SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY, 2022
Group Presentation, Finkelstein Gallery
At Sydney Contemporary 2022, Finkelstein Gallery delivered a powerful and unapologetically bold exhibition that challenged the conventions of the traditional white-cube format. Embracing saturated colour, layered textures, and arresting visual statements, the presentation defied minimalist norms and instead asserted a highly charged aesthetic—both viscerally engaging and intellectually provocative. This bold visual language is characteristic of Finkelstein Gallery’s curatorial style, known for championing strong, boundary-pushing aesthetics that go hand in hand with critical social commentary.
The exhibition brought together an impressively diverse group of artists—intergenerational, cross-cultural, and multidisciplinary—each contributing a unique voice to a collective narrative grounded in feminism, resistance, and reflection. From emerging talents to established practitioners, the selection demonstrated an expansive and inclusive approach, embracing multiple ways of seeing and interpreting the world. Together, the artists formed a chorus of perspectives that disrupted the patriarchal art historical canon and invited viewers into a dynamic dialogue between form, content, and context.
Cigdem Aydemir’s vivid photographic interventions, Marta Figueiredo’s playful yet materially complex sculptures, and Alexandra Obarzanek’s surrealist social critiques exemplified the exhibition’s electric, high-impact aesthetic. Their works exploded with colour, humour, and symbolism, operating as both visual spectacle and incisive critique. Meanwhile, artists like Rebecca Hazard and COADY delved into raw emotional and psychological terrains through visceral, bodily imagery and manic painterly gestures—visually lush yet deeply layered with meaning.
The exhibition also foregrounded works that spoke to personal and cultural memory. Glennys Briggs, a Tunguwurung/Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri artist, brought a solemn, powerful presence to the exhibition with sensitive, site-specific printworks addressing the ongoing legacy of colonial violence. Her quiet, contemplative visual language stood in bold contrast to the sensory intensity elsewhere in the show, underscoring the exhibition’s dynamic range. Similarly, Kate Baker’s haunting, luminous compositions, and Dagmar Cyrulla’s intimate domestic portraits, provided moments of stillness and introspection—meditations on the human condition within a politically and aesthetically charged setting.
True to the gallery’s ethos, this exhibition wasn’t simply about presenting art that is beautiful or decorative—it was a statement. Through its daring visual impact and conceptual depth, it proposed new ways of experiencing and understanding contemporary art, where aesthetic pleasure and critical awareness are not mutually exclusive but deeply intertwined. Each work demanded attention, reflection, and emotional engagement, affirming Finkelstein Gallery’s commitment to presenting art that is as visually compelling as it is socially relevant.
In this way, the exhibition became more than a collection of artworks—it was an act of resistance, a curated rupture in the dominant narrative. It invited audiences to confront, question, and ultimately connect—not only with the artists’ visions but also with the pressing cultural, political, and psychological issues of our time.
