Briony Downes

Writer

Briony Downes is an arts writer based in Hobart. She has worked in the arts industry for over 20 years as a writer, actor, gallery assistant, art theory tutor and fine art framer. Most recently, she spent time studying Art History through Oxford University.

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The spirit—and studio—of Margaret Olley lives on

A new exhibition at Tweed Regional Gallery has preserved the relocated studio of Australian painter Margaret Olley, with her work providing inspiration for a new series of paintings by Mirra Whale, India Mark and Laura Jones.

Interview

Julie Fragar on “painting in the first person”

With a current survey exhibition at Rockhampton Museum of Art chronicling 23 years of painting and photography, Julie Fragar talks about creative influences and what it’s like to observe a Supreme Court murder trial.

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Pat Hoffie on charting the terrain of chaos

This Mess We’re In at QUT Art Museum spans three collections of Pat Hoffie’s lengthy career. The thread that runs between them is the unpredictable nature of life and all it contains.

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The continuing evolution of Mona

Mona brings new works out of the archive for the ever-evolving collection Monanism. Currently on display are works by Cassandra Laing and Michel Blazy.

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Women In Still Life

As representations of contemporary life, especially the domestic and intimate, continue to be meaningful, the still life genre endures—as 16 women artists attest in a new show at Bett Gallery.

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Where are textiles heading next? New Exuberance finds out

New Exuberance at Benalla Art Gallery centres how textiles permeate our lives, from clothing to design to art. Encompassing fashion house collaborations to First Nations cultural practices, the show canvasses textile practices today—and where they’re heading next.

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Kandinsky makes the abstract emotional

The Art Gallery of New South Wales’s Kandinsky is the largest showcase of the modernist’s work ever to be exhibited in Australia. What makes his abstract expressionism endure?

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Alex Hamilton creates landscapes from the built environment

In a new show at Jacob Hoerner Galleries, Alex Hamilton paints urban spaces as vast landscapes.

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Bringing abstraction to life beyond tradition

“There’s a lot of colour, texture and subtlety.” The Queensland Art Gallery is bringing together artists working both within and beyond the traditional field of abstraction for Living Patterns.

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Elisa Crossing on the art of slow looking

“It’s important we connect with how we look at things in the world.” Elisa Crossing paints images within images, layering visual references in her latest show at Nancy Sever Gallery.

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The art of restoration with Virginia Cuppaidge

Moving to New York in 1969, Virginia Cuppaidge is known for her internationally revered abstract paintings. She’s now living in Australia, unveiling a carefully restored, utterly luminous, six-metre work at this week’s Sydney Contemporary.

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Tracing an Australian icon

From quirky birthday cakes to knitting patterns, The Australian Women’s Weekly has a unique place in the Australian psyche. Now, the magazine’s memorabilia, covers and behind-the-scenes photographs are exhibiting at Bendigo Art Gallery.

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Briony Downes

Writer

Briony Downes's Articles

The spirit—and studio—of Margaret Olley lives on

Julie Fragar on “painting in the first person”

Pat Hoffie on charting the terrain of chaos

The continuing evolution of Mona

Women In Still Life

Where are textiles heading next? New Exuberance finds out

Kandinsky makes the abstract emotional

Alex Hamilton creates landscapes from the built environment

Bringing abstraction to life beyond tradition

Elisa Crossing on the art of slow looking

The art of restoration with Virginia Cuppaidge

Tracing an Australian icon

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