Summertime in the mountains 2019
photo credit Christian Capurro, solo exhibition at Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide 27 Jun - 20 Jul 2019
Summertime in the Mountains is Melinda Schawel’s first solo exhibition of 2019 following an eventful 2018 that included successful debuts at Art Central Hong Kong and Sydney Contemporary Art Fair. Schawel’s practice is deeply rooted in the processes she employs and this body of work like previous ones, emphasises the physicality of the creative process while paying homage to the awe-inspiring power of nature after a recent experience hiking the remote 53 km Milford Track in the South Island of New Zealand. The brooding yet vibrant palette conjures the lushness of the Fiordland’s ancient rainforests, where in the space of an hour, trickling creeks can morph into raging rivers and waterfalls. There is also a sense of vulnerability captured in the clustered compositions, torn and perforated, and felt whilst traversing such an unpredictable landscape. This feeling paired with the accompanying solitude of trekking alone for hours on end amongst such unspoilt beauty resulted in what the artist describes as ‘an intoxicating effect.’
