Julia von Sommer

Awards & Scholarships: 2006 International Merit Scholarship, Sydney University 2005 International Merit Scholarship, Sydney University Group Exhibitions: 2007 ‘Open Trajectory’, The Archetype Gallery, Sydney 2006 ‘SCA Degree Show’,Sydney College of the Arts Campus, Sydney 2006 ‘Barely Touching The Earth’, Newspace Gallery, Sydney 2005 ‘Polyformalism’, The Danks Street Project Space, Sydney 2004 ‘It’s the Economy, Stupid’, Newspace Gallery, Sydney

Artist Statement

My artistic practice revolves around interrogating the intersections between the organic and the abstract, the natural and the artificial. Here the focus is on elucidating the concealed abstract qualities of nature itself by revealing the tensions between order and chaos, the organic and the refined, as well as themes of repetition and divergence. As a result, my paintings possess a plethora of internal oppositions that inevitably inform the whole, including the usage of black and white, symmetrical and asymmetrical forms, organic and constructed shapes and patterns, as well as playful evocations of two-dimensional and three-dimensional space, all of which can be seen as part of a broader methodology that seeks to fracture the abstract/representational dichotomy. This interest has also led me to consider the more general intersections between science and art, drawing inspiration from scientific imagery such as cellular depictions and microscopic renditions, as well as utilising the findings of colour theory as a means of expressing and actualising such themes in the form of painting itself. Here I have focused on recent research into the relationship between human cognition and the interpretation of colour and form, connections that help solidify the theoretical component of my artistic practice, namely, the repercussions of phenomenological philosophy upon contemporary art. As my work seeks to re-capitulate the primordial qualities of painting in the form of colour usage, archetypal patterns and organic shapes, I have found the writings of certain phenomenologists particularly enlightening. As a result, my work not only draws upon the imagery of scientific realism and colour theory, but in doing so, it actively problematises the excessively static relationship between the viewer and the art work itself, producing not simply a reactionary effect upon the viewer, but more complexly, a process of embodiment whereby s/he enters into the canvas of the painting itself. Here issues of corporeality and recent theories of the body have proven particularly useful, as can be seen in the purposeful shifting of the figure/ground relationship, creating a near optical illusion of uncertainty.