Caitlin Reilly

Coercion

As a Byron Bay artist, who has spent extended periods of time living in Shanghai, China, my relationship to issues of housing and the environment, population, space, freedom and the ability to co-exist with nature underpin this work.

Using assorted mediums and varied textural application, surface history is built, and forms appear as a magnified emotional landscape. ‘Coercion’ is the working title for this series.

As a multitude of variables impact perspective, the tension between man-made and nature, interference and distraction of a virtual world, a feeling of being coerced towards a new world and its insistence of attention away from the natural environment are themes of exploration in this, and my greater body of work.

The act of painting reveals unconscious fragments that are a response to my surroundings and my often-uncomfortable relationship with the ever-changing physical world.

Catching Rain

(1-9)

Hemp and cotton rag paper hold gestural powdered charcoal marks that are the series 'Catching Rain'.
The flatness of this medium allows for the residue of charcoal to dust across the surface and intensify a visceral sense of falling. This series explores the notion and the Buddhist tendency to regard life as a fluid and impermanent phenomenon.
There is nothing stagnant in my process of creating it is a continuous exploration of the moment and the unfolding of time; one breath to another, one mark to the next; an inquiry into the human condition, a manifestation of who I am. The act is liberating.

The following images are of  found object sculptures made together with the women from SHOKAY knitting collective on Chongming Island and the design team from Shanghai. This collection of works reference the changing environment and the rapid urbanisation felt within the community on Chongming Island and also imbed a collective memory of discarded house debris that was once part of the homes joining the creative workshop. These found object sculptures were exhibited at the Shanghai Basel Museum in 2014.