From Andrew Frost…
Men hunt and women gather. That’s the ‘social truism’ artist Penny Cain explores in her exhibition The Hunt – Day 1. Colliding the street art technique of the paste-up with sharply observed, hard-edged graphics and elements of drawing, Cain’s series-in-progress ironically depicts the urban environment as an actual jungle, an ‘urban jungle’ complete with pot plants, menacing pigeons and crouched figures hunting – or maybe running in fear – as can be seen in works such as Judith and The Hunt.
Created in part while Cain was artist in residence at the Cite des Arts in Paris – courtesy of her 2011 Power Institute Award – this new show for Gaffa has distinct hints of May ’68 and Australian poster makers Redback Graphix. Where most street art is a here-today-gone-tomorrow proposition Cain’s move from street to gallery offers an historical perspective on the agit-pop aesthetics of the past. With a sharp wit and a sense of scale and ambition, Cain’s show offers a quickly decodable and entertaining trip through the undergrowth of the metropolis.
September 6 to 17.
Gaffa Gallery, Sydney.
Pic: Penny Cain, Judith and The Hunt, 2012. Courtesy of the artist.
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