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Sutton Gallery, 254 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Until December 15
Kate Beynon’s latest body of work continues to explore the issues that have been key to her development and success –notions of identity and race, particularly hybrid identities.
Using acrylic and aerosol paint, Beynon portrays strong female figures who encapsulate the in-between, the hybrid and the not easily boxed in. Her work has been fascinated for some time now with what she calls the ‘global citizen’.
As Beynon has said, “I’m intrigued with mixed-race issues. In a mostly post-colonised world, still so obsessed with separating people into skin colours and countries of origin, I feel like saying: ‘it’s not always applicable’”. Born of both Welsh and Chinese heritage, Beynon’s bi-racial background has inspired her throughout her career.
In Espirito Transcultural/Transcultural Spirit, Beynon has drawn on her immediate experience of travel to Rio de Janeiro; gaining inspiration from the colour and energy of Semanta Santa (Holy Week, or Easter), the carnivalesque spirit of the street celebrations and the transformation of the city. To this, Beynon has added her own unique style. Figures of strong women are portrayed in rich colours adorned by Chinese motifs and good-luck talismans. The imagery that decorates the figures was drawn from embroided robes worn by the artist’s own grandmother. The decorative aspects of the work are simply gorgeous.
In the work De Onde Voce E? (Where are you from?), Beynon has used Swarovski crystals on canvas to striking effect. The woman looking defiantly at the viewer could be a figure from the Wu-Shu genre of Chinese cinema, or from a comic book or the streets of New York. The beauty of Beynon’s work is that it allows for the viewer to engage with the images on multiple levels, as decorative objects and as images that challenge and provoke questions about identity and racism.
By using what has been called Chinese calligraffiti, Beynon animates her warrior women. They look as if they might leap off the gallery wall any minute. Looking around Sutton Gallery you can see clearly that Beynon is influenced by many things, including calligraphy, music, fashion, graffiti and animation. Combined, these influences become something uniquely owned by the artist.
Beynon’s ability to explore issues of identity continues to evolve in striking and thought-provoking ways. If you don’t know her work yet, I would strongly advise checking out Sutton Gallery.
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