Driven by her curiosity, Del Kathryn Barton explores new mediums and technologies that connect to her symbolic language of femininity, folklore and the cosmos. This exhibition presents a new series of paintings, digital collages and drawings that take us on a journey to imagined worlds.

Exhibition Dates: 13 November – 13 December 2014

Driven by her curiosity, Del Kathryn Barton explores new mediums and technologies that connect to her symbolic language of femininity, folklore and the cosmos. This exhibition presents a new series of paintings, digital collages and drawings that take us on a journey to imagined worlds.

Del Kathryn Barton presents for the first time, digital collages constructed from images that reference familiar films and fairy tales. Drawn from her nostalgic memories, the references appear in her new work as fragmented reflections from her childhood, such as Dorothy’s red shoes in ‘The Wizard of Oz’, the swirling apparent endless rabbit hole in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the candied house from ‘Hansel and Gretel’.

Barton’s works are self referential, drawing from an emotional inner world of womanhood. The motifs, the colours and symbols in the works all bring attention to a natural force of intuition, self-reflection, sexuality and creation. This can be identified in the reoccurring motif of the ‘eye’, often viewed as a spiritual symbol that can be indicative of an awakening of consciousness. Barton’s drawings are expressive, highly detailed and laced with decorative motifs of domesticity, such as keys, corkscrews, scissors and houses. These symbols are elements, equally concerned with the traditions of everyday life.

The flora and fauna in Del Kathryn Barton paintings appear to coexist in an imagined universe populated by peculiar anthropomorphic creatures. These creatures resemble human beings that embody a deeply fierce feminine force. Whilst the flora can be identified as a part of the Australian bush, the landscape remains unidentified in time and space.

—Cassandra Bird, 2014

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Del Kathryn Barton has been exhibiting since 1995. At the 2014 Adelaide Biennial: Dark Heart, Barton presented a nine metre, five panel painting alongside a companion moving image work. In 2013, Barton was awarded the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ Archibald Prize for the second time with a portrait of actor Hugo Weaving. This followed her 2008 Archibald Prize win with You are what is most beautiful about me, a self portrait with Kell and Arella. Barton’s recent body of work based on Oscar Wilde’s short story The Nightingale and the Rose was published by Art & Australia in late 2012. The Nightingale and the Rose paintings were exhibited at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne in November 2012, and at the Newcastle Art Gallery, New South Wales from December 2012 to February 2013. Her work is represented in major museum collections in Australia, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, the Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Hobart. electro orchid is Del Kathryn Barton’s fourth solo exhibition with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.

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Del Kathryn Barton of pink planets, 2014; acrylic on french linen; 263 x 203 cm; enquire
of pink planets, 2014
acrylic on french linen
263 x 203 cm
Del Kathryn Barton a pattern of houses, 2014; acrylic on linen; 83.5 x 68 cm; enquire
a pattern of houses, 2014
acrylic on linen
83.5 x 68 cm
Del Kathryn Barton Shiny girl, 2014; acrylic on french linen; 83.5 x 68 cm; enquire
Shiny girl, 2014
acrylic on french linen
83.5 x 68 cm
Del Kathryn Barton is the energy, 2014; acrylic on linen; 83.5 x 68 cm; enquire
is the energy, 2014
acrylic on linen
83.5 x 68 cm
Del Kathryn Barton it was very light, may i be very light, 2014; acrylic on linen; 83.5 x 68 cm; enquire
it was very light, may i be very light, 2014
acrylic on linen
83.5 x 68 cm
Del Kathryn Barton Shiny, 2014; acrylic on french linen; 83.5 x 68 cm; enquire
Shiny, 2014
acrylic on french linen
83.5 x 68 cm
Del Kathryn Barton mother web, 2014; acrylic on linen; 83.5 x 68 cm; enquire
mother web, 2014
acrylic on linen
83.5 x 68 cm
Del Kathryn Barton of childhood dreams (a place to stand), 2014; archival pigment ink on rag; 130 x 92 cm; Edition of 5; enquire
of childhood dreams (a place to stand), 2014
archival pigment ink on rag
130 x 92 cm
Edition of 5
Del Kathryn Barton of childhood dreams (a place to rest), 2014; archival pigment ink on rag; 130 x 92 cm; Edition of 5; enquire
of childhood dreams (a place to rest), 2014
archival pigment ink on rag
130 x 92 cm
Edition of 5
Del Kathryn Barton beneath a pattern of houses  , 2015; ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 82 x 60.5 cm; enquire
beneath a pattern of houses , 2015
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
82 x 60.5 cm
Del Kathryn Barton time is the energy
a pattern of houses
a pattern of houses … of one person, 2014; ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 82 x 60.5 cm; enquire
time is the energy a pattern of houses a pattern of houses … of one person, 2014
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
82 x 60.5 cm
Del Kathryn Barton like normal people, 2014; ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 82 x 60.5 cm; enquire
like normal people, 2014
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
82 x 60.5 cm
Del Kathryn Barton anything for you
orbit around
beneath a pattern of houses
proud body open to the night, 2014; ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 82 x 60.5 cm; enquire
anything for you orbit around beneath a pattern of houses proud body open to the night, 2014
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
82 x 60.5 cm
Del Kathryn Barton beasts inside her a lifted cup may i, beneath your roof secret riversu2026 if we rose,, 2014; ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 82 x 60.5 cm; enquire
beasts inside her a lifted cup may i, beneath your roof secret riversu2026 if we rose,, 2014
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
82 x 60.5 cm
Del Kathryn Barton of moaning that began to spread
contact points beyond the general perception
spidered between without edge…, 2014; ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 82 x 60.5 cm; enquire
of moaning that began to spread contact points beyond the general perception spidered between without edge…, 2014
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
82 x 60.5 cm
Del Kathryn Barton what flows through you also flows through me, 2014;  ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 76 x 56 cm; enquire
what flows through you also flows through me, 2014
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
76 x 56 cm
Del Kathryn Barton to choose the wine
the monster of must see
electro orchid
brief fruit, 2014; ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper; 82 x 60.5 cm; enquire
to choose the wine the monster of must see electro orchid brief fruit, 2014
ink and acrylic on hot pressed paper
82 x 60.5 cm
Del Kathryn Barton mud monster, 2014; gouache and ink on hot pressed paper; 60.5 x 82 cm; enquire
mud monster, 2014
gouache and ink on hot pressed paper
60.5 x 82 cm
Del Kathryn Barton urge to destroy, 2014; gouache and ink on hot pressed paper; 60.5 x 82 cm; enquire
urge to destroy, 2014
gouache and ink on hot pressed paper
60.5 x 82 cm
Del Kathryn Barton may i bear mighty fruit, 2014; gouache and ink on hot pressed paper; 60.5 x 82 cm; enquire
may i bear mighty fruit, 2014
gouache and ink on hot pressed paper
60.5 x 82 cm
Del Kathryn Barton electro orchid, 2014; gouache and ink on hot pressed paper; 60.5 x 82 cm; enquire
electro orchid, 2014
gouache and ink on hot pressed paper
60.5 x 82 cm
Del Kathryn Barton may i bloom primitive, 2014; gouache and ink on hot pressed paper; 60.5 x 82 cm; enquire
may i bloom primitive, 2014
gouache and ink on hot pressed paper
60.5 x 82 cm
Del Kathryn Barton may i fuck the flower, 2014; gouache and ink on hot pressed paper; 60.5 x 82 cm; enquire
may i fuck the flower, 2014
gouache and ink on hot pressed paper
60.5 x 82 cm