13 – 29 October 2022
about the exhibition
Chris Denton is known for his exquisitely detailed works on paper which he describes as the “most beautiful and receptive of surfaces”. An abiding interest in numbers, science and philosophy underpins his atmospheric and moody works. In this exhibition, Chris explores the motif of a tree shrouded in mist and in his own words explains further, “In this age of falsehood, conspiracy, lies and denial, a number of themes are intertwined in this work: the reality of a tree silhouetted against the mists of this confusion; the presence of some simple numerical and geometric symbols as an appeal to rational thought; and the use of the colour red as a warning.” Both the drawings and prints in the show involve a process of sequential layering in their making, creating a striking depth of colour and luscious surface. A master of the intaglio method of drypoint, many of Chris’s prints achieve further development with each plate often reworked to provide a number of states. As art critic and historian Professor Sasha Grishin noted “Denton is not an artist whose work is punctuated by radical stylistic shifts or major changes in subject matter, but over the years there is a slowly gathering intensity and purity of vision.”
Chris Denton has exhibited widely and received numerous awards both nationally and internationally since his first show in the UK in 1969. His work has been shown across Australia and around the world, including galleries in Japan, China, France, Spain, Poland and the United States. In 2019, he was the Gold Point prize winner for drypoint in the XIV Graphic Art Biennial in Serbia. Chris’ work is held in many important collections such as the National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia, Parliament House, Australian National University as well as many Australian regional galleries. Chris has also received international recognition through exhibitions at the International Centre for Graphic Arts (Cracow, Poland), the Association Musee d’Art Contemporain (Chemalieres, France), Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and the Arts, Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts (Portland, USA) and the Tama Art University (Tokyo, Japan) amongst others.
