25 August - 13 September 2011
about the exhibition
Lucienne Rickard is a talented emerging artist from Hobart whose work is marked by a sharp eye for detail, zealous imagination and a fastidious, almost obsessive, mode of execution. In her recent work, Lucienne focuses on the plumage of Tasmanian birds, native flora and the richly decorated traditional uniforms of the Prussian military. The artist has woven together small, overlooked objects and ornate imagery, transporting the viewer to a surreal world. The graphite drawings are reminiscent of still life imagery of the 17th century, where nature could represent both life and death. Her sombre images of fallen soldiers, fragile birds and twisted branches address the fleeting nature of life but also observe the present. Lucienne presents the viewer with richly detailed, textured and challenging works which unite themes of biology, decay, memory, romance and possession.
Lucienne Rickard completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Queensland College of Art in 2001 and, in the following year, Honours (First Class) in Fine Arts at the University of Tasmania. In 2006, she was awarded the Rosamond McCulloch Studio Residency at the Cité des Arts Internationale in Paris, which led to the completion of her PhD in Fine Arts at the University of Tasmania. After several solo and group exhibitions in Tasmania and Queensland,Lucienne first exhibited at Beaver Galleries in 2010. This is her first solo exhibition in Canberra.