Rius Carson
Urban Dreaming
Urban Dreaming is a new exhibition of work by painter and sculptor Rius Carson. In this show Carson continues to create two and three-dimensional works that explore his interest in humanity’s relationship and impact with the natural world. Of particular interest to Carson in Urban Dreaming is how humanity continues to encroach on natural areas at the periphery of our urban boundaries. This focus derives from Carson’s own experience in recent years as an employee of a geotechnical testing company that drills and tests soil on new land developments across Victoria. Present at the urban fringe on a daily basis Carson has mused over what he has seen and then returning to his studio his works try to reconcile or at least reflect on how these man made interventions effect and change the planet we inhabit.
As Carson describes, “…our cities expand over the country with concrete, steel and asphalt…as this continues the environment is forever changed.”
While Carson’s artwork manifests in a number of ways, as with much of his previous painting and sculpture Carson frequently employs techniques that are derived from his on-going interest in indigenous Australian art. Through the use of these mark-making techniques Carson imbues his work with iconography that originates from outside Western art traditions to make comment on contemporary Australia. Through this selective approach to techniques from both indigenous and non-indigenous sources Carson provides us with new ideas of how art in Australia can be created through the fusion of these distinct painting traditions.
Rius Carson has been a practicing artist for over fifteen years, is a graduate of VCA and was among the first artists to exhibit at Kick alongside Michael Portley in Thought Installations & Chonkism (2002). Since 2002 Carson has had three solo exhibitions at Kick; The Last Dinosaur (2008), Chonkaesthetic (2006) & Chonk Manifesto (2004) as well as having participated in numerous group exhibitions.
Urban Dreaming runs until November 21 2009.