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We’ve got a bit of an obsession with a well-adorned curiosities shelf (aka a ‘shelfie’), and local artist Sean Meilak is taking his own contemporary iteration to new heights. He’s working on a narrow three-metre shelf laden with elegant plaster forms when we visit his Fitzroy studio. The textures, the forms, that colour palette – we’re intrigued at first sight, obviously.
This exciting installation will be exhibited as part of the group show ‘Colour and Form’ at Home@735 Gallery in Sydney next month, tying in with Art Month Sydney. The work is inspired by Sean’s ongoing interest in architectural and geometric forms, ruins, and design. ‘I am very much interested in blurring the boundaries between still life, set design and mise-en-scene in cinema, while examining artifice – the artefact and the cultural constructs of display,’ details the VCA-trained artist.
One epic installation comprising multiple artworks isn’t enough for this industrious creative, he’s also currently creating his largest installation yet, this time for the group show: ‘Artefacts’ at Space on Collins in Melbourne next month, as part of Melbourne Design Week. This work delves into furniture design, exploring the way objects are displayed in stores and museums and how this, in turn, dictates so much of the viewing experience.
Visualise if you will: architectural and geometric plaster sculptures, installed on a buffet style plinth, a wall unit-cum-room divider, and a table completely covered in a textured render. ‘…pieces echoing architectural elements, ancient ruins, and postmodern pastiche,’ teases Sean.
The multidisciplinary artist has worked in many mediums over the years including painting, drawing, video, and installation. Most recently, he has placed greater emphasis on sculpture and installation. ‘I became drawn to this after working on a series of still life paintings, based on small sets and assemblages created in the studio,’ explains the 42-year-old. ‘I started making my own geometric and architectural forms out of plaster to add to the sets, and gradually they evolved into artworks in their own right.’
Glancing around Sean’s studio of 16-years (!!), almost every available surface is inhabited by such forms. From ancient Roman ruins, Bauhaus and the Memphis Group, to space design, fashion and film, Sean absorbs his vast array of influences with a deeply contemplative approach.
‘Colour and Form’
Art Month Sydney
March 1st – April 1st
Home@735 Gallery
735 Bourke Street, Redfern, Sydney
‘Artefacts’
Melbourne Design Week
March 16th – 25th
Space on Collins
278 Collins Street, Melbourne
We also thrilled to let you know we will be hosting a solo exhibition with Sean Meilak at TDF Collect in October this year, for which he will be producing a series of sculptures and a limited edition series of Lithographs for the first time!
Sean Meilak is represented by Niagara Galleries.
