MONICA ROHAN
WHY PAY ATTENTION?
The lush, exquisitely detailed self-portraits by young Brisbane painter Monica Rohan have struck a chord with Queensland audiences. Graduating with an honours degree from QLD College of Art in 2011, she was immediately snapped up for representation by respected dealer Jan Murphy. The artist then went on to hold two sell out shows with the gallery in 2013 and 2014 and there is now a waiting list for her work. She was awarded the second only artist residency at Tweed River Regional Gallery in 2015, which was followed soon after by her inclusion in the GOMA Q: Contemporary Queensland Art exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, in late 2015. Her work is already held in several major public collections and she is currently preparing for her first solo show in Melbourne at Sophie Gannon Gallery.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Rohan creates intricate pictorial compositions featuring a female subject engulfed in rich, textured fabrics or unruly dense foliage. The placement of the figure within a highly decorative composition draws on early twentieth century figurative masters such as Vuillard and Klimt. Largely autobiographical, the artist works from staged photographs of herself in ‘performative’ poses, twisting and tumbling through rheems of patterned cloth, often sourced from op shops or her family home.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Beneath the delightfully colourful and flamboyant compositions, unsettling elements are present. Psychological tensions are implied by these enigmatic figures with their faces always hidden from view – are they joyful, despairing, restless or overwhelmed? The artist has acknowledged that works represent a form of self-exploration and personal struggle. Like ‘Alice through the Looking Glass’, there is a sense of fantasy, whimsy, melancholy and mystery in these mesmerising paintings. Her body of work indicates an artist, who at just 25, is already in full command of her creative vision and technical abilities.
THE ARTIST SAYS …
With this new body of work I’ve focused on intensifying my use of pattern and its disorienting visual effect. I derive the patterns I paint from my everyday surroundings – clothing, blankets, and foliage – creating a somewhat surreal environment for the figures to inhabit… I wanted to explore the potential of these patterned worlds to traverse the real and the imagined.
