Australian artist Graeme Drendel works as a figurative painter and printmaker in Melbourne. He was born and grew up on a wheat farm in Ouyen, north-west Victoria. Graeme’s artwork focuses on the isolated individual, and the spacious and harsh landscape of the Mallee. Graeme Drendel: Silos+Silence is the major exhibition for the summer program at Mildura Arts Centre. Silos+Silence is a thematic selection of his works sourced from private and public collections produced from the 1980s to the present.
This major survey exhibition of the work of Ouyen born artist is Mildura Arts Centre’s star attraction for the summer 2016–17 gallery program. Curated by Mildura Arts Centre in collaboration with Graeme, Silos+Silence is a thematic selection of works sourced from private and public collections, produced from the 1980s through to the present, including the monumental multi‑panel paintings The utopians, 2001, and The passage, 2009–10 (pictured below), never before shown together.
Graeme’s work is visually tied to the open plains of the Mallee in northern Victoria, and deals with universal themes of how we as human beings interact with one another both individually and within a group. The airy settings he places his figures in act to magnify the sense of internal isolation we can all relate to. At times the works are intensely psychological, but Graeme’s use of humour in his compositions is something that appeals to all audiences.
For further information on this exhibition visit the Mildura Arts Centre website
To view a video of this exhibition featuring the artist click here
To read more about the beautiful new publication on Graeme Drendel by Gavin Fry click here