art
Cloudzones: Two Precious Minutes of Nothing
An upcoming exhibition by Lane Cove artist Paul Bennett
PAUL BENNETT
P
aul and his wife Tutti are familiar faces in Lane Cove. We have featured them in the pages of TVO before as their eclectic, colourful style and warm, smiling faces gets them noticed on the Village’s streets. Artistry has propelled Paul’s entire life, from playing violin in the Queensland’s Musica Viva Society Orchestra, to a scholarship at the London College of Printing in the early 70s, to a life working with Tutti running their own advertising agency. Ups and downs have never stymied their shared passion for art, style, knowledge, travel and fun. In official retirement, Paul took to music, writing and painting. He is author of the book “The Cranky Guru: adventures in metaphysics” where he divulges his playful and funny take on our place in the universe. He also plays violin with the ‘Road Captains’ Blues and Country duo. But it is painting and sculpture – a gift given to him by his artist father – where his ideas really take off. Paul’s upcoming Gallery Lane Cove exhibition is underpinned by one crucial piece of inspiration - his desire to gift the viewer “two precious minutes of nothing” where we can disconnect ourselves from our fast-paced lives and spend time contemplating something bigger than ourselves. Paul’s work has timeless, beautiful quality; exploring air, wind, fire, water. The poignancy of his work, so soon after the bushfires and lockdown, is inescapable. It is as though his works are symbiotic, and empathetic with 34 TVO
us and our environment. But the theme that encapsulates his work, “two precious minutes of nothing”, is eerily prophetic. Here is an artist who asks us to delve into silence; into nothingness; into stillness in order that we can be revitalised and rewarded.
Cloudzones: Two Precious Minutes of Nothing opens on 9 December 2020 at Gallery Lane Cove and will run until 19 December, before re-opening 4 – 16 January 2021. Paul will give an artist talk on Saturday 12 December at Gallery Lane Cove from 11am – 12pm. Booking is essential: paulbennett-artists-talk.eventbrite. com.au
