A spindly creature beneath a bell jar – an alien specimen, a human/animal fusion, a mutated fern or fungus? An exquisite pen drawing – a landscape, an automatic or unconscious movement of the hand? An amorphous flair of vivid magenta ink flows into a detailed smattering of dots, lines and curved forms.
‘Organism’ is the debut solo exhibition by recent COFA graduate, second-rpize recipient of the 2010 Kudos Emerging Artist Award and self-professed art geek, Jack Stahel.
Stahel draws compulsively and continuously. He’s been known to draw while asleep.
His artmaking process is a documentation of the automatic wanderings of his mind, and more broadly, an exploration of the unknowable working of the human brain.
His two and three-dimensional artworks are living things, which grow subconsciously on the page and in space. Stahel considers the human brain to be, like space, one of the final frontiers of knowledge exploration – an infinite and ephemeral landscape that remains an irresistible mystery. ‘Organism’ is an invitation to the audience to look inside their own psychological mindscapes.
This show features the artist’s trademark intricate drawings and vibrantly coloured paintings, along with his more recent experiments with three dimensional drawings: sculpted papier mache resembling beings from the deep, a mixture of plant and creature, as well as animated ink drawings that capture the growth of Stahel’s organic drawings.
Organism
September 28 – October 8
Opening night: Tuesday September 27, 5-7.30pm
Kudos Gallery, 6 Napier St, Paddington
Open Wed to Fri 11am – 6pm, Sat 11am – 4pm Mon + Tue by appointment only
