City of Illusion

City of Illusion is an upcoming solo exhibition from contemporary artist Dirk Kruithof. Held at the Chrissie Cotter Gallery in Camperdown, this bold and bright exhibition will run throughout select dates in April.

Born and based in Sydney, Kruithof studied fine arts at Meadowbank and Kogarah TAFE and has been exhibiting regularly since 2005. City of Illusion will be his first solo outing for two and a half years, and consists of around 25 mixed media paintings made of images and text, created from recycled or found materials.

Inspired by the urban environment and the contrast between beauty and decay, Kruithof counts Wool, Basquiat and Cullen as admirable influences in his self-described abstract-pop, post-grunge artwork.

Drawing ideas from the streets of Sydney, Kruithof’s work is vibrant yet almost angry – a reflection of his own shock at the absurdity of gentrification and commenting on a range of social issues such as the lockout laws, rent prices and redevelopment.

For a powerful and edgy exhibition, head on over to the Chrissie Cotter Gallery – there’ll be art, drinks and live performers on opening night with the drinks (and art) continuing until the show’s conclusion. (ES)

OPENING NIGHT: Wednesday April 6, 6.30–8pm.

Apr 6–17, Wed–Sun (11am–4pm). Chrissie Cotter Gallery, Pidcock Street, Camperdown. Info: saatchiart.com/Dirkovitz or marrickville.nsw.gov.au/chrissiecottergallery

BY EMILY SHEN