Aubry James Byrnes
Convergence: the minimal and the beautiful

PhD examination exhibition dates: 20 June to 7 July 2012

Contemporary theories about beauty and how these are exemplified in Minimalist paintings and sculptures has informed the work of Aubry James Byrnes.

Research has shown that there is an interdependence between the object, the viewer and the gallery/exhibition environment. Here the Minimalist aesthetic creates a space where the viewer is encouraged to become reflexive, open to ideas of temporality, free thought and the imagination.

The foundation for Byrnes' painted and woven works is undoubtedly the form and structure of the grid. The repetition of marks is also fundamental to forming a Gestalt, that along with the seductive exploration of surface texture, materials and the restrained use of colour entice the viewer to acknowledge that there is indeed a convergence between beauty and the minimal.

Call for Entries: WAAP 2012

The Wollotuka Institute invites traditional and contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to submit paintings, photographs, pottery/ceramics and sculptures for their annual acquisitive art prize and exhibition, which will be held at the University Gallery in September. For further information please contact WAAP Coordinator Theresa Lake, phone 02 4348 4220. Entries close 27 July 2012 and entry forms are available online: www.newcastle.edu.au/Resources/Institutes/Wollotuka/WAAP_2012_entry.pdf

Coming up in 2012

11 July - 11 August: Virtual Reality: artists interpreting the landscape featuring Elisabeth Cummings, Amanda Penrose Hart, Idris Murphy, Leo Robba, Jenny Sages and John Turier
15 to 19 August: Friends of the University: Art Collector's Choice
22 August to 8 September: Coloured Earth featuring Mazie Turner, Jane Barrow, Ed Rush
and Adrienne Richards
12 to 29 September: WAAP 2012 annual Wollotuka Acquisitive Art Prize
3 to 20 October: Ella Dreyfus: I forgive you every day; and Carla Feltham MPhil examination exhibition
24 October to 10 November: Angus Nivison
28 November to 15 December: Cate McCarthy and Kiera O'Toole; MPhil examination exhibitions