Andrew Leslie
"Real"
The work of Andrew Leslie looks like painting, feels like architecture and is technically sculpture.
The common denominator in all three mediums is space. The work is done on painted aluminium slats that sit off the support and reflect colour and sometimes text onto the wall behind. Leslie's tur medium is the articulation of architectural space and he challenges the viewer's eye by weaving in and out of the various mediums to achieve this end. This exhibition promises to completely transform the large space at Annandale Galleries.
Leslie's works can be fitted to curved surfaces, incorporating existing features of the space, and even go around corners. The strength of the work lies not only in its flexibility but also in how it works for the viewer: due to the use of reflected colour, the effects on the eye can change dramatically with a shift of light or a change in the angle at which they are viewed. The works are seen with time as an ally, not only in the usual sense of standing before a painting and seeing more in it with the passing of time, but literally in time as one moves around a work. The contrasts are extraordinary, reminding me of the view, for example, of dirt roads I have seen in the outback - matte brown from one direction and bright pink from another.
An Andrew Leslie work is uniquely and immediately recognisable whether it is a large outdoor corporate or private commission, a work executed specifically for a public gallery or a private home, whether large or easel-size.
This marks Andrew Leslie's second exhibition and first solo show at Annandale Galleries. Born in Australia in 1956, he moved to Sydney from Perth where he had a dozen solo exhibitions since 1992. One of Perth's most respected artists, he was for many years at the forefront of the artistic milieu in Perth. Public collections include the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of WA, Artbank, Holmes à Court Collection and museums in Malaysia and Italy.
- Bill Gregory, 2005
The common denominator in all three mediums is space. The work is done on painted aluminium slats that sit off the support and reflect colour and sometimes text onto the wall behind. Leslie's tur medium is the articulation of architectural space and he challenges the viewer's eye by weaving in and out of the various mediums to achieve this end. This exhibition promises to completely transform the large space at Annandale Galleries.
Leslie's works can be fitted to curved surfaces, incorporating existing features of the space, and even go around corners. The strength of the work lies not only in its flexibility but also in how it works for the viewer: due to the use of reflected colour, the effects on the eye can change dramatically with a shift of light or a change in the angle at which they are viewed. The works are seen with time as an ally, not only in the usual sense of standing before a painting and seeing more in it with the passing of time, but literally in time as one moves around a work. The contrasts are extraordinary, reminding me of the view, for example, of dirt roads I have seen in the outback - matte brown from one direction and bright pink from another.
An Andrew Leslie work is uniquely and immediately recognisable whether it is a large outdoor corporate or private commission, a work executed specifically for a public gallery or a private home, whether large or easel-size.
This marks Andrew Leslie's second exhibition and first solo show at Annandale Galleries. Born in Australia in 1956, he moved to Sydney from Perth where he had a dozen solo exhibitions since 1992. One of Perth's most respected artists, he was for many years at the forefront of the artistic milieu in Perth. Public collections include the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of WA, Artbank, Holmes à Court Collection and museums in Malaysia and Italy.
- Bill Gregory, 2005