ALBERTO GABELLONE & CATHY ZHANG

Curated by SOPHIA HALLOWAY

Negative Space

6 - 15 July 2024, CCAS Manuka

Exhibition Opening 6pm Thursday 5 March 2020

Negative Space explores a relationship between Scandinavian and Chinese concepts of negative space and how this manifests in an Australian landscape through the work of Alberto Gabellone and Cathy Zhang.

Negative space, in regard to sculpture, refers to the space around an object (ie the gallery space), or the space within that emphasises form. Gabellone and Zhang’s practices in drawing, gold and silver and ceramics respectively manifest in sculptural pieces that are neutral in tone and rely instead on proportion, line, scale and geometric qualities to emphasise form. The medium and form of the works comprise their reality, encouraging contemplation.

Gabellone’s practice in gold and silver originates in drawing. The progression of abstraction into sculptural form will be explored with the inclusion of both works on paper and sculptural works that reflect Gabellone’s dual Italian and Finnish heritage.

Zhang’s practice examines the hidden self through ceramic objects. In a hyper-connected world where our online personas become an abstract version of ourselves, the real self becomes distorted. Zhang’s contorted, tubular forms reflect the internal body and self, inviting introspection.

The exhibition culminates in a collaborative body of work that examines the complimentary and conflicting aspects of the artists’ respective media and practices, encouraging contemplation of the space within.

Image: Cathy Zhang, Quantity of Being (detail) 2019, Photo credit Yangyang Yin