FREO artist Sophia Kenna has tapped into her itinerant childhood for a fascinating exhibition on belonging and place.
In seven abstract and figurative paintings, Un/tether explores the feeling of being tied to a location, person or object and whether this tie can ever be broken.
“One piece is based on memories of driving around North Beach with my dad, where he was renting at the time, listening to a Radiohead album,” Kenna says.
“I feel a visceral response to those songs, and I attempted to capture in paint, how that felt, then and looking back now.”
• Sophia Kenna with some of her art in Un/tether. photo by Molly Ashley
Memories
Kenna was born in Melbourne, but grew up in Perth, where she moved around a lot. She then spent four years in England, where she got a diploma in fine art at the City and Guilds of London Art School.
“I think the exhibition theme mostly corresponds to a persistent feeling that arose from moving around a lot as a kid, and that child-like tendency to attach strongly to place, but also to feel there’s a version of me that continues to exist there, even after leaving,” she says.
“Although, it could be that that’s an adult tendency of mine, and I’m just projecting it onto my childhood.
“I did move away for nearly four years and this definitely has an influence, it can feel very alienating, but also privileged, to have a life spread across two cities.”
A highlight of the exhibition is a delicate fabric painting. The wispy brushstrokes and abstract shapes are like memories swirling through someone’s head. Something not quite formed or fully realised. A buried emotion or a half dream.
“I love working with fabric for pieces that encompass emotions that are more subjective to an individual’s experience,” Kenna says. “In Un/tether the fabric piece explores sensitivity. Working with fabric feels very delicate and less structured than canvas so it poses technical issues for working as it feels very finite, but the tangibility of it is why I love using it.”
The talent runs in the family – Kenna’s mum is an artist and she gave her daughter lots of “creative encouragement” growing up.
But it wasn’t until after high school that Kenna really started taking her art seriously.
Since then she’s had multiple exhibitions, working with a mix of acrylic, oils, oil pastels, charcoal, canvas and fabric.
“At the moment, I set out on any given piece with a memory or an emotion and develop the work from there,” says the 27-year-old.
“Sometimes this takes shape with preparatory drawings or collages, or recently, word associations.
Un/tether is at Current Gallery, 141 Queen Victoria St, Fremantle from December 12-14, with opening night on December 11 6pm-9pm. For more details see current.gallery.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK