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Tonee Messiah
EMPTY Design Magazine, Issue 02, 2004
'Stories of the City' by Millie Ross
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Hallelujah I have seen the light. As her namesake implies, Sydney artist Tonee Messiah makes like the prophet of the people
and brings us images that tell a thousand tales. Her delicate
and unusual portraits of quirky individuals conjure stories from times untold. Stories that may or may not have actually occurred
are inevitably created through viewing her unique and intricate
watercolour illustrations.
Currently studying at Sydney College of the Arts, Tonee defines her style as a conscious partnering of medium and concept.
"Style is an interesting issue for an artist in the early parts of
their career. It seems a bit dangerous to commit to a 'style' at this early stage because there is still so much exploration to be done.
Although I tend to adopt a contemporary illustrative aesthetic, I always try to make sure
I'm interpreting it in an original manner. Trends fade away too quickly to commit to them too
strongly."
Concept plays a substantial role in her work as she finds it gives a comfortable framework to push and explore topics of interest. In
2002 Tonee made a work titled It's You consisting of 100 drawings in pen and gouache of people she saw on the train, bus or walking
on the street. As covertly as possible she'd pull out her pen and make a quick line drawing of them.
"I found I was happily indifferent to people I was sharing my immediate environment with, and drawing them seemed an
obvious way to counter this. The works were like documentations
of people I would have otherwise completely ignored. Little tugs to pull me out of the
'whitewash' that is living in a city."
Her eyes constantly prowling for new material, she chooses subjects on the basis of their communication and perceived
strength of character. In this way her kooky characters often seem
as though they are part of an overall narrative, and Tonee relies on the viewer to collaborate by taking the role of storyteller.
"Each character is a microcosm in a narrative that the viewer constructs.
It's essential to leave room for the viewer to be involved in the work, to give them the opportunity to create with
you"
Her most recent exhibition, Fingerprints, a series of portrait accompanying ten poems by Australian poets as part of the 2004
Sydney writers Festival, was an exciting endeavor which saw
Messiah deploying her gift of hinting at hidden narratives and conveying depth of character through her illustration work.
"Sydney is a curious place when it comes to inspiration, it's hard-edged urbanity can often be off putting but I think once you
become part of its fabric you learn to either source from it or push
directly against it."
After four years of Uni, Tonee diffidently predicts a future without secure career options. She imagines she could be washing dishes
in a "filthy little café" to earn money for making and exhibiting her
work. Or maybe, on a more positive note, she'll land a stimulating fine art job that pays reasonably, with a well-lit studio in a nice
street amongst lots of big trees.
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