On the Surface of Things

Overview

On the Surface of Things is an exploration of layers, inviting you to delve under silk, screen and shroud. Nine Sydney-based artists have come together in this exhibition, curated by Isobel Parker Philip. Pooling their artistic sensibilities, they indulge in surface and texture, chasing everyday moments of unusual beauty. From Eloise Rapp’s harmonic and flowing draperies to Bianca Chang’s clean little cuts, meticulously carved out of paper, there is a delicacy of touch that pervades the exhibition. These are possibly two of the most different works on display, yet they are united by the subtlety of their design.

Traversing the senses, Jacob Ring’s photography series evokes a range of different moods. Some of his works are sublime dreamscapes awash with hazy hues, whilst others showcase a fascination with contrasting textures, such as the hard glow of neon on lush satin. His soft manipulation of light is not overstated, allowing rays of colour to gently bounce off silky fabrics. There is a classic and filmic quality to his romantic image, Shroud ii, featuring an elegantly masked bouquet of flowers. The veiling of the dark buds carries a sense of old-world mystique, speaking more directly to themes of concealment and secrecy.

Justine Varga also engages with these notions; her Moving Out presents an enigmatic piece of wrapped furniture, displaced and crystallised with memory. Isobel Parker Philip describes the ‘whispering’ quality of Varga’s photography. And true, there is a fullness to the seemingly stark minimalism of her careful compositions that is slow to unfold. The intimate scale entices you in, and with time, there is a blossoming of detail and perspective. A perfect example of this is the gossamer layer of Glad Wrap draped over her still life with fruit — a sort of ghostly membrane covering the fruit skin that encases the flesh. These subtle tiers of perception make for a rewarding experience.

Another memorable series is the blunt blades of Deb Mansfield’s photo-tapestries, yoking together hardware and domesticity. Sarah Mosca’s Untitled (part 1 & 2) perhaps errs more on the side of ‘screen’ than ‘shroud’. Of her twin pieces depicting the dramatic mountain scenery of her childhood, one is overlaid with a lurid pink Perspex lens. She retains the personal narrative of one and obstructs it in the other. Thus, the doubling is a study of distance and proximity, representing the fogging over of memory, or perhaps the relinquishing of it.

Often we are too quick to pin down photography as unimaginatively mechanical with its piercing factual accuracy. However, this exhibition offers up new ways to consider photography. There is an optical elusiveness that recurs throughout as each artist demonstrates a unique way of harnessing light and shadow. The process of viewing is one of peeling off layers, as appearances and boundaries are constantly shifting. It would seem that the value lies not in uncovering the core but in journeying through the shrouds.

Image: Jacob Ring.