Elizabeth Rees 'In Motion' (2009)

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Sat 30 Jan ’10, 9:00am–5:30pm	Saving
Mon 1 Feb ’10, 9:00am–5:30pm	Saving
Tue 2 Feb ’10, 9:00am–5:30pm	Saving
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Fri 19 Feb ’10, 9:00am–5:30pm	Saving
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Wed 24 Feb ’10, 9:00am–5:30pm	Saving
Thu 25 Feb ’10, 9:00am–5:30pm	Saving
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Where: Milford Galleries Dunedin, 18 Dowling St, Dunedin Show map

Restrictions: All Ages

Ticket Information:

Admission: Free

Website:

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

Favourites:

Milford Galleries

Momentum and passage are ever-present in Elizabeth Rees’ new body of work. Time is frozen as figures captured ‘In Motion’ give a real sense of bodies moving through the landscape. As if part of a cinematic film strip, dark human shapes move forward, but where are they going to or what are they running from? Rees explores mood, energy, a physical connection to our surrounding environment and the onwards determination of the journey we all experience in our daily life.

From dynamic, expressive brush strokes that are dragged and twisted across the painting surface to soft, smudgy and delicate application, Rees masterfully uses paint. ‘Light Air’ explores the momentum of forward movement, with expressive horizontal brush work guiding ones eye from left to right.

Rees’ palette has broadened, and candescent reds and oranges give an appearance of glowing light. ‘Fun Run’ addresses the energy and power of the moving body and the restless nature of the mind. Figures emanate light as if fuelled by fire, driving forward and onward. ‘Surrender to the Sky’ shows a figure hurtling through reddish early morning or late evening skies while the comfort in others is expressed in ‘Twilight Team’ as a group of figures move towards the darkening night.

Rees’ feminine and familiar peaches and creams are contrasted against darkened bodies. There is a softness and vulnerability to these works. A solitary figure is pictured in ‘Silence’ and a sense of peace and meditation is explored through the composition. The smudgy and smoky application in ‘Flow’ shows a misty landscape, where a lone figure passes towards an unknown destination bathed in a soothing light.

Cropped figures and backgrounds allude to what lies beyond. What is out there in the brooding darkness of the unknown? A fragment of time; we are only seeing a part, a snapshot of the greater whole.

Rees’ paintings are enigmatic. From the brooding mood-scapes, to the face-less figures, there is a quality of mystery and ambiguity to the work. As with life, each snapshot can be interpreted and experienced in a different way, and the onward journey of discovery is what makes us human.