Patricia Piccinini: The Gardener's Eye

Overview

Paddington's Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery has nabbed a solo exhibition by one of Australia's most lauded contemporary artists — and you can see it in person right now. Running from Thursday, August 20–Saturday, September 19, Patricia Piccinini's The Gardener's Eye showcases new works that ask the viewer to reimagine their relationship with nature.

At the centre of the installation is a hyper-realistic, life-sized sculpture entitled Sapling (2020). It depicts artist Dennis Daniel with a 'fleshy plant creature' over his shoulder. The unusual sculpture was inspired by a Wurundjeri group's effort to save a 300-year-old tree that was growing outside a petrol station near Melbourne, as well as a women named Margit who fosters orphaned tree kangaroos in Queensland. For Piccinini, both situations — and the sculpture — represent the relationship between humans, animals and plants, which is a central theme in the artist's work.

Sitting in the gallery space alongside the artwork are a series of smaller creature-like sculptures titled Shoeforms (2019), which explore the 'naturalisation of technology'. Finally, the walls are adorned with a collection of drawings that explore the artist's fascination with birds and human hair.

If you can't make it to the gallery in person, a virtual viewing is also available through the website.

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery is open from 10am–6pm Tuesday–Friday and 11am–6pm Saturday.

Images: Installation view, Patricia Piccinini: The Gardener's Eye, Rosyln Oxley Gallery, Sydney. Photos by Luis Power.