Lara Merrett: Tissu Tissue

Running from July 20 to August 12, abstract artist Lara Merrett's new show is a wild exploration of colour and form.
James Shackell
Published on July 14, 2023

Overview

Collingwood gallery Sullivan + Strumpf are launching a new exhibition this month: Tissu Tissue by acclaimed abstract artist Lara Merrett.

Merrett is known for her mind-bending colour work, and these new canvases push her trademark style about as far as it can go. Imagine an ocean of soft, pulsing colour, where forms blur and merge into one another. It's trippy and soothing all at the same time, in a similar vein to US artist Arielle Austin.

"As an ocean swimmer, I try to tap into, hold onto, and inject this state into the work. In thinking of landscape as an experience, I am connecting to this larger force – I am part of something bigger than myself," Merrett says.

"In psychoanalysis, oceanic feeling is an expansion of consciousness beyond one's body, a limitless extension, and a sense of unlimited power associated with identification with the universe as a whole."

Born in Melbourne in 1971, Merrett currently splits her time between studios in Sydney and Bendalong in regional New South Wales. Tissu Tissue is a rare chance for Melburnians to catch her latest work.

The exhibition will run from July 20 to August 12, with a special launch event on Thursday ,July 20 (6–8pm). Follow Sullivan + Strumpf for all the updates.

Images: Supplied

Information

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