Finalist in the “National Emerging Art Prize”
NEAP Exhibition duration 30 October - 9 November at The Garden Gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney.
Love Thy Neighbour, 26x30cm, oil on aluminium, 2024
“Though I am non-religious, I am familiar with the expression ‘love thy neighbour’ that derives from Mathew 22:37-39 ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’, having found its way into the mainstream lexicon. Its pertinence struck me in the context of the contradictory values - a gradual creep of greed, complacency and cold indifference - that has delivered the current housing crisis, particularly in Perth, Western Australia, which (at the time of writing this) holds the highest national rent increase and some of the lowest vacancy rates in the country. This work joins the chorus of many Australians demanding meaningful reform towards a broken system that increasingly only looks after the lucky few. As a nation of predominantly Anglo-Celtic origins and therefore, an ethics system informed largely via that of the Western Judeo-Christian belief system, the inequity of the current situation spotlights just how far we have strayed as a society - one that prides itself on egalitarianism - and there has never been a more pertinent time to refocus on these foundational values, religious or not. This work draws upon the French “Trompe l’Oeil” aesthetic (“deceiving the eye”) to call out the illusion that is the “Australian dream” of owning a home.”
featured in “About Face”
By Amber Creswell. Published by Thames & Hudson Australia, September 2024.
Since the advent of the camera nearly two centuries ago, a portrait is no longer expected to be an exact likeness. From surrealist renderings to abstract interpretations, contemporary artists have shed the convention of traditional portraiture, experimenting with an array of styles to convey the personality and character of their subjects.
In About Face, Amber Creswell Bell examines the practices of a diverse canvas of portrait painters in Australia and New Zealand. The dynamic nature of both the artists and their work reflects an evolution of culture, society and creative practice. These painters use portraiture to convey a narrative, engage with social, political or environmental issues or evoke the complexity of the human experience; some are simply fascinated by human faces.
Whatever the artist’s motivation, every work makes clear that portraiture has always been a powerful means of telling stories and exploring our individual and collective identities.
About the Author: Amber Creswell Bell is a Sydney-based arts, design and lifestyle writer, and curator. With a passion for art, Amber champions emerging and unrepresented artists, curating exhibitions both independently and in collaboration with well-established commercial galleries. She is currently the Director of Emerging Art for Michael Reid galleries. Amber’s book Australian Abstract (2023) was awarded the Australian Book Industry Award for Illustrated Book of the Year. About Face is Amber’s sixth book with Thames & Hudson.
