Rhythm (Nov-May 2024)

Rhythm unpacks forms and languages grounded in identities that are unconsciously shared with one another. The newly commissioned works by a combination of local and non-local artists Ashe, BHO VÉ, Robert Sherwood Duffield, and Sofie Dieu come together to stimulate the notions of interconnectedness and love, responding to unique yet overlapping environmental and identity complexities. The explorations of the connections between the self and our cultural and environmental ecologies intertwine seamlessly in poetic flow.

Rhythm intends to perform a dialogue between the works of artists and ignite one between the works and audiences. Transcending social constructs restraining who we are and what we see, the ideas behind the works evoke a resonation that rhymes amongst us.

Walk down the laneway and find out more...

Fantastic Flowers is a series of works produced with artificial intelligence (AI) programs by Urana-based multidisciplinary artist Robert Sherwood Duffield. These are hybrid forms of Grevillea and local flowers including Diuris Orchid, Donkey Orchid, Hyacinth Orchid and Wallaby Grass. For Robert, AI is a technical advance as simple as a paint brush. It utilises a semantic relationship with imagery. Paint brushes are accessible to most, however what one chooses to do with a brush is another thing.

Against a sharp black background, a flamboyant glow of the flowers is highlighted by their vibrant colours and peculiar forms. The assemblage of known, existent plants renders subjects unrecognisable, dreamy qualities, sparking curiosity and contemplation.

Robert’s advocacy for nature is driven by his strong belief that everything is alive, and that representing it in artistic compositions is his way of living.

Robert Sherwood Duffield is a cutting-edge artist based in Urana, NSW whose art practice spans a variety of mediums. With over 40 years of experience in the art industry, Robert continues to research new creative methodologies and develop experimental projects. Robert has been the recipient of numerous awards, commissions, residencies and his work can be found in both public and private collections.

Robert Sherwood Duffield

Magic Plants features native flora observed by artist Sofie Dieu who wandered along the Murray River in the spring of 2023 for this Laneway Lightbox project. Sofie took photographs of the reeds, river gum and its mistletoes, golden wattle and shoestring wattle, along with their environment. Sofie also collected plant samples to produce natural ink for the project. Later, they were assembled digitally with ink paintings of the corresponding plants she had created.

In Magic Plants, the hand-painted close-up views of the plants accentuate objects captured in the photographic layer. Some details are meticulously delineated with solid fine lines. The artistic technique of ink painting, a purposeful mixture of water and ink, was utilised to create transparency and colour bleeding. The enabled fluidity blurs the boundary between the outer and inner worlds: for Sofie the natural environment exists within us not around us. Through this body of work, Sofie presents the wonderment and poetry of plants, but also fragility under the water mismanagement of the area.

Born in rural France, Sofie Dieu is a culturally and linguistically diverse visual artist now based in Melbourne/Naarm. Her art lies at the intersection of womanhood, healing and spirituality. Sofie's artworks focus on what shapes us, being our struggles as much as our hidden beauties. Profoundly poetic, her art gives voice to those who otherwise stay unheard.

Sofie Dieu

'decipher you / decipher me' is a collaborative project birthed by sheer coincidence, an occurrence that can be attributed to Jung's concept of the 'collective unconscious' or Roland Barthe's notion of a 'chain of equivalence' linking all lovers in the world.

The discovery of each other through social media uncovered that both Ashe and BHO VÉ had independently created near-identical video works, albeit thirteen years apart. Ashe’s work, Delusional Dimensions, visualised the gestures of lovers, while BHO VÉ’s work, SHEET PIECE, explored the gesture of self-loving and reclamation.

Conversations with each other regarding our work and Barthes' text, 'A Lover's Discourse: Fragments,' sparked a process of re-contextualizing these works. This exploration delved into the intersections of language, love, and longing. Image descriptors have replaced the actual images, which were considered too risqué for public space. This act renders them redundant, effectively illustrating the gesture of erasure and censored bodies.

About the artists:

Ashe's art practice is conceptually based and deeply rooted in exploring the politics of belonging. He creates works that are poetic and evocative (sometimes provocative) exploring the politics of identity, belonging, and marginalisation. His transdisciplinary approach to art making draws from his own personal history and experience questioning our (broken) social systems and what it means to look for a safe place to be(long) within contemporary society.

BHO VÉ is a visual artist from lutruwita, now based in Naarm. The gaze is turned upon their self through their performative, video, and sculptural practice. Recording, reflection, and recollection are explored through their body, texts, and videos as BHO VÉ exposes the intimate processes of self-examination.