Painting is Undead - Honours Grad Exhibition

The School of Art & Design Gallery, The Australian National University

2023

Painting is Undead: Non-Representational Painting on Sutured Surfaces is the body of work from my honours research. It responds to the aesthetic history of abstraction and questions the continued declaration that 'painting is dead' through an expanded painting practice that uses recycled and reclaimed textiles to create 'sutured surfaces' to paint on. I use Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' as a metaphor to think about how to reanimate these materials through suturing, joining, juxtaposition and layering. 


  • Close-up of a colorful, textured abstract artwork with various bright colors and stitched fabric pieces.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Colorful abstract paintings on display in an art gallery with white walls and wooden floors.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Art gallery with colorful paintings on the walls, sculptures, digital screens, and multimedia art installations on a wooden floor.

    Wider install shot including works from fellow graduates. Photo courtesy of ANU SOAD Gallery

  • An art gallery with colorful abstract paintings on white walls and three colorful frames on the wooden floor, one pink, one blue, and one light blue.

    Grad Show Install - Photo courtesy of ANU SOAD Gallery

  • An art gallery featuring four abstract paintings on white walls and a turquoise frame on the wooden floor. The frame holds fabric resembling two shoes.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Colorful abstract paintings displayed on white gallery walls.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Art gallery display with three abstract paintings, two mounted on a white wall and one on a pink frame standing on the floor.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Part of a metal furniture frame with four feet painted light blue on a wooden floor, with some paint chips and imperfections visible.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • A blue-painted wooden sculpture of a foot, lying on a reddish-brown wooden floor.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Two abstract colorful paintings on a white gallery wall.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Colorful abstract paintings displayed on a white gallery wall, with a pink sculptural frame resembling a ladder or stand in the foreground.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Colorful abstract paintings displayed on a white gallery wall and a turquoise freestanding art piece on the hardwood floor.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Colorful abstract painting on an easel in an art gallery, with other artworks on the walls, and a polished wooden floor.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • An art display featuring an abstract painting on a frame with painted feet at the base, set on a dark wooden floor.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Two abstract colorful paintings hanging on a white wall.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Abstract colorful painting on a frame stand in an art gallery.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Abstract colorful artwork with overlapping textured patches of various colors including blue, red, green, yellow, and orange.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Close-up of an abstract, textured painting with dark purple, green, and vibrant orange colors and intricate, raised lines.

    Photo by Sophie Dumaresq

  • Art museum interior with various contemporary artworks including paintings, sculptures, and multimedia installations displayed on white walls, pedestals, and a purple backdrop.

    Wider install shot with works from fellow graduates. Photo courtesy of ANU SOAD Gallery