Sydney artist Genevieve Felix Reynolds has been working on the paintings for her first Melbourne solo show for almost a year. With a background in digital photography, her work is painstaking, combining an almost ‘photographic’ precision with an intuitive flair for colour and geometry.
Genevieve’s latest body of work Idol Weight is a series of paintings inspired by the digital age. ‘Today, our lives are abstracted, far more than they ever have been before’ she explains. ‘I wanted to make work that refers to the 2D, ever-present screen, while re-locating itself in the physical, tactile world.’ The exhibition references classical art and architecture, with a modern twist. ‘I am contrasting the weight of historic objects, against the flatness of abstraction and efficient, reproducible technologies’ the artist says.
A meticulous planner, Genevieve conceptualises each composition and colour palette as a computer sketch before applying paint to canvas. Once all of the important decisions have been made, she begins the painting process. Each work can take weeks to complete, due to the precise layering required.
Genevieve has had a busy few months finalising her first public commission at The Galeries in Sydney for Art Month, while also running Sydney artist-run gallery space Wellington St Projects with her partner Belem Lett. Her exhibition Idol Weight opens at Nicholas Thompson Gallery in Melbourne this week.
Idol Weight by Genevieve Felix Reynolds
Open from 4 to 26 June 2016
Nicholas Thompson Gallery
155 Langridge St
Collingwood, VIC
