Medusa’s Hibiscus presents a combination of new and revisited works by Ondine Seabrook. The paintings in the exhibition draw from an array of different places which Ondine has absorbed herself in. All of the works are both an exploration and celebration of the natural world which she has responded to through her own unique lens.
The earlier works in the exhibition from the NSW Desert and Sydney’s Northern Beaches focus on the changing light and subtle shifting colours and movement in the landscape. The artist divulges her emotional response to these landscapes through a selective use of colour and hazy marks. “I always let the painting take a life of its own. It becomes a balancing act between colour and marks. Like nature, itself always changing in the moment.” Through this process, the work becomes less realistic and more a reflection of how I see the world. The result teleports the viewer into a serene atmospheric world.
The new works from Sicily and Thailand are a development on this theme. In these works, Ondine merges together a few different elements of one place. We see bright red paint splattered petunias from Scopello placed on a softer grassy background, the flowers just mingling with the surface. She also isolates these floral motifs. In another work we see the same flowers floating on a denim like background. The artist also brings together motifs from completely different landscapes. This interplay between place takes the work in a new surreal direction. The recontextualisation of the revisited works, through mixing them with the newer works adds to this surreal quality. The unusual pairing of all of these locations and mashing up of the motifs creates a unique scape resulting in an element of mystery and ambiguity.
Medusa’s Hibiscus shows us both sides of nature. Nature is beautiful but it can sting or prick. You never know what could be lurking underneath the surface. There is beauty in its power and danger. We see this through Ondine’s juxtaposing of soft and bold gestural brushstrokes and her combining of pastel and bold, vibrant colours. A bright pink flower, a gift from nature, popping out of a dark background. These paintings are alluring, as is nature and take us into a rich emotive world, bringing us closer to nature at a time when it has never been so important.