Duets

From Sharne Wolff…

A musical duet usually combines two voices for one song or sometimes four hands on a single piano. Peter Alwast brings this concept to his artistic arrangements via the blending of images and conceptual ideas.

Alwast has a background as a painter, so his initial phase begins by applying oil paint to canvas. The paintings are photographed and with 3D technology the original work becomes the foundation for a new virtual composition. After printing onto canvas or paper the resulting image is often repainted. In Duets the original ‘starter’ large-scale oil paintings are exhibited with their counterpart Giclée prints. Just like an extra voice can bring depth and richness to a song, the consequence of Alwast’s layering, collaging and reworking results in images that owe a debt to their former selves but are radically altered in appearance.

You certainly can’t pin Alwast down to any particular medium or style. While Grandma and Me draws upon the Harlequin diamonds long-established in art history and mixes them with the virtual for a semi-surreal sonata, Over Here and Over There is a flowing symphony comprising innovative abstract form and harmonious colour.

Until May 18
Gallery 9, Darlinghurst
Pic: Peter Alwast, We All Know What is Down Below, 2013. Giclée print on Hahnemühle paper (unique) 95 x 98cm. Courtesy the artist and Gallery 9.