'Out of the Blue'
4 July – 16 August 2009
Preview: Friday 3 July, 6 - 8pm
In the North Gallery 2
Dorothy Faison's allegorical paintings show us fragmented glimpses of the Hawaiian landscape which have been interwoven with social and historic perspectives not normally compatible with our notions of ‘paradise'. Reminiscent of Renaissance landscapes, the works on paper and copper plates allude to contemporary issues affecting the state of Hawaii , including environmental degradation, US military presence, and the role of commerce in the exploitation of the islands' resources.
Hal Lum's vivid and witty compositions reflect a delight in encountering people, places and experiences. Focusing on the process of drawing and the use of fluid and spontaneous gesture, his influences range from Japanese pottery to minimal sculpture, high, low, outsider and ethnic art. Lum states, 'Art is like a big open arena that takes in the smallest, most intimate details of a person's life and the widest expanse that is the world and universe . . . I like to keep an open mind, to open the senses and take it all in.'
Timothy P Ojile works intuitively and spontaneously, developing a visual language of symbol, gesture and form that eludes categorisation. He navigates the contractions inherent in the activity of image-making, harnessing both his enthusiasm and ambivalence in the process. The three large drawings in this exhibition, made with coloured felt tip pen, are filled with natural forms, geometries and a jumble of minutiae. Like an elaborate mind-map, they highlight various pathways, roundabouts and impediments.