Ellen Virgona, Henrietta Harris (NZ), Lucy O'Doherty & Nathan Hale

STOCKROOM

'Reflections of You'  is a group exhibition featuring new works by Ellen Virgona, Henrietta Harris (NZ), Lucy O'Doherty & Nathan Hale; with each artist working across the mediums of painting, drawing, photography & mosaic bricolage.
All works traverse a variety of themes, with the central purpose of the relationship to place, observing the subconscious examination of self.

Ellen Virgona:

Her current body of work 'Three Women'  is Ellen Virgona's ongoing exploration of the subtleties of the female figure. This current study aims to distract the viewer from the expectation of objectivity, but rather to shape and form, with colour and scale being the key mechanisms. Each image, when standing alone, present a portrait of an anonymous individual, not necessarily clear if you look once - but as an ensemble, say - "this is what women are, as different, as varied, as conventional, as unconventional, as this".
Colour and scale work in unison to provide a clear distinction between seeing and understanding, closing in on details that bring attention to the more involuntary parts of the body. In the images, the bodies are presented in a way that feels ubiquitous, but relaxed, somewhat undone. More erotic than sexual, more sexual than lewd, the relationship between the person, the wearer, the clothing, and the looker feels cautious. The pose is akin to the relationship one has with themself at their most comfortable, the unkempt self you might present with only the closest friend, or the readied version of ourselves we show to our partners.

Lucy O'Doherty:

Lucy O’Doherty is an artist living and working on Gadigal land who specialises in soft pastel drawings and oil paintings that draw inspiration from memories, dreams and ethereal moments in the realms of the domestic world as well as the landscape. O'Doherty's preferred technique in application of both oil paint and soft pastels involves blending the mediums until hard lines begin to dissolve, creating vibrating impressions of objects and places that have the hazy quality of a fading memory. Her subject matter tends towards showing reverence for the natural world and an underlying anxiety over the precariousness of the man made world.

O'Doherty is a former recipient of The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, as well as being a finalist in the Wynne Prize, the Dough Moran National Portrait Prize, Ravenswood Women’s Art Prize, Mosman Art Prize and received highly commended in the Pro Hart Outback Prize.

Henrietta Harris:

Henrietta Harris is an artist from Aotearoa New Zealand based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. She has exhibited widely—particularly in Australasia and the United States—and has produced artwork for diverse publications and commercial clients. Her practice has been characterised by precise technique and psychological intensity throughout her career. She often depicts individuals at the crossroads of early adulthood, in states of uncertainty or isolation—self-scrutinising and scrutinised by others.
These four paintings for China Heights Gallery are a further fun exploration of the last few years practice, and a recent change of canvas sees looser brushstrokes and darker, more layered work.
Harris is represented by Melanie Roger Gallery in Auckland and Robert Fontaine Gallery in Miami. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Auckland University of Technology (2006).

Nathan Hale:

Nathan Hale works in the themes of household objects, and things we hold close to daily living.
Through exploring the unknown ambiguities of household objects, he directs the importance of using ceramic tiles, where the previous use is visible but not understood.
"History exists visually although is diminished allowing a new story to take place one that I am able to create through my art practice. Finding ceramic wares, breaking up, laying them. They weave together to develop a structural integrity to the work. Each tile has its own buzz but with all of them together they create a hum that expresses harmony.
The duo of mosaic paintings where only ceramic tiles are used are all about finding the basis of what makes a ceramic tile. This is then explored excessively, the tile is used in more than a conventional flat surface. Tiles are layered upon more tiles, it is a luxurious way to work with tiles. Were it not for the labour that goes into carving out each tile, the mosaic work would be of less worth. It is the labour that goes into each tile that earns them a privilege to be used excessively".