New reps at Olsen

You’ll now be able to find the works of Philjames, Michelle Cawthorn and Holly Greenwood at Sydney’s Olsen Gallery.

Director of the gallery, Tim Olsen, had been watching Philjames for some time and got in contact with him after seeing his work in Melbourne in 2018. He felt that Philjames’ works, with their topical humour and use of appropriation, were fresh and exciting. The award-winning artist and has held solo exhibitions since 2010. His work has been included in group exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Adelaide and internationally in Christchurch, New Orleans and Beijing. Philjames is also represented by Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne.

Olsen came across Cawthorn when she was awarded a Highly Commended in the 2018 Tim Olsen Drawing Prize . He has followed her work keenly ever since. Cawthorn is a multidisciplinary artist preoccupied with memory and its mutability. Working across drawing, collage, painting, sculpture and installation, her practice explores the tensions that exist between remembering and forgetting, and she draws on personal experience to inform her works, resulting in works the are suggestive rather than prescribed. Olsen was impressed by Cawthorn’s delicate drawing and geometric, organic sensibility.

Olsen noticed Sydney-based Greenwood earlier this year. He was particularly drawn to her gestural treatment of the quintessential Australian subject matter that she chooses to investigate. Greenwood has had numerous solo and group shows both in Australia and overseas. Her works often involve dark backgrounds with vibrant hues evoking a rich mood. “I am continuously looking to environments that hold onto that sense of community in a world increasingly dominated by technology,” says the artist.

Image: Michelle Cawthorn, Sprinkler on a hot Summer’s day, 2019. Oil and archival pen on polyester. 84 x 102cm.