From Sharne Wolff…
Neither Ron Adams Late Heavy Bombardment nor Deb Mansfield’s Avoiding and Courting Collision are titles that conjure ideas about love and longing. Both exhibitions, however, draw inspiration from these vital emotions.
Adams’ display of colourful geometric abstractions is named after a lunar cataclysm – a hypothetical 4 billion year old event that may have occurred when a large number of asteroids collided with the earth and arguably provided the impetus for the young planet to host the first seeds of life. The artist “wants us to see this as a metaphor for life’s great challenges”. Largely a reflection of personal moments and events, Neptune, cloaks the letter A in a harmony of warm-coloured lines interrupted by a pair of circles while camouflage (Red/Yellow) relies on the juxtaposition and chaotic overlapping of opposing line, shape and colour.
Mansfield’s show continues the artist’s ongoing exploration of sea-faring quest and myth at the edges of half-known places. Absorbed by the rhythm of their ocean backgrounds, the headless male subjects in (Swinging) I am trying to quieten my love for you and (Swaying) I am trying my upmost to love you, appear calm in repose. In each work an amply filled woollen sweater – of the kind originally worn by working fishermen and sailors for warmth and water repellent properties – acts as a signifier. Framed in porthole-like circular brass there’s no mistaking that an expedition is imminent, or perhaps already underway. Aided by the difference in colour between images, an aura of mystery and romance hangs in the air.
Until November 15
Galerie Pompom, Chippendale
Pic: Ron Adams, camouflage (Red/Yellow), 2015, acrylic on board, 60 x 60 cm. Courtesy the artist and Galerie pompom, Sydney
