Born in the Mallee, Victoria, Graeme Drendel has gained recognition for his highly accomplished hand in drawing and painting, and for his particularly intelligent observation and portrayal of life and the human condition.
Following a successful 2019 solo exhibition ‘Card Carriers’ at Australian Galleries, Melbourne, ‘The Messengers’ will feature Graeme’s intriguing vignettes, painted in his characteristically enigmatic style, revealing situations in which figures are removed from the larger group, isolated in the landscape, acting as if they’re individually negotiating their actions and demonstrating what we as humans do. Alone or in pairs, Drendel’s characters appear preoccupied, stilled within the vast open landscape surrounded by the darkness and emptiness beyond.
‘The Messengers’ is Graeme’s first solo exhibition in Ballarat, fittingly displayed at Federation University where he spent two years of his undergraduate studies (formerly Ballarat Teachers College and Ballarat School of Mines).
You are warmly invited to join the artist for the exhibition opening, with opening remarks by former Federation University lecturer Geoff Wallis, on Saturday 14 March at 6:30 pm. For more information, click here.
‘The Messengers’ is open from 14 March – 23 May at Post Office Gallery, School of Arts, Federation University, Ballarat.
Image above: Graeme Drendel Trance 2019 oil on canvas 197 x 183 cm