Illusions - Bryan Dawe

Opening 3 November,   6 - 8pm.

5 - 19 November 2006.

Lab X presents Illusions, an exhibition of startling, dramatic colour images based on

the female nude by Bryan Dawe from  November 5th – 19th November 2006.

Most people know Bryan Dawe as one of Australia’s leading political satirists, and as a writer and performer on television (with John Clarke), radio and stage (through his characters Sir Murray Rivers QC and Roly Parks) and film (The Castle).

This is Bryan’s second Melbourne exhibition, having just completed a very successful first Canberra exhibition in late September.

‘Photography has always been a great passion of mine, but I needed to have the time and

space to be able to put together an idea that I have had with me for 17 years. This work is the culmination of 14 years thinking, and then three years bringing the idea to fruition,’ Bryan says.

Surrealism is central to Dawe’s fascination with photography. He draws inspiration from many photographers and artists—including Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Edward Hopper, Erwin Blumenfeld, Salvador Dali and Bill Henson.

Critics in Melbourne,and Sydney described his first exhibition in 2005: Imperfect Illusions as reflective, stark, erotic, dark and brooding.

Art critic and media commentator, Stephen Feneley said the work—both the medium and the subject matter—is completely surprising coming from someone with Bryan's public persona.

‘This is someone who in his day job deals with life's big narratives—politics and power.

Stepping into another medium, Bryan says ‘to hell’ with obvious narrative and, instead,

explores the power of the purely visual to evoke feelings, moods and sensations that are not so easily captured in words," Feneley said.

Dawe also revels in the happy accident, never knowing from the outset quite what his final composition will be, starting with recognisable forms but playing around with light and framing until something less recognisable but infinitely more interesting emerges.’