Kate McKay : Illuminated

Kate McKay

Illuminated 24 February – 24 March 2016

Illuminated In big bustling cities, gardens are special. The stark contrast of how we feel when we step from the shadows of tall buildings into one of these vibrant, growing places can be like a weight lifting off our shoulders.

The garden – whether it is in a glass jar or sprawled over city blocks – is a testament to our deep cultural connection with nature. Within a city, gardens are places of escape, play and relaxation. However the idea of the manicured garden is a relationship that is riddled with desires, expectations and anxieties. In Illuminated McKay is able to tease out these underlying tensions, and give us a new way of thinking about these little pockets of paradise that sit within our busy streets.

Illuminated is a series of oil paintings that offer partial views of Brisbane’s inner city gardens including the Brisbane botanic gardens and Southbank parklands. The landscapes have been depicted at dusk when the natural light is fading and the streetlights have come on. Our initial sense of familiarity that comes from recognising the locations is disrupted by the hyperreal painting style. Through the use of unnatural lighting and colours, dark voids and emotive brushwork in the compositions, McKay is able to blur the perceived boundaries that divide the interior self from the outside world. Without this boundary the garden spaces take on a dreamlike quality that is imbued with memories, emotions and subconscious desires.

McKay’s works offer windows into internal landscapes, taking us from the familiar and into the unknown of our own imaginations.

Eileen Abood and Kate McKay, 2016

Limelight, 2016 oil on linen 113 x 153 cm $4,500

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Enclosure, 2016 oil on linen 153 x 113 cm $4,500

Arranged and Contained, 2016 oil on linen 150 x 111 cm $4,200 Â

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Waning Light, 2016 oil on linen 122 x 92 cm $3,800

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Entangled, 2016 oil on board 20 x 16 cm $400

Fringe, 2016 oil on board 20 x 16 cm $400

Garden Path, 2016 oil on board 20 x 16 cm $400

Haven, 2016 oil on board 20 x 16 cm $400

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City Stairs, 2016 oil on board 20 x 16 cm $400

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Magenta Clouds, 2016 oil on board 23 x 20 cm $400

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Iridescent Leaves, 2016 oil on board 25 x 30 cm $450

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Magnetic Glow, 2016 oil on board 25 x 30 cm $450

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Trees Aglow, 2016 oil on board 25 x 30 cm $450

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Kate McKay CV b. Glenelg 1992

Educa&on 2013 Bachelor of Fine Art, First Class Honours, Queensland College of Art (QCA), Brisbane

Solo Exhibi&ons 2016 Illuminated, Jan Manton Gallery, Brisbane 2015 Elsewhere, Jan Manton Gallery, Brisbane

Group Exhibi&ons 2015 Macquarie Group Emerging ArOst Prize, Space Gallery, Sydney St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital Anzac Art Prize, St Andrew's Hospital, Brisbane 2014 The View From Here, The Hold Artspace, Brisbane The Churchie NaOonal Emerging Art Prize, Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane Test Pa[ern, Ryan Renshaw Gallery, Brisbane 2013 The Hold’s 2013 Xmas ExhibiOon, The Hold Artspace, Brisbane The GAS: Graduate Art Show, Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane Limen, QCA, Brisbane Middle Ground, The Hold Artspace, Brisbane 2012 The GAS: Graduate Art Show, Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane Here Now, QCA, Brisbane Chromophilia, QCA Project Gallery, Brisbane Nowstalgia, POP Gallery, Brisbane Myself (and as Someone Else), QCA Project Gallery, Brisbane 2011 Almost Seen: Queensland College of Art Second Year ExhibiOon, QCA, Brisbane

Awards 2015 Macquarie Group Emerging ArOst Prize, Sydney, Winner St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital Anzac Art Prize, St Andrew's Hospital Brisbane, Finalist 2014 The Churchie NaOonal Emerging Art Prize, Griffith University Art Gallery, Finalist 2013 Graduate Art Show Awards, Griffith University Art Gallery, Finalist Griffith Award for Academic Excellence for Studies in the Bachelor of Fine Art, QCA, Brisbane 2012 Oxlades Art EssenOals at Southbank Undergraduate Award, Brisbane Griffith Award for Academic Excellence for Studies in the Bachelor of Fine Art, QCA, Brisbane Graduate Art Show Awards, Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane 2011 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence for Studies in the Bachelor of Fine Art, QCA, Brisbane 2010 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence for Studies in the Bachelor of Fine Art, QCA, Brisbane

Collec&ons Macquarie Group Art CollecOon Private collecOons

Website www.katemckay.com.au

1/93 Fortescue St Spring Hill Qld 4000 ! +61 7 3831 3060!

Info@janmantonart.com!