Shift | Isobel Clement

GALLERY NOTES

The still life paintings of Isobel Clement present a liminal space where time and space fold into, over and around, one another. Shift presents a survey of paintings that journal the subtle developments in Isobel Clement’s practice over the past eight years. Throughout this period an evolution of her rendering technique is evident, yet the same collection of unassuming domestic tableware has remained constant, weathering the flux of perception and existence.

At the heart of Clement’s practice is composition. Constructing and reconstructing; stacking, shifting, arranging, changing. Her eye composes an assemblage’s delicate spacing, the casting of shadows, relational negative space, an intersection of spouts, handles and lips. She creates a serendipitous spontaneity, each canvas a contemplative production of form, space and proportion. At times her vessels are monuments, grounded within the horizon, austere and unapologetic. Others possess a diaphanous quality, with ghostly traces sketched against an infinite picture plane. Despite a discernible shift, each painting harnesses her unique energy which exemplifies the humble power of quietness.

Isobel Clement paints in her home studio on the outskirts of Melbourne. She has been shortlisted for numerous contemporary painting prizes within the last decade and her work is included in collections such as National Gallery of Australia, the Australian Print Workshop Archive, Art Bank Australia and The Bundanon Trust.