JUDY MARSH

Catalogue The Shape of Space 7 - 30 September 2017 Thursday - Saturday, 2-6pm Opening Night: Thursday 7 September, 6-8 pm Working with a composition of shapes that never intersect, I was reminded of a story by the writer Italo Calvino where in falling through space, the narrator realises his trajectory is parallel to that of others - unable to make contact with his counterparts he imagines the shape of space could change so he can cross over and interact with them¹. Finding unity and integration in these compositions of vertical linear shapes, my reliance on cross correspondence of elements across space has seemed to be amplified.  The repetitive action of creating vertical shapes or planes, balancing and rebalancing ever-changing proportional relationships across the picture plane and the process of negotiating the sought after composition within each of these works, seemed closer to a kind of combat than my work has previously taken me. Unlike the 3D and volumetric works that have engaged my interest in recent years, I have set out in these works to fracture planes - which previously I may have set out to establish - and break down volumes with the aim of reassembling all the elements into something more simultaneous, immediate and complete.  An artist practising in Sydney since 1982, Judy has exhibited in commercial, institutional and artist-run galleries. Her work encompasses both 2D and 3D practices and is included in art collections such as Artbank, the University of Wollongong, Illawarra Institute of Technology, and numerous corporate and private collections. She teaches in Painting and Drawing at the Sydney Gallery School, Meadowbank TAFE and formerly in metropolitan and regional Art colleges since 1986. She graduated with a BA in Visual Arts at the City Art Institute in 1982 (now Art & Design, NSW University) and was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Adult Teacher Education in 1989.  ¹ The Form of Space, Italo Calvino. http://www.artlib.com.au/artist/judy-marsh