From Sharne Wolff…
There’s a duo of young guns showing at Martin Browne Contemporary this month. Giles Alexander has been exhibiting for over a decade but it’s only more recently the planets have aligned and he’s been shortlisted for several major prizes including this year’s Archibald and Sulman. Our Father is a Red Giant continues Alexander’s exploration of the mysteries of the universe and ponders questions of human existence. ‘Our Father’ might be in heaven but it’s just as likely he’s a colossal red star. Glossy surfaces produced by the time consuming process of coating these delicate oil paintings with clear resin are an inventive means of suggesting infinite space.
Baden Pailthorpe’s videos of military soldiers in appropriated landscapes are so hypnotic that they make you want to hit the play button over and over again. Each of the four videos in the show is titled Cadence. Playful on the one hand and deadly serious on the other, Pailthorpe’s aesthetic demonstrates a graceful balance of picture, colour and rhythm as his soldiers match the beat and literally create poetry in motion. As a nod to his talent Pailthorpe has recently been honoured with the inaugural Artist in Residence award at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Until August 18
, Paddington.
Pic: Baden Pailthorpe, Cadence III, 2013. HD Digital Video, colour, sound, 4 min. Courtesy the artist and Martin Browne Contemporary.
