Basil Papoutsidis - Fiona Halse - Painting | Sculpture - Friday 3 November - Saturday 25 November 2023

Basil Papoutsidis is a practicing, Melbourne-based artist who previously completed a BFA (Visual Art) at the University of Melbourne (VCA) in 2014. In this body of work, Papoutsidis revises sculptural traditions from the vantage point of vehicular forms. The artist’s formalist constructions are cut and fused using automotive finishes and engineered colours. Constructed from aluminium, fractured lines deviate the organic to the geometric.

Duality and Transition

The dance of duality, positive and negative space, weaving flexibility of line, and the transition from dark to light have been explored through paint and mixed media collage in this exhibition. The exhibition profiles some enamel works where the hardness of the material forces structure and composition. There is a transition to lighter works and warmer tonal ranges and these works rely on line and colour to find the space instead of the enamel material . Overall there is an understanding of the importance of the vitality of the material and how its application through haptic processes creates agency and connects to the senses and the unconscious.

Duality is explored through positive and negative space and tonal contrast, but there is also a need for transition and nuance through colour and the application of materials. In some works, there is a shift from chiaroscuro and illusionistic devices to reliance on linear structures to create space. The content of the work connects to memories that are connected to self and projections of being. My own personal ontology encompasses an exploration of nuances from dark to light and within this dichotomy and contrasting elements, there is a fragmentation and sensory approach that is embraced.

‘We work in the dark – we do what we can – we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.’ Henry James