Fractal compositions where depth is slippery and the actors are animal, plant and alien mark Leah Fraser’s current solo exhibition with Arthouse Gallery – the fourth since 2013. Her prodigious output is equal to a verdant symbology and energy in scenes where men and women hold court with forest creatures ‘touched’ by the mystical force of nature. The body of work comprises paintings, watercolours and three humanoid creatures made from ceramic and fabric that sit on fur-covered plinths in the gallery. Fraser studied at COFA and was a studio assistant to del kathryn barton, with whom she shares a fascination for the power and narrative of creation. These new paintings developed while Fraser was pregnant, an experience that lead the artist to think about how ‘birth and death are irrevocably linked’ and that both these realities are examples of transformation. In past presentations she accompanied her paintings with small vessel sculptures of the female form with clay and crystal. Perhaps her practice is not just a stage but also a conduit for energy exposing ‘why people think the way that they do and what that says about who we are’, suggested Fraser in conversation. While the artist lives amongst a cornucopia of collected items (feathers, stones, keepsakes) her home is inner city Sydney, and like Henri Rousseau, these paintings embody the imagined experience of another world.

Leah Fraser, While the skies were yet nameless, 2017, acrylic on polyester canvas 167 x 229cm. Courtesy the artist and Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
Is meaning drawn from a specific story or history?
I look at mythology a lot – Babylonian, Samarian and the Aztecs. There are so many incredible stories that tell you how humans are thinking about existence. I use that as a starting point, it all gets mixed together, reinterpreted, and I make up my own characters from that.
Do you have characters that continue through multiple bodies of work?
I think sometimes there are people who look similar but it’s not intentional. I love Neo Rauch, these weird monsters and colonial characters pop up, he repeats them in different paintings and I think that’s interesting. It’s like dreams; things come up again and again.

Leah Fraser, One of these things first IX, 2017, watercolour ink and acrylic on French artisan paper, 32 x 26cm. Courtesy the artist and Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
Within your allegory what do birds and eyes represent?
I think eyes create the sense that the character is connected. Eyes are the anchors to all the paintings, staring out. Eyes are, as they say, the gateway to the soul. It’s what we all look at and for in each other. Birds, I’ve always felt very connected to. In my research I have found that they are the messengers of the Gods being connected to earth and sky. They are seen as these magical creatures. A lot of the animals and insects in my work have a symbolism on their own but also speak to the character or inspiration of the character.
How does the conceit of the tableau or portrait work for you?
I really love the Renaissance paintings that are very emblematic, they’re telling a story through a portrait or a figurative painting but they use all the plants and objects in a meaningful way. It’s about telling as much as you can about the character in just this one image. I think people are very interesting but I am also a bit of a fantasist. I choose to paint fantasy. It’s escapism in a way for me; I enjoy creating stories not just re-telling.

Leah Fraser, No more shall we part, acrylic on polyester canvas, 122 x 122cm. Courtesy the artist and Ar house Gallery, Sydney
Do you think aligning women with nature is disempowering?
I don’t think it’s disempowering at all. I hang out with a lot of women who are very nature connected; it’s a beautiful thing, to get your feet in the grass. There are a lot of people who aren’t and I think that’s disempowering, not looking at the world around you.

Leah Fraser, he could see it all like she’d been here before, acrylic on polyester canvas, 122 x 102cm. Courtesy the artist and Ar house Gallery, Sydney
So you see the connection as more with humanity and environment, than gender?
Looking at Greek mythology for example, a lot of seasons and natural processes are represented by a human form. That’s kind of what I’m trying to do with these little spirits of nature, they’re an embodiment of nature the fact that they’re female doesn’t have a huge meaning.
Arthouse Gallery
2 to 18 March, 2017
Sydney