Maiden Voyage: Group Show

Aptly named to mark the gallery’s inaugural exhibition, Maiden Voyage charts the journey from nascent to notable, presenting a considered curation of works by an impressive and diverse collective of artists including Baden Croft, Emma Davies, Matthew Johnson, Grace Murphy, Neil Williams and Elena Zhao.

Unified by their capacity to capture the attention and then coax deeper contemplation of the world around us, a curation of works spanning an array of mediums and expressions demonstrate the inspiring breadth of contemporary art on the Mornington Peninsula and beyond, planting a flag within an ever-shifting topography and establishing kellilundberg.art as a place that mediates between traditional and contemporary practices.

In its depiction of six vastly different individuals — two recent Victorian College of the Arts graduates, three established artists based on the Mornington Peninsula and a globally accomplished recipient of numerous accolades — Maiden Voyage celebrates the inspiring reach of contemporary art, mapping the engaging pilgrimage from emerging to established to be emblematic of the gallery’s official launch within the artistic landscape.

Reflecting the understanding that artists are pathfinders and bearers of the future, Maiden Voyage does what art has always done so eloquently by offering a vital and articulate perspective on today’s cultural, social, technological and environmental climates. From the evolution of Grace Murphy’s anthropomorphised beings which begin as AI prompts to be viscerally brought to life by oil on board; the romanticised architectonic landscape compositions and captivatingly nostalgic domestic silhouettes of Neil Williams; the delicate biomimicry of pelts and wall hangings by Emma Davies which gracefully emulate natural forms; the hyper-realism of Baden Croft’s Tulips which burst forth in rich hues from stark and barren landscapes as though gasping for life-giving breath; the classical Rococo leanings and mythical references impressed within Elena Zhao’s works which see beauty and evil coalesce in nameless figures of extravagant beauty; to the digital confetti of Matthew Johnson’s abstract works which reconcile an algorithmic pattern language with a fluid looseness, each piece is a vital star within a striking constellation, shining beacons which, en mass, become an invitation to dive more deeply…to look more closely.