6 – 23 September 2018
about the exhibition
Kirrily Hammond is a Melbourne based artist whose work celebrates the sublime in the everyday, and her evocative imagery depicts a sensitive interpretation of the landscape filtered through imagination and physical experiences. This exhibition entitled “Lowlands” is an intimate series of oil paintings on copper inspired by Kirrily’s recent travels through remote country Victoria, South-west Western Australia and Adelaide. Enigmatic and dreamlike scenes depicting back roads, suburban skylines and quiet fields invite silent contemplation. A soft rendering of atmospheric effects and a delicate attention to detail are some of the methods employed in her work to create an air of romance and nostalgia. As eminent art critic and historian, Professor Sasha Grishin, has noted, “she is an artist who revels and triumphs at creating a sense of other-worldliness, and in elevating the ordinary to a higher realm”.
Born in Newcastle, Kirrily Hammond studied at the Canberra School of Art and Glasgow School of Art, graduating with Honours in 1997. She completed a Masters in curatorship at the University of Melbourne in 2003, leading her to a successful career as a curator within state, regional and academic art institutions. More recently she completed a Diploma of Law (Collection Management) through the Institute of Art & Law, UK in 2017. Kirrily has been exhibiting her work in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne since 1995 and her career has blossomed over this time. In 2005, she was awarded a Harold Wright Scholarship to study at the British Museum in London and, since then, has been employed as Curator – Collection at the Monash University Museum of Art in Melbourne. Kirrily’s work is held in numerous collections including the Glasgow School of Art (Scotland), Australian National University, Warrnambool Art Gallery, University of Wollongong and Latrobe Regional Art Gallery.
