LOTTIE CONSALVO

AND ALL AROUND IS DESERT

CURATED BY KIM FASHER

DAMIEN MINTON GALLERY, SYDNEY, 2011

Across shoulders the shadows of trees are cast

as the hills roll through ghosted faces

beasts are revealed inside of men

and all around is desert

Standing in a room with the works of Lottie Consalvo, the viewer is led to contemplate the relationship between vast landscapes and the unending potential of human emotion. Standing where they stand, where they struggle, her figures break and strain, rise and fade in their interaction with the land that they are set against, and themselves.  

 There is an authenticity of emotion in Lottie's paintings and sculptures that is not easily summarised. Born of experience and artistic exploration, her strength lies in a simple portrayal of the complex relationship between the human form and its cerebral counterparts. The protagonists often appear engaged in a struggle between primitive instinct and rational clarity, blurring the line between man and his inner forms. These expressive figures cast questions to a quintessentially Australian landscape creating a mood that is at once dark, quiet and thought provoking.

Lottie Consalvo, originally from Melbourne, now spends her time between Berlin, Germany and Newcastle, Australia. She has exhibited in Berlin, Sydney and Melbourne and her work is held in private collections  in both Australia and abroad. Following this exhibition Lottie will return to her studio in Berlin, later traveling to Germany's other major art centre, Leipzig, where she has secured a three month residency with the Leipzig International Art Program.