We spoke with Gallery Director, Paul Handley from Void_Melbourne to talk about their presentation for Sydney Contemporary 2023.
Mark Hislop, The Warp Speed Legacy (installation view), 2023
The gallery is located in central Melbourne, can you elaborate on its location and why you chose to open here?
The gallery is located within the heritage listed former Bank of New South Wales building located on the second floor at 190 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Searching for a centrally located CBD space to establish Void_Melbourne, I was inspired by my time in Europe whereas street level galleries are complemented by accessible but slightly unorthodox locations. Having confidence in the Melbourne arts community that location was no barrier in presenting a vibrant program of exhibitions from the gallery’s ever expanding artist stable.
What are some career highlights, or exhibition highlights in the gallery to date?
Having only been established since February 2022, every exhibition thus far has been a highlight in the gallerists’ eyes. Introducing new and under-represented artists to a wider community is our primary focus. From exhibiting younger artists including James Little, Travis John Ficarra & Josephine Mead to more established names including Elvis Richardson & Louise Paramor.
Stephan Balleux | Sam Leach (installation view), 2023
What was your first exhibition, and why?
Void_Melbourne’s inaugural exhibition ‘Vernissage’ was inspired by the desire to introduce thirteen diverse voices exploring experimental to formal presentations & materiality whilst pushing the boundaries of visual language. Vernissage presented works from Parisian artist Nathalie Borowski, Melbourne artists Jane O’Neill, Mark Hislop and Sydney based Jennifer Leahy to name a few.
Who are you bringing to Sydney Contemporary and why?
A large aspect of Void_Melbourne’s overall guiding principle is to facilitate interconnectivity between artists, collectors and institutions in a positive and constructive way. Furthering opportunities for our exhibiting artists outside of the gallery was something we put a great emphasis on. As a young gallery within Sydney Contemporary, Void_Melbourne is presenting a duo artist presentation by Sydney based artists Nancy Constandelia & Todd Robinson. Both Nancy & Todd are artists in that we have a very strong belief in their practice and feel the added exposure to the market place will solidify their practice into the next level.
Nancy’s studio practice explores temporality and duration through the action of slow painting. Each work documents time and space through the multi-layering of thinly brushed translucent veils of a single hue, creating a pentimento. For Robinson, his presentation continues the investigation of ambiguous representations of materiality and integrates a biographical element, drawing on his historical practice as a fashion designer, referencing garment materials and details including sections of shirts, collars and shirt fronts.
