Zoom In, Zoom Out
Woollahra Gallery At Redleaf
06.04.22 - 01.05.22

The Woollahra municipality contains a diverse range of ecosystem elements and habitat types includ- ing wooded sandstone slopes and gullies, exposed coastal heaths, creeks, sandy beaches, rock platforms, dynamic skies, seagrass meadows and an array of native plants. In a time of pandemic induced- lockdowns, Ariella Friend has studied this natural environment through images she has found on the internet. Zooming in and zooming out, exploring form, composition, materials and colour have all led to a new body of sculptural works that resemble nature yet somehow feel strangely unfamiliar.

Just like the Italian Arte Povera movement from the late 1960s to 1970s whose artists explored a range of unconventional processes and combined them with every day materials, ‘Zoom In, Zoom Out’ reflects Friend’s playful approach to non objective art making while challenging the viewers’ perception of what a landscape painting could be.

Photos by Jessica Maurer.