From September 26th through November 14th, 19Karen Contemporary Artspace will be hosting three solo art exhibitions featuring the works of three different artists with three distinct approaches and styles. 19Karen is the largest Contemporary Art Gallery on the Gold Coast, Australia. Their warehouse-nouveau style facility is divided into five gallery sections. As a result, 19Karen is able to present three distinct exhibitions at the same time. So, visitors can expect to be enchanted by Jessica Watt’s femininely beautiful mixed-media portraits, drawn in by Petra Reece’s dramatic still lifes and idyllic landscapes, and enthralled by Ben Sheer’s dark suburban and industrial landscapes and phototaxis creatures.
Jessica Watts: ‘Debutante’ + Petra Reece: ‘In Search of Light’ + Ben Sheers: ‘Night’
Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 26, 2015 | 6 – 8 PM
(All of the artists will be in attendance)
Exhibition Dates:
September 26 – November 14, 2015
19Karen Contemporary Artspace
19 Karen Ave
Mermaid Beach
Gold Coast, QLD 4218
Australia
Jessica Watts: ‘Debutante’
Beautiful flowers, pretty aviary creatures, and lovely young women – there are so much beauty in each one of Jessica Watts‘ works, starting from their color schemes to their compositions, and – needless to say – their subject matters. On top of that, there is a sense of serenity that emanates from each one of the paintings. Without a doubt, many art collectors, art enthusiasts, and interior decorators are going fall head over heels with them. However, these paintings are much more than pretty images. They are invitations to reevaluate and explore the nature of femininity, and encouragements to discard outmoded perspectives about women.
All of the women portrayed in this series keep their faces hidden from our sights. They are letting us to take a good look at the things they want to express; nothing more and nothing less. They want to show us their strength, their self-possession, and their intention to seek contentment in their own ways.
(Above) A Certain Chemistry by Jessica Watts
(Above) Fish Will Fly by Jessica Watts
(Above) The Earth Laughs in Flowers by Jessica Watts
(Above) A Good Catch by Jessica Watts
(Above) The Fossick in the Flowerbed
(Above) Holding the Rainbow by Jessica Watts
Petra Reece: ‘In Search of Light’
There is something evocative about Petra Reece‘s paintings, especially the ones that depict a person whose face is turned away from us, as if she is enraptured by something only known to her that she isn’t aware we are looking at her. There are so much emotions in those paintings. I just can’t help but stare at them.
Each person depicted in these paintings have their eyes locked on something. Once we align our gazes with them, we will notice a number of visual clues that partially reveal the states of their minds. But, like film stills, these paintings leave the rest of the scenes unexplained.
Take a closer look of her painting below. The woman in the red dress has her eyes focused on a piece of paper, and a shadowy figure seen from her window has his gaze trained on her. Did the piece of paper fly away from his window into her room? Judging from his posture, and the fact that he did not fold or crumple the paper into a ball, he did not plan to throw the note into her room. What does the note contain? And what is going to happen once she picks up and read the note?
I invite you to look closer at each one of Petra’s paintings. What stories do these paintings tell you? If her still lifes are move stills, what do you think have happened to the off-screen characters?
(Above) The Note by Petra Reece
(Above) Beach Vendors Out of Season by Petra Reece
(Above) Still Life with Linen Cloth by Petra Reece
(Above) Low Light in the Dunes by Petra Reece
(Above) Still Life with Pink and Grey by Petra Reece
(Above) Dune House by Petra Reece
Ben Sheers: ‘Night’
In a way, Ben Sheers‘ recent body of works are the byproduct of having a young family. Living with very young children, the only time he could really focus on creating his works was when everyone else is asleep. Noticing the transformative effect of darkness, and coupled with his growing interest in long exposure torchlight photography, he started his experiments in painting nighttime sceneries.
Things do look different in the darkness of night, and pops of artificial lighting do lend a sense of mystery – and perhaps eeriness – on how our surroundings look like once the sun goes down. At night, artificial light sources – and everything they illuminate – become the focal points of our gazes. In some cases, these things are not the things we normally look at when everything is well lit by the sun. So, in a way, nighttime allows us to see and experience the world in a wholly different way.
As a person who also works once everyone else is asleep, I enjoy the relative quietness and serenity of the night. But, how about you? What do you see when you view these landscapes? Breathtaking beauty? Restlessness? Wonderment? Or, perhaps, fear? If you happen to be in the area, experience the full impacts of these paintings by viewing them in person.
(Above) Pyre by Ben Sheers
(Above) Edge of Night by Ben Sheers
(Above) Studio at Night by Ben Sheers
(Above) Cathedral by Ben Sheers
(Above) Dam Reflection by Ben Sheers
