exhibitions

paintings

15 October – 1 November 2020

about the exhibition

Canberra artist Kirrily Humphries borrows the title of this exhibition from a poem, ‘Crumbling is not an instant’s act’, by the American writer Emily Dickinson. The poem evokes the process of decay and the passing of time, and these are reflected in Kirrily’s vignettes of abandoned interiors; small-scale, luminous works built up in many layers of translucent oil glazes. She says of her work; “I become quietly absorbed in the solitary exploration of architectural space. In my isolation I feel a heightened sense of physical presence, an amplified sensory awareness. The excited terror of exploring space forbidden or unknown intensifies this experience, presenting a realm for fantasy, anticipation and unfolding narrative. Based on my expeditions within contemporary ruins, I paint moments of sublime revelation, found in their distinct phenomenological and physiological experience. Informed by a single location, in these desolate interiors I confront my anxieties, my fears of destruction, and the transience and brevity of human legacy.” Taking months to complete, her astoundingly detailed tiny paintings repay close, quiet study by viewers, replicating her immersive experience in their creation.

Kirrily graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) from the Australian National University in 2016, having studied on exchange at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris in 2014. Since her graduation, her works have been exhibited in the ACT, New South Wales and the Northern Territory and she was a finalist in the 2019 Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award.

exhibition images

  • 1. $2,200 the truth behind those ugly rumours - oil on Arches Huile on board, 18 x 12.5cm

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  • 2. $1,200 GNH Interior XXV - watercolour monotype on paper, 16.5 x 12.5cm

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  • 3. $2,200 Bill Cosby's Love And Marriage - oil on Arches Huile on board, 15 x 15cm

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  • 4. $3,200 MAY 15, 1989 - oil on copper on walnut, 13 x 13cm

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  • 5. $3,200 12 Hours - oil on copper on walnut, 13 x 13cm

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  • 6. $3,200 only the best will do - oil on copper on walnut, 13 x 13cm

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  • 7. $1,200 GNH Interior XXI - watercolour monotype on paper, 16.5 x 12.5cm

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  • 8. $1,200 GNH Interior XXII - watercolour monotype on paper, 16.5 x 12.5cm

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  • 9. $1,700 40 quick beauty fixes - oil on Arches Huile on board, 10 x 10cm

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  • 10. $2,200 Hollywood's hottest party - oil on Arches Huile on board, 15 x 15cm

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  • 11. $3,600 PSALMS - oil on copper on walnut, 18 x 13cm

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  • 12. $3,200 Atonement - oil on copper on walnut, 14 x 10cm

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  • 13. $1,200 GNH Interior XXVII - watercolour monotype on paper, 16.5 x 12.5cm

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  • 14. $1,200 GNH Interior XXIV - watercolour monotype on paper, 16.5 x 12.5cm

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  • 15. $1,200 GNH Interior XXIII - watercolour monotype on paper, 16.5 x 12.5cm

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  • 16. $1,200 GNH Interior XXVI - watercolour monotype on paper, 16.5 x 12.5cm

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  • 17. $2,200 The world's greatest love affairs - oil on Arches Huile on board, 18 x 12.5cm

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  • 18. $1,700 Anne's divorce dilemma - oil on Arches Huile on board, 10 x 10cm

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  • 19. $3,600 How to increase the value of your home - oil on copper on walnut, 18 x 13cm

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  • 20. $3,800 Man's Universal Guilt - oil on copper on walnut, 20 x 14cm

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