15 November 2013

Reko Rennie | King and Country


Karen Woodbury Gallery artist Reko Rennie was covered today in The Age following the opening of King and Country at Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne. This is Reko's first show at Karen Woodbury Gallery and he explores the potency of the symbol as a reflection of identity, affiliation and pop culture psyche. King and Country will run until December 14 at Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne.

King and Country 2013, acrylic and pigment on linen, 140.0 x 200.0 cm


This is my emblematic statement about the original royalty of Australia.
The crown symbol is both in homage to my graffiti roots and also pays due respect to Jean-Michel Basquiat, but most importantly symbolizes sovereign status.

The crown reminds us that Aboriginal people are the original sovereigns of this country.
Reko Rennie

Coinciding with King and Country is the launch of The National Gallery of Victoria's ambitious new summer exhibition Melbourne Now. Rennie has been selected amongst over 400 other Melbourne based artists to participate Melbourne Now 2013.The exhibition will spread over the NGV's two sites (NGV Australia and NGV International) and other venues across Melbourne. Melbourne Now celebrates 'the creative minds that have shaped our city'.

Regalia (crown, diamond and flag) 2013, exhibition installation

Initiation 2013, exhibition installation, Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne

Initiation #3 2013, glass, mirror and acrylic


For further information regarding Reko Rennie please contact Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne on (03) 9639 5855 or info@kwgallery.com.


30 October 2013

Share Design | Aida Tomescu


Share Design on Aida Tomescu's current show at Karen Woodbury Gallery.

http://sharedesign.com/inspirationblog/whats-happening-aida-tomescu-karen-woodbury-gallery/

Messiaen 2013, oil and pigments on canvas, 184.0 x 154.0 cm

04 October 2013

Aida Tomescu | 2013

                                                                
Aida Tomescu 

Messiaen 2013

oil and pigments on canvas
184.0 x 154.0 cm

In Tomescu’s paintings the sheer physicality of paint, its density and the
Archaeology of the layers, its application and movement across the surface,
is inseparable from the content.
 Deborah Hart, Senior Curator, National Gallery of Australia.


Considered one of Australia’s foremost abstract painters, Aida Tomescu’s solo exhibition showcasing a suite of eight major paintings and works on paper opens at the newly re-launched Flinders Lane premises of Karen Woodbury Gallery.

There is always a distinct tenor and character to each of Tomescu’s exhibitions, and the high energy of her recent body of work brings at once a feeling of vitality and radiance.

The persistent searching line of Tomescu's drawing has invaded her larger paintings. Congeries of lines ravel and unravel in paintings like Goldfields and Messiaen, probing deep into the surface of the work, lending depth and substance and striking up a new direction, at once intense and playful. In contrast, the downpours of thin paint lash out in paintings such as El Nino or La Nina. Yet, while they preserve a feeling of utmost spontaneity they are the result of repeated build up and erasure, of rigorous appraisal, modification and a relentless questioning of the image.

It is thirty three years since Aida Tomescu arrived in Australia. Born in Bucharest, Romania in 1955, Aida Tomescu studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Bucharest and at the City Art Institute in Sydney.
Anne Lewis first showed Tomescu’s work at the seminal Gallery A in Sydney in 1983, and when that venue closed, she moved to the Coventry Gallery. With over thirty solo shows to date, Tomescu is one of Australia’s most distinctive and well respected artists. In 2009, a major survey exhibition was held at the Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra. Aida Tomescu is the winner of a host of prestigious art prizes, including the Sulman Prize, the Wynne prize and the Dobell Prize for Drawing by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Tomescu’s work is well represented in the major museums, regional, university and corporate collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand and the British Museum, London


For further information, interview with Aida Tomescu and images please contact:

Karen Woodbury T: 03 9639 5855 M: 0417 127 917   E: info@kwgallery.com

06 September 2013

Heather B. Swann

This monologue by Heather B. Swann is well worth a watch- a good introduction before you come and see our current show by the Artist.




Heather B. Swann will run until Saturday the 21st of September at Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne at Level 1/167 Flinders Lane. You will find us on the corner of Hosier Lane and Flinders Lane.

Please contact the gallery on (03) 9639 5855 or info@kwgallery.com for further information




05 September 2013

Karen Woodbury Gallery is back

After a long 18 months toiling away behind the scenes we are excited to announce that we are now open for business at our new and very central Flinders Lane Gallery Space.
We feel very blessed to be housed in such a unique and historic building...not to mention the fantastic tenants we share with such as e.g.etal, Zambesi and Ashtanga Yoga Melbourne.



Our hard work paid off with Tuesday night's opening celebration bringing in a huge crowd. Thank you everyone who attended for making this such a special night. Fun was had by all. 

Our first exhibition is by Heather B. Swann and will run from the 21st August until the 21st of September. In our second gallery space you will find a selection of Karen Woodbury Gallery artists on display.

Heather B. Swann, Bachelor 2013, wood, paper, resin, pigment, binder & marble dust, 110.0 x 110.0 x 750.0 cm
We are very excited to welcome new and familiar faces into our beautiful new space. Karen Woodbury Gallery is open from Tuesday through to Sunday from 11 am until 5pm. There is no need to make an appointment except if you wish to see us after hours.

You will find us at Level 1, 167 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. You can contact us on (03) 9639 5855 or info@kwgallery.com