Welcome to the Imaginarium
Carlyn Bew: Just Sitting
The Imaginarium exhibition invites you to step into a space devoted to the creative imagination—a world most artists inhabit, where ideas are manifested, and magic happens.
Through this body of work, we marvel at the artist's conceptual process. Ideas are translated into intention, and artworks imbued with meaning through embellishment, characterisation, and symbols, often illustrated by props and historical references.
A selection of artworks from some of our most playful, vibrant, and fantastical artists will be on show, including Steve Fricker, Jowonder, Carolyn Bew, Sabina Pieper, Jessie Mooy, and Elizabeth Price.
Carolyn Bew: The territory that Carolyn explores in her work is that thin yet rich veneer between the domestic and pantomime. For Carolyn, the idea of nature and nurture are not static terms but evolving concepts. Through careful observation, her work grapples with the notion that the self exists and has existed in the human imagination—the paintings on show capture demonstrative human and animal interactions between friends.
Steve Fricker: Dreaming Aeronaut
Steve Fricker - Steve creates intriguing and surreal scenes through his use of found objects. The juxtaposition of found objects, bringing with them as they do, their past and our recognition and recollection, creates a resonance, tensions, and reverberations like actors on a stage. His work is essentially concerned with the relationship and meaning of objects both as still life and narrative, evoking the collector spirit in children and its progress to adulthood.
Jessie Mooy: Sphinxi
Jessie Mooy – characterises women and animals in her work to express our emotional bond with mammals. She believes that animals are sentient beings who feel pain and sadness, happiness, warmth, and security. Jessie particularly has a special relationship with felines; for The Imaginarium, she has focussed on producing a collection of domestic cats that she has connected with throughout her life.
Elizabeth Price: Blown Away
Elizabeth Price's enchanting, humorous, and highly collectable sculptures capture everyday moments. Elizabeth depicts flourishing women at all stages of their lives. It is rare for us to mount an exhibition of her pieces as her works are usually sold within days of receiving them. For this exhibition, we would like you to savour the collection of this talented and sought-after creator.
Jowonder: Woman with Lotus Flower (detail)
Jowonder - Jo's fantasy works arise from characters and landscapes situated in her unconscious mind. They allow her to think more playfully and face the unexplained mysteries of life with a sense of awe. Her paintings are characterised by an array of strange monsters, super beasts, giants, and unicorns—symbols to secret gateways to wisdom.
Sabina Pieper: LouLou Oh La La
Sabina Pieper's mixed-media collages are concerned with the art of storytelling, laying her artwork with historical and modern-day contexts. The imagery she includes in each artwork creates complex and straightforward dialogues. She intends to connect us and the world to better comprehend one another, particularly by highlighting inaccuracies within our cultures.