In this exhibition, Murray has created a series of paintings in acrylic and oils that explore the painterly dynamics of figuration vs representation, layering, shifting grounds, gestural mark-making and vibrant use of colour. Murray creates vibrant, visceral compositions, using references to religious art-historical paintings as a grounding for their explorations. Using traditional and non-traditional supports of sewn quilt-like canvases, Murray elevates the work as image and object and has a great interest of the act of making and process informing their work.
Murray’s earlier work has explored creating an embodied experience of landscape, with working en-plein air and using the space, place and time of the landscape to inform the work. Murray is currently using similar visual language to explore themes of sublime vs grotesque and depictions of sin and spirituality in art-historical works, translating these to their own experience. Creating works that move and transform from form to mark, creating hidden layers of images and meaning in the works.
About the Artist
Sarah Murray is a Canberra-based artist, creating their work on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country. She primarily works in painting and drawing and additionally explores installation and printmaking. Since graduating with first-class honours from the ANU School of Art and Design in 2021, Sarah has participated in various exhibitions across Canberra, interstate, and internationally. Their work is characterised by vibrant colours and expressive mark-making, striking a dynamic balance between representation and abstraction. Sarah’s work explores themes of the bodily experience of the landscape, spirituality, the sublime, the grotesque, and the physicality of art-making.
Image
Sarah Murray by Tanzil Hossain
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