Alan Ibell, The Messenger, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 165.5cm x 133cm. Courtesy: Alan Ibell and Sanderson Gallery, Auckland.

Alan Ibell’s practice reflects an ongoing interest in the canvas as a confining space, in which figures and objects are fixed over the course of the painting process. Aviary explores this idea through two recurring motifs of confinement: one, the caged bird; and two, the book in which the bound pages contain a finite number of words and thus ideas. Ibell describes his process as the refinement of figuration to create the barest suggestion of narrative, drawing on myth and archetypal imagery.

Exhibition opens: 5:30–7:30pm Tuesday 10 September 2019

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