13 June - 2 July 2013
about the exhibition
Marc Rambeau is known for his landscapes that radiate vivid colour with paint thickly and texturally applied. In all of Marc’s paintings there is a vibrancy of movement and light within the picture plane, a heightened colour palette and always a sense of freshness and vitality. Based on a trip to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, this exhibition explores the dramatic changes of light and the different perspectives of each landscape form. Many of the works are developed through the collage of rice paper sheets adhered to linen, which contributes to, and completes, the final composition. Marc’s use of rice paper on linen as his painting surface is a rare technique, the distinctive creases perfectly evoking the rich texture of Australia’s drought-affected terrain. This Chinese technique, very rare in Western paintings, also allows Marc to simultaneously create a landscape that is both subtle and bold. By using handmade colombe paper from France, Marc also achieves a rich textural quality in his works on paper and, whilst complimentary to his paintings, they stand alone as strong individual pieces.
Born in France in 1945, Marc Rambeau studied art at the Villa Thiole, the French School for Visual Arts, and at the National School for Arts Decoratifs, Nice, France. In 1964, Marc continued his studies when he joined the Robert Boell Atelier in Toulon, France, which lead him to work in the South Pacific from 1968. After residing in Noumea, Tahiti, and New Zealand, Marc made Australia his home in 1985. Often described as a nomadic artist, Marc continues to travel and exhibits regularly in Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris, Tahiti, Noumea, New Zealand and Australia.