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Abbey McCulloch
I Miss You Most of All
Solo Exhibition of New Paintings
3- 26 / February 2005
Opening Night 3rd February , 6- 8pm
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Abbey McCulloch's works are expressive representations of the female.
They capture dualities and contradictions. Where the previous paintings appeared as cute doe-eyed damsels, there is now an underlying strength of character that comes through after the first glance. This makes her works so appealing and ultimately so popular.
Her pieces exploit self-assurance and seduction, and yet embody vulnerability and self-conscious flaws.
"Popularity, voyeurism, expectations and the predatory nature of the 'male gaze'.
Some women work with it to their advantage and they can happily claim ownership of the associated baggage. I try not to judge, but just to observe.
The popularity issue is one that plagues me. Women can be very exclusive and thrive on the sense of belonging and the need to feel needed by people who matter is very powerful.
There are ironies in the relationships that women have with each other. We judge and we envy, and we can be so malevolent.
To define this new series of work, I would say that I'm looking into the mess associated with wanting to be wanted. I've photographed strippers, women in bars, happy mothers and their demanding offspring, and I've come up with these muddy caricatures that are much more narrative in content than previous works".
Abbey McCulloch 2005
Abbey McCulloch is a full-time artist, based on the Gold Coast. She is a graduate of the Queensland College of Art (Fine Arts) and she focuses primarily on oil painting and raw drawings. Her work has is collected in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the USA and throughout Australia.
We all seem to validate ourselves to some degree by observing. The body continues to be the site of so much personal conflict.
The volatility and tension observed by Abbey, enables her to strengthen her subjects and push them into more ambiguity.
'If I could succinctly capture everything I see every type of woman doing, then I will expand my subject matter. But until then, I'm totally kept challenged by these creatures of duality and extremes.' Abbey McCulloch. |
Further Information:
Helen Gory
03 95252808 0413123705
[email protected]
www.helengory.com
tues - sat 11am/6pm |
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