EXHIBITION: THE FRUITING BODY – NATHAN GRAY
BY AMELIA GROOM
Melbourne artist Nathan Gray seeks to pay tribute to the handmade, unexpected, fleeting, improvised and accidental. Showcasing his brightly-coloured impromptu assemblages that incorporate sculptural experiments, screen printing and drawing, he has a solo show opening in Sydney this Thursday night.
An optimistic, dynamic and festive installation made from humble materials, The Fruiting Body is inspired by the artist’s travels to Bali and the palm leaf weavings that are used as daily offerings before being discarded.
The notion of temporality and transience is explored through the use ephemeral phenomena like fungi, plant parasites, water, fire and light. The show incorporates photos of small-scale sculptures offered/littered/installed in natural settings, defying the archival imperative and satisfying the artist’s urge to destroy his own work.
Explosive, celebratory and flamboyant, there’s also an eeriness to Nathan’s strange creations – the latest of which will be on show at the Redfern artist-run gallery/studio space Black & Blue for the next three weeks
Nathan Gray: The Fruiting Body
July 17 ‘ August 3 (opening July 17, 6pm)
Black & Blue Gallery
302/267-271 Cleveland St, Redfern
9699 6038 or www.blackandbluegallery.com.au
