Catherine O'Donnell: Beyond the Shadow

A survey exhibition of the artists practice over the last decade.

Catherine odonnell page topper

The humble fibro cottage is emotive of the Australian dream – we all have a memory to share about this domestic icon. In this magnificent survey exhibition, generations of suburban dreams are explored by western Sydney based artist Catherine O’Donnell.

Beyond the Shadow investigates the suburban architecture of the mid-century social housing of Western Sydney and Regional NSW. The exhibition celebrates the architectural style of this era in all its glory with a series of exquisite drawings, a large-scale installation, and sculptures. O’Donnell captures the sublime beauty of these suburban estates and the role they played and continue to play in social history, memory, and culture.  

Through scale and materiality O’Donnell challenges conventions and explores the relationships between the typical architecture of these estates and the utopian ideals that came with them. O’Donnell’s practice poetically captures the beauty of decay and the passage of time,  drawing attention to this often overlooked aspect of the construction style of these homes  – the facade of a  lonely house with a single window and a doorway with flaking paint, a displaced lace curtain evocative with the dust of time, or a Holland blind that has seen better days with its frayed edges and detached fringing. 

This exhibition is a partnership between Orange Regional Gallery and Grafton Regional Gallery, supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation and the Yulgilbar Foundation.

This exhibition is on view until Saturday 8 April (Easter Saturday).

Logos - beyond the shadow

Image credits:
Top: Inclosed Land 2011, charcoal on paper, 41.2 x 212cm, (detail). Courtesy of a private collector.
Homepage square: Not for public Use 2008, charcoal on paper, 110 x 150cm (u/f), (detail). Courtesy of Blacktown Arts Centre.
Slider: Yates Court, pencil on paper, 38 x 56cm (u/f), (detail). Courtesy of Grace Cossington Smith Gallery.

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