In music, ‘coda’ refers to a melody that is formally distinct from the main score, but still exists in harmony with the overall composition. An apt premise for the debut of our artists collective entitled CODA featuring Cynthia Edwards, Olivié Keck, Danielle Clough, and Andrew Sutherland.
CODA represents four established makers and close friends, each with their unique visual language, uniting to produce an artist-led initiative focused on visual communion, creative exchange, and mutual admiration. This collective was born out of friendship and a shared desire to weave together our wide range of skill sets and professional backgrounds into something innovative and playful. The fruits of this collaboration combine our distinct handling of textures, subjects, mediums, and quirky proclivities to produce a cohesive and entirely new approach to the formal concept of what constitutes a ‘show’.
Did you spot that CODA also happens to be the first letter of each artist’s name, proof that ‘everything is better when you’re together’.
Clay artist, Cynthia Edwards, uses her fascination with the physical form as a medium to explore light, shadow, and all the shapes in between. Her clay forms exemplify a timeless relationship with wonder and child-like whimsy, which is grounded in her attention to detail and technical mastery of the craft. Her background in printmaking becomes evident in her preoccupation with colour and pattern. Contrasting bold and delicate surface treatments are a distinct throughline in her work.
Artist, Olivié Keck, invites us to peer through the windows of her theatrical subjects, witnessing everyday snapshots of their intimate lives. Silhouetted figures languish in the flamboyant treatment of colour and graphic detail. Her saturated patterns, drawn from a background in printmaking, both flatten and deepen the narrative compositions, defying perspective and beckoning the viewer to stay a little longer.
Fibre artist, Danielle Clough, envisions the world through a technicoloured filter as she brings
her subjects to life with cinematic vibrancy and thread. The technical prowess and rich materiality of her embroidery work incorporate a kaleidoscope of beads, thread, wool and fabric with seamless synergy. Each piece is a vivid reminder that the world we see as ‘familiar’ is in fact, sublime.
Artist, Andrew Sutherland, traverses the romanticism of the painted landscape with his depictions of the journeyman through the lavish hues of the natural world. His abundant use of iridescent colour and expressive
mark-making invites us on an adventure into the magnificent wilds. From stormy seas to tall mountains and desert skies, we are always reminded of our place within these tranquil scenes
– small, but not insignificant.