Ella Senbruns & Martina Clarke: Syzygy
‘Syzygy’ presents the works of Queensland artists Martina Clarke and Ella Senbruns. Spanning across oil painting, mixed media drawing and ceramics, this collaborative body of work investigates the qualities of stone and flesh as recurring motifs.
Two days only. Friday March 21st and 22nd, 2025.
Metro Arts, 97 Boundary Street, West End, QLD
Opening night Friday March 21st, 6pm - 10pm (free event).
Historic sculptures, ceramic armatures and the Australian landscape have been observed and reimagined by the duo through mark making. The soft and fleshy curves of the human body are collided with the rigidity and weight of stone. Through this method, classic iconography from mythology and art history are reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary Australian women.
Referencing the union of opposing forces, ‘Syzygy’ is Clarke and Senbruns’ investigation of metaphoric and visual contradiction. Fantastical representation and warped realities offer a pathway through painting and drawing to the creation of impossible fusions. The figures created here are formed from the boulders of a landscape, appear as though part way through petrification, and merge with one another to create abstract bodies.
Martina Clarke completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at RMIT University in 2018. She has since won awards at the Brisbane Portrait Prize three times for excellence in portrait painting. Ella Senbruns graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) in 2021. She was a finalist in the 40 Under 40 Art Prize in 2024, and has installed public mural artworks across South East Queensland.