Recent winner of Absolute Stairwell Gallery’s Peoples choice auction and participant in the Adidas ‘All in Challenge’, Sydney based artist BENNETT today, announces the opening of his solo show ‘ORANGES & LEMONS’ at Oh Really Gallery in Newtown on Thursday May 19th 2011.
The concept behind the title of the show ‘ORANGES & LEMONS’, taken from a well know children’s nursery rhyme is set to challenge the way we perceive images, from the way they are “meant” to be been viewed.
Re-contextualising common and mass -produced objects and themes is a major characteristic within BENNETT’S works. These alternative narratives and scenarios are created to both entertain and challenge the audience to explore each piece in the search for their own meaning or conclusion.
Currently, BENNETT is working out of StupidKrap studios, using aerosol, acrylic and mixed media to create his works.
Always influenced and inspired by the ever changing urban surroundings. His thought provoking, sometimes controversial and shocking statements are achieved by taking mundane, everyday imagery and twisting it to suggest an alternative meaning.
The use of textural and layered backgrounds juxtaposed with bold foreground images further extended this contrast created within these mash-up styled works.
“I’m trying to break the image into sections and parts to reveal the process of our thought patterns of why we see things the way we do, and to ask the viewer what if?”
“What if something was a different colour, slightly different to the norm, or if the subject was a different person, in a different place with more or less emphasis on the surroundings they are captured in, what would the result be?”
‘ORANGES & LEMONS’ will display, in true BENNETT style, mash ups – combining two unlikely counterparts to create a complete image, which is not necessarily true, real or normal, but yet still complete.
BENNETTS’ art deliberately encourages people to doubt, explore and question the social correctness of the images we encounter in our everyday existence.
Be sure to get down to ‘ORANGES & LEMONS’ and see for yourself one of Sydney’s finest up- and -coming artists.
Video: Brent Quincy Buchanan.
Opening night:
Thursday 19th May at 6pm.
The show continues till May 29th
Opening hours 11am – 6pm
Oh Really Gallery
55 Enmore Road,
Newtown
Sydney NSW 2042.
More info:
– michaelbennett.com.au
– facebook.com/BENNETT.ART.DESIGN