By Mikayla van Loon
Art often encourages an inward response of emotion or feeling but YAVA Gallery and Arts Hub’s current exhibition from Deanne Eccles invites that personal and perhaps whole body experience to be paramount.
“When I ask people to stand in front of the works and allow the works to affect you, I want people to ask internally, ‘how am I feeling when I’m standing with this painting? How has this painting affected me? What part of my body has been awakened when I stand with this work?’,” she said.
“I don’t want to be didactic. I want people to have their own personal journey.”
Exploring her love of colour and form, as well as the connection between human beings and art, Deanne has created a body of work that encapsulates the circular nature of life.
“The circle is the most archetypal form that we have in the evolution of all species but particularly the human being, because we’ve conceptualised it and used it in so many ways.
“So the circular form, whether it be a seed, the seed of life or the thing that holds you in place or brings consciousness, your mind will go to that circular form, and you’ll be held in that colour or that form [within the work].”
As an artist, Deanne draws on the pendulum technique, the notion of being both subjective and objective to explore her own emotions but also ensure the viewer can apply their own thoughts to the artwork.
“You ask what is needed and observe so that you’re very much aware of the subjective space of the art of yourself and then the objective of the observer of the canvas of the work,” Deanne said.
Working with mostly blues and reds, Deanne said “I’m now floating and moving and dancing with these colours” and she is still exploring what these colours mean to her at this moment in time.
Not only is it the artworks themselves contributing to the full body immersion but Deanne said it’s also the negative space and atmosphere.
Musicians Kaylie Melville and Gelareh Pour will be performing on 19 November as a response to that atmospheric embodiment of the works.
“In many ways, my intention is, my hope is that these artworks will inspire something else creative.
“I don’t want this to be the full stop, I want to move people, to create a domino or an osmotic effect for other arts.”
For Deanne these works she has created over a period of two years demand the time to explore them deeply, with the gallery specially curated to allow that space to do so.
“Visitors can absorb them and digest them and feel them because it doesn’t become overwhelming because we’ve created spaces,” YAVA gallery manager Vanessa Flynn said.
“The curtains offer a way of having a private moment with the painting without everyone else and allows you to tap into that without thinking about everything else around you.”
With the exhibition now open after it launched on Thursday 20 October, Deanne said she hopes people come into the gallery to spend time and not rush.
“Take time to be with the works. It’s about spending some time and allowing the atmosphere of the works to just be with them.
“Just be in an artistic space. Observe yourself, do you feel what comes up? Is there any inspiration? Would you write poetry or a letter to a friend?”
Sublime is running until 20 November. Deanne will also be hosting a workshop at YAVA on 12 November.
