Category: LDFA Exhibitions

Posts about LDFA exhibitions
opening videos, etc

Connections: Paintings from Utopia

Posted by on September 4, 2019

The lyrical, delicately coloured paintings by the artists of Utopia speak of a strong connection with landscape and country, as well as integral and significant ancestral and ceremonial links.

On another level, we pay tribute to the personal connection Lauraine Diggins had with the artists and landscape of Utopia. A strong supporter of the artists from this beautiful area, Lauraine would travel often to spend time working with the Ngal sisters (Kathleen, Poly and Angelina – and extended family) from Camel Camp; Cowboy Loy Pwerl, Elizabeth Kunoth Kngwarray and Genevieve Kemarr Loy from Iylenty (Mosquito Bore); and with the Morton sisters from Rocket Range.

Lauraine promoted the artists of Utopia, not only through her own Gallery but internationally through art fairs in Paris and Moscow; collaborative exhibitions both in Australia and around the world; and through art competitions including Angelina, Kathleen and Elizabeth in the Wynne; Cowboy and Genevieve in the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize; Elizabeth and Genevieve in the Churchie; Angelina, Cowboy, Elizabeth and Genevieve in the Blake; Elizabeth and Genevieve in the Alice Prize; Genevieve in the Fleurieu, among others. Lauraine was instrumental in the international fashion house Hermes commissioning Gloria Petyarr to create a design for their famous scarves.

Preview the exhibition here

Connections Installation View 2019
Connections Installation View with Roxy 2019

A Closer Look At…. Andrew Sayers

Posted by on March 29, 2019

The gouaches of Andrew Sayers are evocative and atmospheric, encapsulating a real sense of space and of place. Painted en plein air, they speak of the challenges of depicting the scene in front of you as it changes depending on natural conditions, such as light and weather. Sayers’s work contrasts these fleeting moments of the elements against ancient features of the land, revealing his passion for rocks, seas and skies; as well as opening a conversation between the landscape and human elements, such as bridge constructions. In his opening remarks, Doug Hall described the works as exhibiting “poise, quiet monumentalism and clarity.”

To take A Closer Look At  how Sayers ‘captured a moment’ please download the illustrated essay.

Andrew SAYERS Sky Study Haywards Beach 218136
Andrew SAYERS Sky Study Haywards Beach gouache on paper 34 x 47.2 cm 218136

Visit the exhibition page to watch a video of the exhibition opening with speech by Doug Hall AM; download the illustrated catalogue or preview the artworks – please click here.

Andrew Sayers: Defining the Artist in The Good Weekend magazine

Posted by on March 19, 2019

Bogola Head (2015) by Andrew Sayers, gouache on paper, 57cm x 76.5cm.

Good Weekend readers will have spotted John McDonald’s review of our current exhibition of gouaches by Andrew Sayers as reproduced below. The evocative landscapes, with a beautiful sense of space and place are on show until 27 April.

 

Art: Andrew Sayers

By John McDonald   March 15, 2019

Lived: Richmond, Melbourne. Age: 1957-2015. Represented by: Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne; no Sydney gallery

His thing: Gouache on paper landscapes, painted in a range of locations.

Our take: After establishing his reputation as a curator at the National Gallery of Australia, Andrew Sayers went on to become the founding director of the National Portrait Gallery and, later, director of the National Museum of Australia. Only a few close friends knew that Sayers was also a secret artist who took every opportunity to go painting “en plein air”. Sayers had long intended to give up museum work and devote himself to artistic activities, but when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he began to value every moment he could spend with a brush in his hand.

He held a first solo exhibition with Lauraine Diggins Fine Art in May 2015, and died in October that year. Andrew Sayers: Defining the Artist is his second solo show with the gallery, featuring goauche landscapes drawn from the estate. The quick-drying nature of gouache encourages a rapid response, and many of these works on paper might be described as sketches in which the artist has spontaneously jotted down his impressions. Other pictures are more considered, but it’s obvious that Sayers relished the challenge of painting at high speed, relying on eye and instinct. Like all dedicated landscape artists, he would return to the same motif again and again, investigating it from different angles under varying qualities of light.

Can I afford it? 

The works in this show range from $1500 to $5000, depending on size. The smallest, such as On the Spot Sketch, Wallaga Lake Bridge (2012), are 23cm/24cm x 32cm. The largest, such as the diptych Wooden Bridge (2010), are 57cm x 76cm and priced at $4950. Another large work is Bogola Head (pictured).

Where can I have a squiz?

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, 5 Malakoff Street, North Caulfield, Melbourne, until April 27

diggins.com.au

Andrew Sayers: Exhibition Opening Sat 2 March

Posted by on March 1, 2019

Brave the heat and join us at the exhibition opening of gouaches by Andrew Sayers where the sense of light and air and space will cool you down!

We look forward to Doug Hall AM (former Director at QAGOMA and former Australian Commissioner, Venice Biennale) sharing his insights about Andrew Sayers, the artist, who is more widely known and celebrated for his successful institutional career including the founding Director of the National Portrait Gallery.

Featuring gouaches from 2010 – 2015, the “secret” life of Andrew Sayers – the artist – is revealed with themes ranging from the attractive bridges of the south coast of NSW; sites of volcanic history in Victoria; the colours of the desert; and nature, particularly seas and skies. The works have been inspired by his passion for geology; his curiosity about structure and how things work; and an obvious interest in atmospheric effects.

Preview the exhibition through our website and we hope to see you whilst the works are hanging – showing until 27 April 2019.

Janet and Mike Green Exhibition Opening and Artist Talks

Posted by on November 30, 2018

Missed the pleasure of our most recent exhibition opening? Eager to hear an insider’s view about the artworks? Videos of the exhibition opening for Alice and Beyond: Recent work by Janet and Mike Green, with opening remarks by Rod James, along with individual conversations with both Mike and Janet, are now all available for viewing – enjoy!

 

The Melbourne Fair

Posted by on August 22, 2018

August is Art Fair season in Melbourne! Lauraine Diggins Fine Art again participated in The Melbourne Fair which was on show 9th-12th August at Caulfield Racecourse and showcased over 50 specialist dealers focussing on  fine art; furniture; decorative arts; books, prints and posters; jewellery; fashion and vintage couture. It has been described as an Aladdin’s cave of treasures with something for every interest.

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art exhibited a selection of paintings, sculptures and works on paper which are now on view at the Gallery, including artworks by Nicholas Chevalier; Ethel Carrick Fox; Andrew Sayers; Danila Vassilieff and Roland Wakelin.

Contrasting coastal scenes by Arthur Boyd and Elioth Gruner show the wilds of the sand dunes of the ocean (Ocean Beach at Rye, 1957) against the jewel-like light and atmosphere of a wide expanse of sand against rippling waves (Figures on the Beach, 1917).

A selection of indigenous painting included a striking four-panel ochre work by Freddie Ngarrmaliny Timms, (Jimbaline, 1994) including Doon Doon Station, a scene associated with atrocities committed by pastoralists, a timely work in the wake of the Colony exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria.

We also exhibited a focus on Australian ceramics with works by Merric Boyd; John Perceval; Stephen Bowers and Zhou Xiaoping.

And gain an insight into the workings of an artist with Robert Clinch’s Dreamscape sculpture, depicting a playground day and night (complete with working streetlight) which features in his intricate lithograph pair of the same name.

It was a pleasure to see many of you at the Fair and to meet new friends of Lauraine Diggins Fine Art.

A Closer Look At…..ZHOU Xiaoping – the art of collaboration

Posted by on April 6, 2018

EXHIBITION:
ZHOU Xiaoping: The Cross Cultural Influences of Chinese & Indigenous Art
3 March – 21 April 2018

ZHOU Xiaoping’s referencing of indigenous culture has come from his own experience and immersion in the Australian indigenous landscape, through his relationships with Aboriginal people, and his genuine interest in indigenous culture and art – it is a celebration of his own experiences and journeys, the friendships he has made and his desire to share his understanding of this culture with an audience through his own art.

Follow this link to read more about Xiaoping’s work and experiences, please take A Closer Look At… Zhou Xiaoping collaborations

 

 

 

 

ZHOU Xiaoping Videos

Posted by on March 15, 2018

For those who were not able to attend our recent opening (or those who wish to relive it) a video is now available to view. We were delighted that Senator The Hon Mitch Fifield, Minister for Communications and Minister for the Arts, was able to officiate the proceedings and speak with such feeling about ZHOU Xiaoping’s artwork. You may also like to listen to the artist explain more about his emotional journey over the past 30 years and how he came to paint such fascinating works that combine his Chinese artistic training; his experience of Western culture, living in Melbourne and his immersion in Australian indigenous culture, gained through personal friendships and his travels to country.

Clicking here will take you to the exhibition page with the video links.

Zhou Xiaoping, Lauraine Diggins & Mitch Fifield
Zhou Xiaoping, Lauraine Diggins & Mitch Fifield

ZHOU XIAOPING Opening Saturday 3rd March

Posted by on February 28, 2018

ZHOU Xiaoping : The Cross Cultural Influences of Chinese and Indigenous Art opens at Lauraine Diggins Fine Art this Saturday 3rd March with official proceedings by Senator The Hon Mitch Fifield, Minister for the Arts.

ZHOU Xiaoping has created a unique artistic style incorporating his training in traditional Chinese classic painting with his experiences of indigenous Australia – its landscape, people and art – generating a new aesthetic and telling his story through his cross-cultural paintings and ceramics.

We are excited to present this exhibition showing the development of Zhou’s intriguing art over the last decade or so. Arriving in Australia in 1988, Zhou travelled extensively throughout Arnhem Land and the Kimberley which had a profound impact on his art practice. The friendships he made led to collaborations with significant indigenous artists including Jimmy Pike and Johnny Bulunbulun. Zhou’s latest paintings continue his exploration of the themes of art, culture and exchange with their multi-layering  of Chinese, Western and indigenous perspectives, meaning and narrative.

To preview the exhibition and download the catalogue with essay by Professor Alison Inglis please click here.