3 - 20 March 2016
about the exhibition
Rona Green’s handcoloured linocuts and drawings explore the creation of identity through non-verbal communication such as body language, adornment and decoration. With these tools, her animal subjects take on very human characteristics and attitudes. Rona transforms familiar domestic pets into tattoo-covered thugs and punks, reflecting underground, suburban street culture. Her rough and ready animals express a range of emotions and are full of personality. Some are provocative and menacing with their challenging stares, while others have jaded or apprehensive facial expressions revealing an endearing comical helplessness. This exhibition, her firstsolo show at Beaver Galleries, comprises a selection of prints and drawings from 2011 to 2016. While her works appear to be rendered simply, her imagery has many layers of meaning and lends itself to reflection on the social issues of identity formation, gender and class politics. Rona’s animals are visual archetypes of social outcasts that combine her love for animals, her interest in portraying popular and sub cultures, and her appreciation of the ability of tattoos to visually record a person’s history or identity.
Rona Green has been exhibiting since 1994 and has received numerous prizes, including acquisitive awards at galleries in Geelong, Fremantle and Swan Hill and, in 2006 was the recipient of the Silk Cut Award Grand Prize. Rona has been teaching since 2000, and has travelled to Singapore, Borneo, Brunei, and most recently to the Netherlands and Romania. Her prints are held in numerous collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Charles Darwin University, Artbank, Silk Cut Foundation, Chiang Mai Contemporary Art Museum (Thailand), Chicago Printmaking Collective (USA), London Print Studios (UK) and the University of Colorado (USA).
