Cate Chapman
Caringbah High School
UNTHREAD (THE MUSES OF THE MINDSCAPE)
Collection of Work
Acrylic on canvas and mixed media
My artmaking intentions are to create a surreal odyssey through the boundless depths of human imagination. In this fantastical mindscape I immerse the audience in ethereal scenes with strange creatures - the muses of my reveries. Textural bas-reliefs bubble from the canvases, expressing immersive visions that spill from the subconscious, the psyche. In pencil drawings on silk, veil-cloaked self-portraits represent my reality, absorbed in thought.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Salvador Dali, René Magritte, Alexandra Levasseur, Pat Brassington, Anne Wallace, Elia Pellegrini, Tracy K. Smith
Marker's Commentary
This series of nineteen circular works Unthread (The Muses of the Mindscape) depicts glimpses into the artist’s fantastical world. Using herself as a motif in each artwork, the audience engages with the narrative and journeys through imagined lands, orbiting and linking the personal narratives with one another. Rich with symbolism, the artist sensitively pairs her conceptual intentions with painting, drawing and sculpture. The small monochrome self portraits complement the playful, colourful worlds. Curatorially, each artwork is connected by the repetition of circular, planet-like forms and the recurring depiction of surreal elements and introspect, with the choice of media thoughtfully complementing the fantastical subject matter.