An art exhibition at the Newcastle Art Gallery is set to showcase intimate paintings of everyday objects and iconic landscapes of Newcastle.
Local artist Rachel Milne is featuring her first major solo exhibition, ‘RACHEL MILNE: Nest’, with portraits and paintings set in her home and studio.
Milne’s exhibition also includes a series of plein air landscapes and paintings of the former David Jones building in Hunter St Mall.
Milne was the artist in residence at the time of the building’s abandonment and created artworks that captured the iconic history of the former department store.
“I want people to see these places and that massive contrast between a building when it’s full of flashy people and lights, until the point where it’s changed, and it’s empty, like an empty escalator,” Milne said.
“I suppose it’s an honesty that I’m trying to put across; this is how things really are, these spaces are so important, but I feel they often get overlooked, but for me, they are just fundamental.”
The English-born artist moved to Newcastle in 2013 and made her mark on the local art scene as the winner of the Singleton Portraiture Prize.
Milne is a three-time finalist in the Kilgour Prize at Newcastle Art Gallery.
She has also made the shortlist twice in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW and has work in the collections of Bathurst and Maitland Regional Art Galleries.
“This show is called Nest, which started when I got access to the Creator Incubator in Hamilton North, which is a huge couple of warehouses full of artists,” Milne said.
“This was an incredibly important space for them, each area was so individual, and the things they were making were so beautiful, there was so much humanity—it just occurred to me that people nest.
“And it’s quite strange because people are never in my paintings…I feel like they pull the eye too much, and I’m more interested in the objects and the space itself.
“But I just thought what if I can paint all these different places which are so important to the people of Newcastle…but maybe we don’t necessarily see, or value as much as we should.”
As part of the opening weekend, Milne will participate in a talk with writer Laura Jackel from 2 pm on May 15 exploring Newcastle’s ever-evolving urban landscape.
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said Milne’s observational works were an example of Intimism’s artistic genre, which captured the beauty of everyday objects and scenes.
“Milne’s observational paintings depict ordinary objects like a child’s pram, a chair from her studio or food she has prepared,” Morton said.
“Paintings of local public swimming pools depict nostalgic scenes that have remained unchanged for years, the exhibition also includes recently created works of art by Milne on display for the first time.”
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the exhibition captured many different perspectives of Newcastle, which was familiar to the community.
“Whether it’s the view from the stage of the Victoria Theatre to the interior of the old David Jones building… Rachel’s work provides a fascinating snapshot in time as our city continues to grow and evolve.”
Nest is on display from May 15 to August 1 at Newcastle Art Gallery; for more information, visit the galleries website.
Information source: Media release, May 12, City of Newcastle