Kobie Bosch: Tails and Fables ~ 4th – 27th June

Opening Conversation

Gallery Tour

Kobie’s paintings reveal her fascination with Australian wildlife and the concept of Home. They are sumptuous and colourful, with a subtle blend of whimsy and interior style. The integration of the external natural world with homely interiors creates places of beauty and boundless imagination, which remains central to Kobie’s work.

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Whilst the inspiration for the works in this exhibition comes from Kobie’s home studio in a leafy Sydney suburb, much of the subject matter can be found in the parks, gardens and bushland settings around the country. However, it is her fresh imaginative view of these bushland surroundings, installed within the interior home that distinguishes her work from all others. Her boundless imagination and storied concepts in the paintings heighten our awareness and appreciation of the incomparable wonder and magic of the natural world. The lyrical and exuberant compilations are textured, colourful and above all captivating.

Kobie’s paintings exhibit an emphasis on beauty, patterns, colour and quirky. Often delineated with a rectangular screen, patterned wall or table edge, each painting presents a story and interest. The focus is invariably on a lyrebird or peacock happily wondering around the room – not looking out of place and just going about their natural fossicking business. These irreverent offerings call undue attention to classic pieces of furniture – grand pianos, decorative bowls, wall art, and crockery. Moreover, the paintings are balanced. So, although at first glance appearing busy and energetic, there is a sense of poise, normalness and order to the work – perhaps even a sense of calm because it all looks so pleasing and in correct proportion.

Amidst these highly finished and relatively large works are a number of small, less detailed pieces that highlight individual still life ornamentation. There is immense harmony in all the artworks. Pleasure and playfulness feature in each creation and finely grained details keep the viewer mesmerised. There is always something else to find!

There is an overall cohesiveness to this collection of works by Kobie Bosch. Lyrebirds nibbling at crumbs on the dining room floor and elegant peacocks climbing the stairs are not out of place. Kobie is an artist who is well read and has an imaginative mind. She utilises her extraordinary creativity to conjure up stories embodied within each of these paintings, which are also a feature of this exhibition. The magical fables embodied within each one, illustrate to some extent the historical, social and cultural processes that constitute Kobie’s contemporary paintings. Each fable coupled to its painting highlights Kobie’s originality and undisciplined thinking. What a joy!