14 October - 2 November 2010
about the exhibition
Sophia Szilagyi is a Melbourne-based printmaker who predominantly uses digital printmaking to recreate distant scenes of memory and past experiences. In her multi-layered compositions Sophia explores the relationship between fiction and non-fiction in our perceptions of reality and the effects of physical sensation and emotional response on memory. Sophia’s artistic process begins with the recollection of an impression of a certain painting, section of film or personal experience, and her attempt to recreate that memory in the form of an image. She then collects external imagery from a variety of sources, including pre-existing European paintings, film stills and personal photographs, videos and prints. These elements form the opposing states of fiction and non-fiction that Sophia playfully combines and overlaps, so that the general interpretation of her work is in fact a patchwork of real and imagined experiences. Sophia achieves this seamless layering by using computer technology, giving her the freedom to manipulate the imagery to create her desired mood and expression. The final works are printed on hahnemuhle photo rag as this highly absorbent surface enhances the softness and dreamlike quality of her imagery. In her current work, Sophia remains within the nocturnal sphere, depicting panoramic, mesmerising and isolated landscapes, capturing for example, the undisturbed ripples of the moon reflected at sea, or the aimless paths through a dense forest.
Sophia Szilagyi graduated with Honours from the School of Art and Culture at RMIT in 2000. Since graduating, Sophia has held a number of solo shows, participated in many group exhibitions across Australia, as well as being included in notable print award and prize shows including the Fremantle Print Prize (2007) and Banyule Works on Paper Award (2007). In 2005, Sophia was commissioned to complete an acquisition for the Print Council of Australia and her work is represented in the collections of Burnie Regional Art Museum, La Trobe Regional Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Queensland University of Technology and the State Library of Victoria.
