“Warp speed…”
Australian contemporary artist Stormie Mills straps on his space suit and rockets ‘To the Moon and Back’ for his exhibition at Sydney’s Friends of Leon Gallery this October, where he looks beyond the borders of our galaxy to explore the final frontier of humanity.
For over thirty years, Perth-based artist Stormie Mills has explored the human condition. ‘To the Moon and Back’ is a commentary on the social isolation imposed by living in a modern age where technology governs our everyday lives – from mobile phones and video games to smart appliances and social networks. In a current of bits and bytes we are swimming in a sea of interconnectivity yet drowning in an ocean of loneliness and disconnect. Stormie sheds light on this condition, creating a apprehensive yet hopeful narrative.
Stormie sticks to his signature monochromatic palette but in this new series of work he introduces something extra, something unique. For the first time, the artist uses authentic stardust, blending the space debris with his silver paint which he often uses as a metaphor for dreams.
Inspired by space and the unknown, the exhibition encourages the viewer to gaze into the stars and embrace the infinite possibilities the universe has to offer. ‘To the Moon and Back’ pays tribute to simpler times of a bygone era, represented by big dreams and the great Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s, where everyday life was technology-free and the human capacity for imagination and creativity was boundless.
The exhibition also examines the courage and tenacity of the astronauts who are depicted as heroes in Stormie’s paintings. In works such as The spark in outer space and In your own space, these spacemen face their own mortality with the notion that they may never return from their cosmic adventures. Others like Waiting in the sky display the ‘spirit of these heroes lives on the moon, which is a powerful transformative symbol of immortality that represents eternity. In contrast, it is also responsible for the death of the sun each day and the shadows that shroud the dark side of human nature.’
Friends of Leon Gallery
13 to 29 October, 2016
Sydney
@stormiemills
@friendsofleongallery
Top: Stormie Mills, Falling back to earth, acrylic, dirt, spray paint, graffiti remover and oil on found assemblage
Left: Stormie Mills, In your own space, acrylic, dirt, spray paint, graffiti remover, oil and stardust on canvas, 51 x 51cm
Right: Stormie Mills, The spark in outer space, acrylic, dirt, spray paint, graffiti remover and oil on found assemblage
Bottom: Stormie Mills, Waiting in the sky, acrylic, dirt, spray paint, graffiti remover, oil and stardust on canvas
