Artist Chris Beaumont is the second artist to take up residence in the studio which is attached to fortyfivedownstairs, the Flinders Lane not for profit contemporary gallery.
It’s particularly appropriate to Chris’ work that the studio was formerly used as a kitchen space for gallery functions, as Chris Beaumont has always been fascinated by still life, and in particular the humble everyday aspects of our daily life and bread – in his hands the potato, the pumpkin, the eggplant and onion become precious, their apparently simplicity transformed into objects of beauty.
A committee that included Julian Burnside, Chair of fortyfivedownstairs, and artists Jon Cattapan and Kate Dawe, decided that Chris Beaumont, with his dedicated and determined art practice, was an ideal candidate for the studio residency. While his meticulous work depicts instantly recognizable objects in a completely naturalistic manner, there is significant study and theory underpinning the deceptively simple work.
Beaumont began his studies in Melbourne University Faculty of Medicine, but after a few years he became fascinated by the exquisite still life paintings of 17th century Spanish artists, and began studying painting and sculpture.
The residency culminates in a two-week exhibition, from 27 May 2014. It will be almost ten years since Chris Beaumont last exhibited at fortyfivedownstairs!
fortyfivedownstairs
27 May to 7 June, 2014
Melbourne
