines the interplay between human reason and nature's overwhelming forces and the mind's capacity to transcend its own limits in the search for infinite space, spiritual rhythms and elemental truths.
The show also celebrates printmaking's long history in Australia, marking the 60th year of the Australian Print Council and the 65th of the Sydney Printmakers, a tribute to the medium and the artists who take on its challenge.
Six artists feature across three galleries. Gallery 1 presents Archibald and Sulman Prize winner Wendy Sharpe AM, showcasing large-scale gestural monotypes that transform the space into a theatre of figures and colour, evoking the unease reminiscent of 1950s film noir.
.png)
Someone from my past, Wendy Sharpe, Monotype Triptych, 120 x 90 cm (Each panel)
Photo John Fotiadis
Galleries 2 and 3 hold a collective of five contemporary printmakers. Andrew Totman's abstract works pulse with the seasons, tides and lunar cycles. Gamilaraay artist Juanita McLauchlan, based on Wiradjuri country, channels her Indigenous heritage through the texture and chaos of the medium. Salvatore Gerardi's meticulous handmade pieces depict ecological change along Sydney's coastline, fooling the eye with an almost digital feel. Annika Romeyn, working on Ngunnawal Country, is drawn to the threshold of rock and water, where geological time meets seasonal change. Dr Bridget Hillebrand's "Water Divide, Shift II and Shift III are among a series of work informed by the rapidly shifting ecology of oceans and river systems. Created through a continuous process of experimentation and innovative printing techniques the large-scale three-dimensional prints explore the unique materiality of washi and engineering felt to represent the transience and fragility of our natural waterways." - Bridget Hillebrand
Together, these works push the boundaries of what prints can be whilst grappling with nature, ecology, technology and the vastness of contemporary experience.
_2023_pencil%20and%20watercolour%20monotype%20on.jpg)
Black Cypress (Old Mutawintji Gorge)’, Annika Romeyn, 2023, pencil and watercolour monotype on paper, 168 x 228cm
Photo by Brenton McGeachie
About the Artists
Monoprintng Workshop
Sunday 30 August 10am-4pm
Join master printmaker, Andrew Totman for A Day of Monoprinting workshop. Totman will introduce the participants to a variety of colour printmaking techniques for producing sensitive layered and bold multiple plate prints through step-by-step demonstrations and explanations.You will learn a range of mark-making methods, from customary to more experimental techniques using paper stencils, found objects such as leaves or feathers.
By the end of the session, you will have a small portfolio of unique prints to take home.This workshop is open for both novice and more advanced students with Totman providing individualised attention to help each student.
