Bold exhibition unveiled

Kate Rohde brings a world of colour to the Riddoch

Enter Kate Rohde’s fantastic world of bold contrasts with her exhibition, A Pretty Folly, which opened at the Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre last Friday. Kate Rohde is a Melbournebased artist renowned for her innovative use of resin to create contemporary sculptures and jewellery that distinctly recall European art history. Rohde’s resin sculptures are for curious eyes to view, enjoy, and ponder.

Positioned somewhere between the real and the imagined, her work is complemented by lush wallpapers resplendent in designs featuring gems and crystals and coral-like forms.

The title of the exhibition lends a cautionary tale to viewers: A Pretty Folly – dare we lust after beauty?

Manager Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre Diana Warnes said sculptures and wallpaper will transform the Cathleen Edkins Gallery.

“Kate creates rooms of joyous colour, and endless intrigue,” Ms Warnes said. “It’s wonderful that we can showcase Kate’s richly themed and colourful work over summer.”

The exhibition highlights baroque and rococo-inspired urns and vases transformed into 21st century objects of desire through clever use of riotous colour and fluid shapes. The solid forms of the vases and urns are contrasted with curious birds, rabbits and other animals that are perched or peek out between vegetal motifs.

Kate Rohde: A Pretty Folly is on displayujtil January 29 next year at the Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre