TREPIDATION

Sandra Gunniga Thomson, Melissa Kahl, Sarah Catania

5TH FEBRUARY - 22ND FEBRUARY 2020

OPENING NIGHT: WEDNESDAY 5TH FEBRUARY 2020, 5-8PM

Space One

Through Trepidation, artists Sarah Catania, Melissa Kahl, and Sandra Gunniga Thomson explore the cloud of unease that has settled over them as they confront ambiguous futures. Thomson, whose practice concerns a textural realisation of organic and visceral forms through traditional drawing techniques, engages with the idea of an impractical and unhealthy obsession with the unknown. The subjects of her works are indulgent and submit to being enveloped by the surrounding environment they must inhabit. Kahl, through her imagery of tide, flow and gravity, explores ‘the moment’ as akin to the push and pull of water. Her works present a dichotomy between action and passivity—obsession and indifference— that entices oneself into a state of indecisiveness and apprehension to inhibit progression towards a future. Catania explores the nature of memory and its effect on the future. As what individuals remember from the past influences their current and future life, what happens if those memories are skewed towards the negative or contain trauma? Her works sift through her own sense of impending doom stemming from past memories and the fear of her past repeating itself in the future.

Melissa Kahl is an artist who explores feminine and whimsical imagery through a visceral approach to her practice. Working preferably in watercolour, Kahl intends on creating artwork that is vibrant, visual and emotionally engaging.

Sandra Gunniga Thomson is a third-year Media Arts student, specialising in drawing and animation. She enjoys illustrating the surreal - moments that can be equally grotesque as they are endearing.

Sarah Catania is a Fine Arts student studying drawing and printmaking. Catania draws on her own life experiences to create works that engage with the psychological struggles she encounters. 

Image: Sandra Gunniga Thomson, ‘Strawberries’, 2018, Colour pencil on toned paper, Approximately 56 cm x 38 cm