Shaelene Murray, Scallywag Portrait, 2018. Stainless steel, wood, dinky tricycle, 70 x 95 x 60cm. Courtesy: the artist, and Stanley Street Gallery, Sydney.

Stanley Street Gallery presents a powerful body of work that looks at the roles women play in society. Shaelene Murray’s figurative sculptures speak of society, history, experience and nostalgia. By re-contextualizing materials and processes from industry and the domestic sphere, Murray explores archetypes of femininity that emerge in the contentious arena of the home front. “Toddle,” “Mamma,” “Bubbie” and “Scallywag” are arranged as characters in tableaux, allowing sculptural gesture and negative space to interact, absurd snippets of narrative to emerge. In this story, “Mamma” adorned in an armour of stainless steel, may be viewed as the protagonist in the story line, the personalities of the other characters emerge in contrast to her frumpy, authoritarian figure.

Exhibition opens 2–4pm Saturday 19 October 2019

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