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Director’s Speech – Sandi Clarke
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Christine Maudy Dream Catcher exhibition
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First Exposure Gallery
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1 Feb. 2002 6.30pm.
I first wish to acknowledge the traditional occupiers of this land on which we stand and their ancestral spirits who walked this land.
Christine, Jacques, Pamela Maudy, (Pauline Maudy cannot be here this evening)
First Exposure Staff, Guests and friends –
Appropriately, a famous French person once said – “art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist”.
This is true of Christine Maudy’s work.
It is bold, it is beautiful, it is courageous, it is strong, it is ephemeral, it is large, it is small, it is raw, it is refined, it is mosaic, it is oil on canvas, it is gold leaf, it is sculpture – it is so many things at the one time.
It is an extension of Christine who is so many things – she is French, she is Australian, she is thankful to her past and the impact of groundbreakers such as Rothko, she is a visionary for the future with her own clearly identified work.
I continue in my response to her work as being a dichotomy of things – it is music, it is 2D, it is feeling and emotion. It is consistent and diverse – from her 1999 Islands work on canvas to the colour and transparency of her works on paper such as Homage to Rothko.
Independently and in unison Christine’s work ‘works’. It sings, it breathes, it laughs and it comments. The September 11 piece marks a scene of tragedy by rising above the depths of the unattractive human desire for conflict – with this Christine makes peace with the world.
She embraces the square, she loves the abstract.
Christine marks and shares her life journey through her work – it is a microcosm of her world from a universal perspective.
To achieve so many things in a limited space is awe inspiring. I challenge you to pick out one of the works as your favourite because it is indeed a difficult task. Stand, look and once you choose one it takes you on a journey through its connections to the others. This exhibition is professionally hung to underscore the synchronicity of Christine’s work. Congratulations to Jacques who hung it, their framer for his workmanship and the gallery, Regina and Kristen for such a beautiful space.
I declare, “Dreamcatcher” open and ask you to share in the emotion of this event with acclamation for Christine and her work.
Christine we applaud you.
Sandi Conte-Clarke, Director and Curator of the Caloundra Regional Gallery, Australia