"MIRAGE"Catherine Woo
ARC ONE GALLERY
45 FLINDERS LANE MELBOURNE VIC 3000 AUSTRALIA
TELEPHONE +61 3 9650 0589 FAX +61 3 9650 0591 email
15 AUGUST > 16 SEPTEMBER, 2017
A master of the surface and abstraction,
Catherine Woo’s striking new body of
work is the product of an instinctive and
powerful alliance with the natural forces
that surround us.
For her third solo exhibition at ARC ONE Gallery, Woo continues to explore the mutable boundaries and energies in our relationship with the environment. In these latest works, she employs the concept of the mirage to explore a particular effect of light, at once shimmering and illusory, that dances between real and apparent movement.
Through the application of reflective materials, Woo probes the shifting territory between what is real (light) and what is manifested in our mind’s eye, effectively highlighting the fluid nature of perception. Drawing on raw materials and natural techniques, the rippled surfaces of her paintings not only evoke the natural world – undulations of water, formations of earth, glistening sand – but are also shaped by it:
“Using a collaborative approach with natural processes and materials – interactions of water, vibration and evaporation giving agency to matter - I am seeking to use process rather than representation to describe this ephemeral quality of light moving in waves; at once trying to capture something in material form whilst acknowledging its essentially elusive quality.” - Catherine Woo, 2017
Woo’s innovative approach to painting is imbued in these remarkable works. Layered and textured, shimmering and ethereal, they simultaneously speak to themes of beauty, nature, and geography, while resisting representation in the pursuit of more philosophical concerns. As with the mirage, they deftly balance between what we know and what we believe we see.
Catherine Woo graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tasmania in 2013, having also studied at Sydney College of Fine Arts and the ANU School of Art. She has exhibited her work across Australia and internationally since 1997. In 2008 and 2011, Woo was awarded a $20,000 New Work grant by the Australia Council Visual Art Board, and was included in the Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia (2008). In 2010, Woo was curated into an exhibition at the Samstag Museum in Adelaide titled Abstract Nature. She has been a Finalist in the City of Hobart Art Prize in 2002, 2011 and 2012. Her major corporate commissions include: Visy Corp Australia, the Chinese World Trade Centre, Beijing, Shangri-la Hotel, Beijing; Four Seasons, Hong Kong; and the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Shanghai. Her work is represented in private and public collections in Australia, including Artbank, Macquarie Bank, and RACV, as well as in the UK and Asia.
For her third solo exhibition at ARC ONE Gallery, Woo continues to explore the mutable boundaries and energies in our relationship with the environment. In these latest works, she employs the concept of the mirage to explore a particular effect of light, at once shimmering and illusory, that dances between real and apparent movement.
Through the application of reflective materials, Woo probes the shifting territory between what is real (light) and what is manifested in our mind’s eye, effectively highlighting the fluid nature of perception. Drawing on raw materials and natural techniques, the rippled surfaces of her paintings not only evoke the natural world – undulations of water, formations of earth, glistening sand – but are also shaped by it:
“Using a collaborative approach with natural processes and materials – interactions of water, vibration and evaporation giving agency to matter - I am seeking to use process rather than representation to describe this ephemeral quality of light moving in waves; at once trying to capture something in material form whilst acknowledging its essentially elusive quality.” - Catherine Woo, 2017
Woo’s innovative approach to painting is imbued in these remarkable works. Layered and textured, shimmering and ethereal, they simultaneously speak to themes of beauty, nature, and geography, while resisting representation in the pursuit of more philosophical concerns. As with the mirage, they deftly balance between what we know and what we believe we see.
Catherine Woo graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tasmania in 2013, having also studied at Sydney College of Fine Arts and the ANU School of Art. She has exhibited her work across Australia and internationally since 1997. In 2008 and 2011, Woo was awarded a $20,000 New Work grant by the Australia Council Visual Art Board, and was included in the Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia (2008). In 2010, Woo was curated into an exhibition at the Samstag Museum in Adelaide titled Abstract Nature. She has been a Finalist in the City of Hobart Art Prize in 2002, 2011 and 2012. Her major corporate commissions include: Visy Corp Australia, the Chinese World Trade Centre, Beijing, Shangri-la Hotel, Beijing; Four Seasons, Hong Kong; and the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Shanghai. Her work is represented in private and public collections in Australia, including Artbank, Macquarie Bank, and RACV, as well as in the UK and Asia.
Opening :
WEDNESDAY 16
SEPTEMBER 6-8PM
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