Harry Watson Exhibitions

Spring

17 Oct - 9 Nov 2020

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Artists

Exhibition Works

Phuno
Ben Pearce Phuno (2020)
Lyryn
Ben Pearce Lyryn (2020)
Ikosuk
Ben Pearce Ikosuk (2020)
Stasis X
Caroline Earley Stasis X (2020)
Stasis XII
Caroline Earley Stasis XII (2020)
Submerge V
Caroline Earley Submerge V (2019)
Stasis IX
Caroline Earley Stasis IX (2020)
Submerge III
Caroline Earley Submerge III (2020)
Stasis XI
Caroline Earley Stasis XI (2020)
Shattered
Leanne Morrison Shattered (2019)
Night Shade I
Leanne Morrison Night Shade I (2019)
Night Shade II
Leanne Morrison Night Shade II (2019)
Mask
Leanne Morrison Mask (2019)
Anthropocene Drawing 2
Peter Trevelyan Anthropocene Drawing 2 (2020)
Anthropocene Drawing 3
Peter Trevelyan Anthropocene Drawing 3 (2020)
Anthropocene Drawing 1
Peter Trevelyan Anthropocene Drawing 1 (2020)
Polymer #4 (Blue/Green)
Peter Trevelyan Polymer #4 (Blue/Green) (2019)
Polymer #8 (White/Black)
Peter Trevelyan Polymer #8 (White/Black) (2019)
Polymer #3 (Red/Yellow)
Peter Trevelyan Polymer #3 (Red/Yellow) (2019)
A Displaced Amble
Andy Leleisi'uao A Displaced Amble (2020)
A Displaced Walk
Andy Leleisi'uao A Displaced Walk (2020)
A Displaced Meander
Andy Leleisi'uao A Displaced Meander (2020)
A Displaced Wander
Andy Leleisi'uao A Displaced Wander (2020)
A Displaced Saunter
Andy Leleisi'uao A Displaced Saunter (2020)
Baka I
Claudia Jowitt Baka I (2020)
Baka II
Claudia Jowitt Baka II (2020)
Baravi I
Claudia Jowitt Baravi I (2020)
Happy Anniversary
Harry Watson Happy Anniversary (2018)
Untitled (Cyclic Thinking)
Harry Watson Untitled (Cyclic Thinking) (2020)
Christmas Eventually Comes to Us All
Harry Watson Christmas Eventually Comes to Us All (2020)
Popcorn Hill
Harry Watson Popcorn Hill (2020)
The Emperor Charlemagne Has Second Thoughts about Paddling into the Modern Age
Harry Watson The Emperor Charlemagne Has Second Thoughts about Paddling into the Modern Age (2020)
Hope
Harry Watson Hope (2018)
Dracular Faced the Wrong Way so Never Arrived at His Preferred Destination New Zealand
Harry Watson Dracular Faced the Wrong Way so Never Arrived at His Preferred Destination New Zealand (2020)

Exhibition Text

After waking from winter, the Southern Hemisphere heads towards summer in fits and starts. The sudden abundance of fresh colours and forms seems to defy the skies that still contain scudding, sullen clouds and the earth that still sports cold morning dew. The precarious energy of the season is evident in the selection of works that have been curated by Vanessa Jones for Spring.

Many of the works in Spring hint at lifeforms that inhabit the unseen parts of our world. Peter Trevelyan’s works could be the base structures of microcosmic organisms or unwieldy molecules magnified a million-fold. Their bell jars and glass cases not only serve as a protective measure, but speak to narratives of Victorian-era specimen collecting and scientific discovery.

Caroline Earley’s ceramic works suggest simple living creatures whose amorphous shapes swell and stretch out bud-like limbs. The Stasis pieces feature forms draped over and around one another in symbiotic (or parasitic?) relationships. Perfectly balanced for the present moment, the risk of instability is ever present.

The layers of extruded paint in Claudia Jowitt’s artworks capture a sense of burgeoning growth in the pastel hues of the season. The profligacy of textures come together in a cohesive whole, reminiscent of the intricacies of basket fungi or colonies of sea sponges and corals.

These could not be further from the minimal canvases of Leanne Morrison, whose abstract style explores the flatness and materiality of her artworks. Morrison manipulates the stretcher itself in Nightshade I and Nightshade II. This accentuates the weight and impetus of the painted bands to the point where they seem to have pushed the frames out of square.

A similar taut energy is evident in Ben Pearce’s faceted sculptures of corten steel. The poised towers of elemental, geometric forms produce a tension-filled stasis. The myth-inspired titles suggest that there are otherworldly powers at play in their creation. 

Mythic elements have always been integral to Andy Leleisi’uao’s practice. His painted communities are peopled with unearthly beings and replete with symbolic objects. As the creatures purposefully go about their lives, their in-between spaces seem boundless. 

In contrast to Leleisi’uao’s expansive worlds, Harry Watson’s miniatures focus tightly on their subjects. Their naive illustration and carved wood decoration suggests secular icons or amulets that bring fortune or protection. The intimate scale of the works requires intimate interaction from the viewer - and being close and personal with Hope is surely a fitting Spring pastime.

Exhibition Views