Oscar Parry
Kyneton Stockroom is hosting two new visual art exhibitions – ‘Dystopia’ by Guillaume Dillée and ‘Homage’ by David Doyle.
French-born and self-taught artist Guillaume Dillée moved to Australia with his family 10 years ago, and was confronted by the harshness of the Australian natural environment.
“When we arrived in Australia, we had to face almost every day hearing the news about all the climate change issues with the huge fires we had … with all the issues with water, with the air, with pollution, with climate change,” Dillée said.
From observing this, Dillée was inspired to begin creating artworks that reflected the link between humans and the Australian natural landscape.
“I started to understand that nature was struggling against all types of human activities and also humans were struggling against nature – so that balance was very inspiring for me and it was one of my main concerns,” he said.
In his exhibition statement, Dillée said that the title ‘Dystopia’ refers to the dreamlike quality of his work and a “conceptual world where the relationship between man and nature is perpetually at odds.”
David Doyle is a Barkindji/Malyangapa man based in Broken Hill, NSW, and presents his exhibition ‘Homage’ covering three different series: Glass Coolamon, Unbroken Shields and Curved Parrying Shields.
In The Glass Coolamon series, Doyle uses the glass art medium to pay tribute to his grandparents, ancestors, Barkindji country, and his Malyangapa heritage.
The two shield series communicate his cultural identity and the struggles of preserving it, with some designs hailing from his ancestors.
“When creating these works, I made sure to do extensive research into shields and designs pertinent to my Aboriginal heritage,” Doyle said.
“A shield is like an ID, individual to the owner, so I didn’t want to take the identity of anyone else … I made small changes to ensure they were unique but still followed the Barkindji design principles.”
The shields are part of a larger story that can be viewed on the Kyneton Stockroom website.
Details: stockroomspace.com/gallery
