Martine Emdur ‘New Paintings’
Just when you can’t imagine it ever being warm enough to get into your swimmers again, let alone dive into the oceans icy depths, comes a Martine Emdur exhibition that reminds you of all that summer has to offer. Living by the sea her entire life, Emdur has built a solid career on her underwater explorations and her innate understanding of her muse immediately transports the viewer into a world we rarely see with such clarity.
Lone swimmers bask in filtered sunlight while couples steal an intimate embrace in a dramatically darkened sea. As she explains “I love the light and warmth from the sun streaming through the top of the picture where the body has pierced the surface and then all the shadows give the sensation of the cold, more mysterious water, below.” To encourage this sense of immersion Emdur traditionally produces works very close to life size. However in this show, there is a particularly successful collection of smaller canvases where she applies the oil in a more painterly fashion that shows she intends to explore the diverse potential of her medium.
With this exhibition at Sydney’s Olsen Irwin, Emdur gives the visitor a rare glimpse into her practice by including a collection of black and white photographs by Jem Cresswell. Emdur’s process begins with a photo shoot at either Bondi or Bronte Beach that results in a collection of hundreds of possible compositions. She sifts through the images finding combinations that resonate and can form the basis of her subterranean theatre. The ensuing work provides an aperture into a life below the surface in all its beauty and mystery.
Martine Emdur ‘New Paintings’
Olsen Irwin Gallery
63 Jersey Road
Woollahra 2025 NSW
Mon – Fri: 10 – 6
Sat: 10 – 5
Sun: 11 – 5
15 June – 3 July 2016
Credits: Images courtesy of the artist Martine Emdur and Olsen Irwin Gallery
Words: Katrina Arent
