Glitch

Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, Sydney 2023

M16 Artspace, Canberra 2022

I have long been interested in our age-old preoccupation with fate and chance, and our efforts to find patterns and predictable behaviour in random phenomena. Predating the digital era by many years, the beginnings of chaos theory stemmed from observing the flow of water and the seemingly random movement of surface turbulence.

Chaos and Kaleidoscope arose from my own observations of water flow. I was captivated by the constantly changing patterns and struck by their visual similarities to corrupted forms of data flow, aka glitches.

 A glitch is often maligned as a frustrating disruption beyond our control. However, aesthetically, they can appear as compelling visual forms. My paintings are an attempt to capture these momentary glitches and employ them as a visual metaphor for disruption in our contemporary world. 

 In December 2010, a boat carrying asylum seekers crashed onto rocks at Christmas Island, tragically killing 48 people. In Feb 2011, amidst public controversy, the first burials were held in Sydney. In that same week, radio station 2GB ran a quiz, with prizes, asking listeners to guess how many asylum seekers would be buried.

 My feelings of revulsion triggered the creation of Wheel of Fortune and subsequent explorations of blurred realities, corrupted information, social division and displaced peoples.

 Is our destiny truly random?

Step right up and take a spin!

If you dare.