When we think of stillness in art, the still life genre often comes to mind. Paintings of floral bouquets in vases; a cornucopia of fruits. Seeking to reframe this idea of still life, curator Laetitia Wilson has researched the contents of the Janet Holmes à Court Collection and unearthed the work of 21 artists who push the boundaries of what still life can be. “I wanted to expand still life into the domestic space, to ideas of stillness within that space and to psychological responses to interior space,” Wilson explains. “It gets quite abstract at points.”
Marking the third instalment of the Collection Focus exhibition series, Stillness spans emerging and established artists from across generations. William Gould’s Pheasant Still Life, c.1850—a traditional still life painting of a freshly slain pile of birds—marks the oldest work in the exhibition. In a contemporary reflection on still life in the 2020s, Wilson singles out a painting by Perth-based artist, Jordan Andreotta. “It features lone human figures shrouded by sheets, going about everyday domestic activities—watering a plant, sitting on a chair,” she says. “These are a response to Covid-19 and how staying at home meant something quite different.”
Originally acquired in 1987 and on display for the first time are a series of Conversation Piece paintings by David Watt. Created with charcoal, ink and acrylic, Watt’s work depicts everyday objects like coffee cups, lamps, and a shower curtain, all from a close-up perspective. For Wilson, this series “borrows from pop art to make a critique of consumer culture and communicates our obsessions with the conveniences of modern life”.
Exploring how we process stillness within ourselves and within our immediate environment, Wilson offers an alternative viewpoint of the traditional still life artwork, while also revealing collection treasures: “Most of the works, in fact, have rarely or never been seen.”
Collection Focus #3 // Stillness
Holmes à Court Gallery at Vasse Felix
On now—25 August
This article was originally published in the July/August 2024 print edition of Art Guide Australia.
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