DESIRE – PETER BAKA

Dolls evoke childhood and innocence, but for Peter Baka, they embody carnality and dissonance.

Desire is the name of the artist’s new exhibition at Robin Gibson Gallery. It is a show of quirky, emotive intelligence.

Take for example, the ceramic figures nailed to the wall with their innards surgically removed to display movies and oddments. White Dress, a female form with a teacup hat and ballerina inserted in her abdomen is a telling portrayal of femininity, whilst her neighbour, I Like to Photograph Girls Naked, is the male counterpart, complete with phallic camera. Together the couple illustrate the ying and yang qualities of gender.

The statues are complemented by a series of green silhouettes made of copper and wood. Each piece is a story of love, urgency, jealousy and betrayal.

An exposition that is confronting yet comforting, Desire is an adventure in playful and provocative artistic discourse. (LR)

Until Mar 19, Robin Gibson Gallery , 278 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, robingibson.net