Sidney & Matilda Gallery 31.05.19 – 16.06.19
L O T
Pronoun: A large number or amount; a great deal. Adverb: A great deal; much. Noun: A particular group or set of people or things. An item or set of items for sale at an auction. The making of a decision by random selection, especially by a method involving the choice of one from a number of pieces of folded paper, one of which has a concealed mark. A person’s luck, situation, or destiny in life. A plot of land assigned for sale or for a particular use.
LOT unites a series of new works by artist David Orme: Like abstruse cabinets of curiosity, Orme’s large-scale collages and framed fragments exhibit an assortment of quirky forms which stimulate interpretation. These cohesive arrangements lay bare a system of making, a methodology that echoes the practice of collecting and curating.
Orme paints acrylic washes onto large sheets of cotton twill before cutting and drawing onto them, continuing this intuitive process of cutting and redrawing until a new shape reveals itself. This innate process of creating, making value judgements and nurturing an enigmatic dialogue between fragments is evident in the collages.
The titles of the works on display are inspired by a short story by Virginia Woolf titled: ‘Solid Objects’. In the short story the protagonist named John discovers a mysterious object buried in the sand on the beach. The strange object, made from what appears to be glass, incites an obsession to seek and collect similar objects, estranged from function. Parallels can be drawn between John’s pursuit for new objects and Orme’s studio practice; the liminal spaces in which John finds (himself and) the abstract objects, is akin to the studio space, a realm in which transformative actions occur and new forms and structures emerge.
Besides being drawn to the discovery and invention of new, esoteric forms Orme is also inspired by the utility and potency of objects such as sentimental keepsakes, artefacts from folklore, apotropaic charms, religious relics, travel souvenirs, grave goods and votive offerings.
