Katherine Hattam at Arthouse Gallery
Renowned Australian artist Katherine Hattam shows ‘72 Derwents’ – her debut exhibition at Arthouse Gallery.
Melbourne–based artist Katherine Hattam’s work presents the seemingly mundane objects of everyday life through a personal filter of her upbringing and in turn explores and projects an abstract view on areas such as domesticity, family, feminism, education and one’s self. Making home the centre, the artist symbolises the personal matter of her past and presents an emotional connection of memory via object.
This new collection of mixed media paintings traces Hattam’s preoccupation with drawing back to a formative moment in her childhood. On her tenth birthday Hattam was gifted a set of 12 Derwents, yet she pined for that glorious set of 72 – several layers deep with those perfect gradations from dark indigo to teal, dusky purple to golden yellow. At the age of 28 the artist came to a crossroads in her life, reconsidering her marriage and career, and it was then that Hattam finally bought herself that revered box of 72 Derwents.
The Derwent pencil collection is thus a metaphor for Hattam’s respective journey. In ’72 Derwents’ she uses this private chronology as a medium through which to filter broader socio-political concerns – something the artist has done since the late nineties.
Hattam’s practice forges a contemporary feminist discourse, and many of the works in ’72 Derwents’ consciously embed personal experience with a feminist subtext.
An exhibition not to miss – thought-provoking and extremely engaging – and closing this weekend…
Katherine Hattam ’72 Derwents’
Arthouse Gallery
66 McLachlan Avenue, Rushcutters Bay
NSW 2011 Australia
Tues – Fri
9.30am – 6pm
Saturday
10am – 5pm
Ends 3 September 2016
Credits: Images courtesy of the artist Katherine Hattam via Arthouse Gallery
