Tanya Linney: Artist Statement & Bio

Linney’s ritual emphasis on gesture, texture and colour transform her works from their literal depictions into their representations; they become an extension of sensibilities, figureheads of greater concepts – from a painting to a ‘painting,’ they simultaneously role-play and are the true, real and authentic. In this, Linney acts as martyr, her belief in the ordinary, elevating non-art objects and practices to the realm of philosophical contemplation – leading to her death as the artist, an anonymity of the auteur.

Tanya Linney is a Sydney based multi-disciplinary artist and a graduate of the National Art School. Passionate about the nexus of technology and art with a focus on the representation of domesticity and women in a digital context. These concepts are explored through the use of sculpture, material, installation, photography and painting.

Ben King: Artist Statement & Bio

Ben King is a ceramic artist recognisable for his playful and strangely evocative work

Bens use of traditional ceramic forms such as plates and figures distorts the notion of everyday objects, challeging ceramic conventionality. A key concept lies in the individual, living spirit of each piece, and their rough solidity contrasts with the delicate attention he gives to them.

His pieces conjure childhood motifs often in humorously disaming, if not disconcerting ways. Comical looking characters may on closer inspection emerge as threatening, even scary. Trial and trauma appear instantaneously in parallel with living, yet manifest as dream-like imagery, ultimately offering a realistic optimism.

Chelsea Lehmann: Artist Statement & Bio

Gesture Exhibition Statement

This series of paintings is concerned with the body as a constantly changing and evolving entity, both physically and socially. My curiosity lies in the intersection of personal experiences of intimacy and desire with the tumultuous realities of our contemporary world – shaped by pandemic, ecological concerns, and social inequalities. Through the application of diverse paint viscosities and layering techniques, I explore the transformation and suppression of physical forms within chaotic environments, suggesting a continuous negotiation between inner and outer pressures. As fluid and ephemeral postures unfold amidst this turbulence, echoes of historical art forms intermittently surface and dissolve, emphasising the mutability of bodily forms.

Chelsea Lehmann has exhibited extensively in Australia for the past two decades, and has been the recipient of several awards, grants, and local and international residencies. Her work is informed by baroque and surrealist approaches to representing the body in pictorial space, referencing the body’s fragmentation and changing definitions in the 21st century. She is a Lecturer in Drawing at the National Art School and completed a PhD at UNSW Art & Design in 2019.

Chris Casali: Artist Statement & Bio

Chris Casali’s process driven practice employs an exploratory and intuitive approach to the creation of highly detailed and considered paintings. Her work, guided by the gesture of abstract expressionism, considers the influence of the external world on the internal self.

Her practice does not conform to a particular theoretic framework, rather she is guided by various personal experiences and memories as well as her ongoing fascination with detail. Her deep understanding of the materiality of paint allows her works to evolve dramatically over time. She straddles the tension between push and pull in her abstract marks on the canvas until a form is finally revealed. This form often hints towards the natural environment and fractured landscapes that are now obscured and disconnected in form.

This process navigates the depiction of the conscious and subconscious, it also hints towards an active withdrawal from the world, a coping mechanism that uses meditative practices that are both emotional and intuitive. While the detail in the works created by layered and deliberate marks can overwhelm the viewer, they also pose invitation to their experiences and interpretation.

Concurrently alongside her professional painting practice, Casali has held an extensive career in Arts Education and Management, including the position of Head of Visual Arts and Ceramics at TAFE NSW, Sydney Region.

Formal study attained includes a Master of Fine Art with Excellence from the University of New South Wales (2018); a Diploma of Fine Arts from the National Art School, Sydney (1994) and a Diploma of Graphic Design from Enmore Design Centre, Sydney TAFE (1998).

Casali’s work has been featured in solo and group shows in Australia and internationally, including Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Italy, and China. She has been represented in numerous art prizes including: the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize (Finalist, Professional Category, 2023); Dobell Drawing Prize 22# (2021); KAAF Art Prize (2019); 3rd Taiwan Watercolour Award Exhibition (2019); Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize (Winner - Emerging Category, 2019); Splash McClelland Contemporary Watercolour Award (2021, 2018); the Biennial International Marche d’Acqua Watercolour Prize (2018); the Kedumba Drawing Award (2015, 2016); The Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize (People’s Choice Award and Highly Commended, 2016); Tim Olsen Drawing Award (2016); Fishers Ghost Drawing/Printmaking Award (2014) and the Winsor & Newton Emerging Artist Prize (Highly Commended, 2013).

Her work is held in public and private collections in Australia and internationally, including: the Paper and Watermark Museum, Fabriano, Italy; the Kedumba Collection of Drawings; the Macquarie Group Collection; and the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Collection.