This exhibition sees Bottaro express a fascination with lost histories. Whether through theft, fire, or some other inexplicable reason, the history of art is marked by the disappearance of numerous masterpieces and minor works that have simply vanished over the centuries. In a series of works that frame a kind of conceptual art historical archaeology, Bottaro is compelled to bring these lost works back into existence through reinterpreting their compositions in the creation of his figurative narratives, which are frequently set within Melbourne’s urban environment.
The artist’s practice relies on pure materials and hand-made paints, with hand ground pigments seeped in oil and egg tempera which create luminous colours. With an eye for refined realism, rich colour appears alongside heavy black bands that emphasise the purity of the colour used, sometimes juxtaposed with brilliant gold leaf.
James Makin Gallery
18 July to 10 August, 2013
Melbourne
Peter Robb, M and the Prickly Pear, 2013, egg tempera, oil and gold leaf on linen, 192 x 180cm
Courtesy the artist and James Makin Gallery
