Small Sight Deep Dreams is Blue Mountains artist Gene A'Hern's third solo exhibition with PIERMARQ*. This body of work sees a renewed focus on the minutiae of everyday life, and the untold layered messaging surrounding us. The rich significance of a simple vase of flowers becomes something more compelling; a reminder to live with immediacy and the knowledge that our existence is tied to each moment that passes.
With his signature vibrancy and bold use of colour, A’Hern’s exhibition aims to uncover the deeper meanings of day-to-day moments from their apparent mundanity; unfurling the layers of emotional significance we often ignore. He is trying, as Pierre Bonnard once said, to ‘give the impression one has on entering a room: one sees everything, and at the same time, nothing.’
A'Hern's work encourages the audience to take note of the moments we often take for granted, by recreating them in such emotive detail that they again become significant and memorable. Through hue and abstractive brush work, what appears to be a simple bowl of fruit is translated into a familiar moment between family, the memories of meals shared, and the vivid resonance of the passage of time.
Household objects become reminders of our history and purpose; the people in our lives, a product of that moment captured in paint and collage. These small, overlooked details are recreated to show our ever-present potential for contentment, found through gratitude for the unending, soft kindness of daily life.
Small Sight Deep Dreams tells us that even in our darkest moments, we must remember to take note of the intricacies embedded within daily life – to not take for granted the vitality each moment has to offer, nor the future’s potential for change.
OPENING NIGHT: Thursday, 19th September, 6-8pm