Redfern Gallery Curatorial+Co. is pleased to announce a gripping new solo exhibition showcasing work by Sydney contemporary artist Theresa Hunt. Running till 7 May 2022, If the Stars Were Mine comprises 16 large scale oil works on canvas inspired by the artist’s life immersed by the natural landscapes of Australia and Europe.
Hunt has lived all over the world with her family and taken inspiration from the hills of Tuscany, slopes of Austria, forests of Romania and, now, the beaches and bays of Pittwater in Sydney’s northern beaches, where she is based. The artist describes the new collection of paintings as ‘a wash of impressions and wonders inspired by the natural world, memories and evocations from my life.’
The artist’s creative process aims to blend emotions to capture the atmosphere of the world around her, and from there a landscape begins to form on canvas. Hunt believes every stroke and application of paint is an outpouring of her personal expression that has been stirred by specific moments. This new collection includes points of inspiration such as the serene first light in front of the ocean, an imminent storm threatening the horizon, or a headland rising out of an oppressive fog. From this sensitive process, the artist works to create an intensely atmospheric balance of colour and tone.
Hunt explains that If the Stars Were Mine speaks to the impossibility of the environment, its vastness and constantly changing points of inspiration. ‘We are so fortunate to experience the beauty of a wave upon the ocean, or the flora of the ridges and mountains ahead. In this series, I wanted to explore how the simplest moment of awe can be mirrored by the wonder we also all have within us. We all have moments where the natural world stirs our deepest emotions. The times where you are knowingly moved by something in the landscape, but also aware that feeling exists just beyond our own comprehension,’ she says.
The artist’s tides of creativity are not meticulously planned but spontaneously rise and fall through the application of layers. ‘As I work, I gradually start to see the slow emergence of a wave, a tree, a mountain ridge; illuminated by the luminescence of morning or setting sun within the mist. I am interested in creating a depth of colour fields balanced through portals of light, as well as natural phenomena which imbues from the swell of emotion as it is preserved on the canvas.’
Director Sophie Vander adds: ‘Theresa’s paintings come from an inherently emotional place. This space is her own, one that is not easy to articulate as it sits just beyond the reach of words.’
‘Perhaps making sense of emotion, the constant signifier of our humanity as we process and respond to the world around us, is not a conscious thought but instead a leap of faith as Theresa puts brush to canvas. A gesture into the unknown, a gesture into the deep. A question that lies within the epic sea and landscapes of Hunt’s work for us all: Why do I feel, why do I create?’ explains Vander.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
When: 28 April – 7 May 2022
Where: Curatorial+Co. Gallery
Address: Studio 1, 175 Cleveland Street, Redfern, NSW
Tel: 02 9318 1728
Hours: Monday-Friday 9.30am-5.30pm. Saturday 10am-5pm
Featured image : Theresa Hunt ‘Soulful Wave’