A Celebration of the Still brings together six Australian luminaries of contemporary still-life painting in a vibrant and varied paean to the genre’s enduring vitality and its power to instil even the simplest inanimate objects with life, storytelling, small moments of grace and meditations on the human experience.

Launching an exciting program of group exhibitions featuring some of Australia’s most important and celebrated contemporary artists, this beautifully curated collection presents exquisite, original works by India Mark, John Honeywill, Kaspar Kägi, Mirra Whale, David Bongiorno and David Griffith.

With their distinct styles, perspectives, and painterly approaches, these artists each engage with the ideas and themes that have captivated still-life painters for centuries while awakening the genre to fresh and dynamic possibilities. Their work represents a pure expression of that elusive magic sparked somewhere between the eye and the hand of the artist, where meticulous observation of an object’s form, colour and interaction with light is channelled through the creative mind and expressed with extraordinary skill and precision.

The elegant collection of florals, object studies and tablescapes that make up A Celebration of the Still reflects many of the classic tenets of still-life painting. Here, a profusion of delicately unfolding flowers and ripened fruit maps nature’s cycles of life and death onto the quieter, quotidian contours of the domestic sphere. But for all its storied lineage, still life’s attention to our ever-evolving material world lends the genre an inherent contemporaneity. The visionary artists assembled for our still-life showcase seem less weighed down by notions of mortality than in thrall to the joys of living, observing and creating.

For Mirra Whale, the elegiac quality of wilting magnolias – that most prehistoric of floral specimens, whose soft, crêpe-like petals melt from gnarled and craggy branches – is balanced by a fabulous sense of play as her fading subjects are given a second life by the dancing shadows cast by her studio’s cool light. John Honeywill’s paintings eschew narrative altogether, focusing instead on an object’s innate luminosity, spatial dynamics and the interplay between its physical presence and the artist’s perception. Kaspar Kägi’s flowers and fruit come flickering into view through a soft, pointillistic haze, drawing attention to his medium’s mechanics and materiality as fine, aggregated strokes coalesce on a flat pictorial plane and imbue the ephemeral with an elegant gravitas.

Each artist delights in the potential for still life to freeze a fleeting moment of beauty and quietude. Celebrating the alchemy of things artfully arranged, serendipitously set together, or appearing quite inexplicably like tiny theatres amid the din of the every day, they share their affinities and offer snippets of refracted autobiography through the objects they choose to immortalise. A Celebration of the Still invites us to take a closer look at the objects that furnish our domestic lives while delighting in the quiet power and visual poetry of these petite and perfectly formed paintings.

“For the viewer, the artist’s visual language might evoke a jolting memory – an object acting as a portal to another place or time. It might allow a beautiful, quiet moment in which to rest one’s eyes in the midst of an otherwise frenzied life. It might be the unidentifiable atmosphere suggested in its rendering of a subject … still life offers to us a subjective glimpse into our very existence.” – Amber Creswell Bell, Still Life, 2021.

All works from the exhibition are available to view and acquire at the gallery and online. To discuss works from the exhibition, please email southernhighlands@michaelreid.com.au

Naarm/Melbourne-based, Stacey McCall’s latest collection of elegantly composed tablescapes builds on the tremendous creative success of her previous series, Breathwork, which saw her move towards a loose and fluid painterly style while paying tribute to the simple, handmade objects that furnish our everyday lives.

Reflected in the title of her series, Distil beautifully displays the artist’s deft ability to conjure the spirit of her subjects with an economy of graceful gestures and pared-back textural markings that emerge through soft clouds of earthy hues.

“An artist friend told me she thought my work captured the ‘essence’ of something, pared down to the most essential aspect,” says McCall. “I took this description and definitely applied it to this body of work. “I am still very interested in capturing an emotion, noticing an interesting shape, texture or colour, rather than trying to paint in a realistic way.”

Brought to life with delicate washes and areas of soft or scratchy drybrush effects, McCall’s new works convey a sense of the artist drawing closer and closer to the objects of her affection as she quietly sketches out their form and ghostly essence as if through a gossamer haze.

“I usually apply a classical technique – a detailed underpainting with layers of colour – but my intention is to extract the essence of something, the simplicity of form, very much inspired by painters such as Ben Nicholson and Giorgio Morandi.”

The Artists of Ampilatwatja community was established in 1999 near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
Most of the artists paint Arreth, which translates to ‘strong bush medicine’, demonstrating a deep connection to country. A veritable source of life, the land has provided and sustained Alyawarr people for generations, as every plant and animal has a vital role to play within the ecological system.

The paintings pay homage to the significance and use of traditional bush medicine, allowing an insight into their community. Yet underneath the iridescent surfaces, there is an underlying sense that there is more to these landscapes than meets the eye. In keeping with the religious laws, the artists reveal only a small amount of knowledge to the uninitiated.

The esoteric information that is held sacred to these artists and their people is concealed from the public and layered underneath the common visual narrative, masked by the delicate layered dots of the painting. The many levels of interpretation permit artists to present their art to an often culturally untutored public without compromising its religious nature. Artists talk of two broad levels of interpretation, the “inside” stories which are restricted to those of the appropriate ritual standing, and the “outside” stories which are open to all.

Michael Davis’s Street Choir series transforms the familiar into the extraordinary, paying homage to the street trees of Sydney. Rendered in bright, stencil-like forms against shallow, darkened backgrounds, these works elevate everyday urban flora into vibrant characters. Fragments of text—“IN THE PINES,” “BEAUTIFUL VISION”, “BLEEDING HEART”—personify the trees, capturing their quiet resilience and emotional resonance.

Arranged in linear rows and columns reminiscent of botanical reference books, the Street Choir series reflects Davis’s love of taxonomy. Each tree is considered individually, its unique traits celebrated without hierarchy. These works, while playful in tone, also offer a deeper reflection on human emotion and connection, suggesting parallels between the endurance of street trees and the peculiarities of human desire and resilience.

Michael Reid Southern Highlands is thrilled to present Drew Truslove’s debut solo exhibition, ‘Fox Paths – Minnamurra River’, in the Ground Floor Gallery. A rising talent in contemporary Australian art, Drew’s ink drawings capture the layered beauty of the natural world with striking simplicity and emotional resonance. In 2024, Drew was honoured with the Award of Excellence in the Morgans Financial Prize for Emerging Painters for his standout work, Flat Rock, River Crossing, 7th Angle. This recognition, accompanied by a $2000 non-acquisitive cash prize and mentorship opportunities, reflects his growing stature as an artist to watch.

‘Fox Paths – Minnamurra River’ delves into the nuanced beauty of the bushland Drew calls home. “Standing on one rock or patch of grass, I draw the views from different angles around that point, providing a unique view of how truly beautiful and diverse an individual spot can be,” he explains. This immersive approach enables Drew to create intricate, multi-perspective compositions that celebrate both the individuality and interconnectedness of the landscape. Working exclusively with black or blue ink, Drew forgoes traditional hues to evoke the essence of his surroundings. “Rather than trying to match the hues and tones of the bush, the ink provides an impression of the landscape, revealing its beauty with one single colour,” he says. His drawings are rich with texture and density, inviting viewers to see the bush through a fresh, distilled lens.

Michael Reid Southern Highlands is delighted to welcome to our top floor gallery this exhibition from Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Joe Whyte, who was named the Overall Winner of the Morgans Financial Prize for an Emerging Painter of the 2023 National Emerging Art Prize.

Titled Roma, Whyte’s dreamy and evocative new series of intricately detailed oil paintings captures the Italian capital’s emptied streetscapes and jumbled rooftops just as twilight bathes the cityscape in a romantic, golden-amber glow.

Drawing inspiration from his time based in Rome, the exhibition is the culmination of a yearlong mentorship with gallerist Michael Reid OAM, gallery director Toby Meagher and NEAP curator Amber Creswell Bell. Together with an acquisitive $20,000 donated by NEAP’s founding sponsor, Morgans Financial Limited, this professional development formed part of Whyte’s suite of prizes when he received NEAP’s top honour in 2023 for his work Above the Clouds.

Beguilingly devoid of inhabitants, his halcyon scenes meld an enduring affinity for the urban environment with poetic reflections on the sense of alienation these spaces can engender. By delving into the duality of proximity and isolation inherent to the urban experience, Whyte reveals the often-overlooked narratives embedded in our built environment, offering a poignant exploration of belonging and the complexities of life in a bustling metropolis.

“Having grown up in Melbourne’s inner-city, I have long been inspired by its streets and architecture,” says Whyte, whose mastery of classical painting and drawing was honed with training in France after earlier studies at Monash University. “My work looks at the juxtaposition between the close proximity in which we live and the distance and sense of isolation that so often comes with life in cities.”

“The paintings document my search for an understanding of place and belonging while being very far from home,” says Whyte, who imbues each masterful picture from his Roman holiday with emotional warmth, poeticism and a sense of gentle, solitudinous contemplation that sits in quiet equipoise with the city’s grandeur.

For more, please email southernhighlands@michaelreid.com.au

In Im(perfection), Kabriel uses still life as a stage to explore the complexities of human experience, blending the personal and the universal with striking intimacy. The exhibition invites viewers to linger over the interplay of the mundane and the profound—books, flowers, a Diazepam pill box, and tampons, all rendered in expressive oils. By juxtaposing objects with little-to-no tradition of painterly representation alongside floral subjects steeped in centuries of pictorial tradition, Kabriel draws attention to the overlooked and often stigmatised aspects of modern existence.

“These works are my response to how I experience the world and, more specifically, how I experience my inner world. These paintings are an expression of all my parts—my warmth, comforts, and safeties; my failings and vulnerabilities. It is my vitality, this life force, my imperfect humanness that I’m constantly trying to make sense of and accept. My hope is that you may be able to meet and experience this for yourselves,” she says.

Kabriel’s regional roots are a significant influence on her work. Her family home was in Razorback, and she recalls catching the bus to Mittagong’s Gib Gate for primary school before boarding at Frensham for high school. “Having that country upbringing never leaves you,” she reflects. “The sense of community, the connection to nature—it’s very much part of my identity.” She credits her art teacher, Miss Blackborough, with inspiring her interest in the graphic qualities of printmaking, which now influence her use of textiles and fabrics.

Now based in Bangalow on Bundjalung country, Kabriel continues to create work that reflects her deep connection to community and nature. Im(perfection) will be celebrated with an opening reception this Saturday, 30 November, between 2 and 4 pm, and runs until 29 December.

This exhibition marks Kabriel’s debut with Michael Reid Southern Highlands, arriving three years after her celebrated Softening the Eyes at the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.

It is a privilege to welcome Michael Reid Northern Beaches represented artist, Ben Waters, to our downstairs gallery in Berrima.

Waters’ Two Days captures the essence of the Pittwater bush with remarkable precision and restraint. His distinct combination of graphic lines and soft washes of colour brings these landscapes to life–not simply as scenes, but as emotional spaces imbued with quiet magic and subtle power.

“I don’t want to paint actual views of this area,” Ben shared with Michael Sharp in a recent Scrutineer profile. “I want to paint the way it makes me feel. These feelings can be numerous. It might be awe, but it could just as easily be a sense of healing. It might evoke wonder, or draw me back into the present moment.”

This latest exhibition chronicles a journey from Careel Bay to the mouth of the Hawkesbury River and up into Smiths Creek–undertaken on a friend’s sailboat. Over two days, Ben was captivated by the slowly shifting landscape he observed while drifting down the river, recording his initial impressions in a sketchbook. “It was only two days,” he writes, “but it was enough time for this wondrous, sublime landscape to ignite my heart.”

Brimming with inspiration, Ben returned to his recently expanded studio, determined to create some of his most ambitious works to date.

Although many of the pieces in this collection depict the river from water level, Ben’s signature elevated perspective is still evident. His striking visual forms–like a distant row of trees–are distinctly mid-century in feel, emerging from sharp, geometric hills and headlands. An evocative palette of ochres, reds, yellows, blacks, and whites remains one of the artist’s most recognisable signatures.

Two Days marks Waters’ first solo show at Michael Reid Southern Highlands, following a series of successful exhibitions at our Northern Beaches and Sydney galleries.

Sydney/Eora based painter Louise Frith makes her Southern Highlands solo exhibition debut in October, news that follows recent sell out shows at Michael Reid Murrurundi, Michael Reid Sydney, and at Sydney Contemporary 2022. Now in her fifth year showing with Michael Reid, our up-coming show is a milestone exhibition which sees the artist break new creative ground.

A Closer Look will see Louise Frith present new paintings that blur the delineations between still life, landscape and abstract painting, delving deeper into the thickets of Australian native bush flowers. In each painting, tangles of wildflowers extend to the edges of the artist’s canvas.