Otis Hope Carey & Shaun Daniel Allen (Shal)

CATALOGUE

China Heights presents an exhibition of collaborative artworks by Otis Hope Carey and Shaun Daniel Allen at the new Louis Vuitton Brisbane store. ‘Where The River Meets The Ocean’ expresses the vitality and healing properties of the ocean and its waterways on Country. Each co-authored painting in this body of work weaves together layers of both Carey’s and Allen’s motif patterning and line work in a dynamic yet harmonious resolution. The meditative and soothing nature of the brush strokes are vessels of cultural heritage, resilience and pride. ‘Where The River Meets The Ocean’ examines a synthesis of styles, a shared appreciation of source material and the ways in which the artist can be a conduit for spirituality and its expressionistic output. Highlighting both the individual’s inner journey and a sense of collective identity.

Alongside the collaborative works will be a selection of each artists’ individual pieces. Shaun Daniel Allen, a proud Yugambeh/Bundjalung man, ochre infused paintings release gestural, flowing linework accentuating the natural duration of the brush stroke in reference to the organic flows of estuaries, creeks and rivers.

We’re also pleased to announce the finalising of a large form painting installation by Otis Hope Carey for the interior of the new Louis Vuitton store. Viewable whilst visiting ‘Where The River Meets The Ocean’, the mural is an interpretation of Carey’s Gumbaynggirr clan totem, Gaagal (the ocean). Concentric circles, traditional symbols of the Gumbaynggirr people, allude to the ocean, its ripples, tides and inclinations. Carey’s signature patterning blanketed over the top illustrates shifting energies in which the undulations, grooves and natural forms of the built wall-scape serve to enhance and alter the painting in a way inherent to the space.