Mark Rowden + Shirley Hersch + Sarah Park + The Photogroup @ Gaffa

So here we are at Gaffa for another big night. Four exhibitions, from some very talented artists, opening together. Strap yourselves in.

Tonight Gallery 1 hosts “Burlesque, Ballet & Cirque” from Mark Rowden. The exhibition is the product of an extensive study into the world of physical theatre. It is a bright, bold and dynamic collection of paintings and lino prints that have been carefully composed and beautifully executed.

Although he is a well known figure in the Sydney art world (among other things, Mark runs Sydney Art Galleries & Art Community – the only decent Sydney contemporary art opening calendar), exhibiting extensively in group shows and prizes since 1999, this is only Mark’s second solo exhibition.  We can’t wait to see many more.

Gallery 2 housed a magical installation from Shirley Hersch, entitled “Clarity”. Her delicate remarkably resilient (as we discovered) glass creations were designed as a reflection of the beauty and mystery of the sea. The installation moved gently in the space, and changed as it caught light from different angles.

“Burnt” is the debut solo show from Sarah Park.  The series of paintings explores a relationship between a scarred and burnt landscape and the scarred human form. She explores the idea of beauty in the damage.

Last but by no means least, gallery 4 gave us “Snapshot”. This group show from the Photo Group (Asim Aly-Khan, Bryan Cummins, Andrea Klucis, Caroline Mclean-Foldes, Philippa Margan, Mim Stirling and Mirjana Tann) was a diverse collection that displayed each artists’ experimentation with photographic media. By the time we reached this space the crowds were getting difficult to navigate, so unfortunately we could not capture work from all the artists.

As always, a busy and exciting night for Gaffa and all the artists involved!