• In the absence of light and certainty, our imaginative power is amplified, free to conjure its most terrifying images in the gaps between what is seen and unseen.
  • Ben Cornford and Anthea Mentzalis 
    July, 2024

    What is it about the dark that we find so fascinating? Since the dawn of human consciousness, we have been captivated by the eerie, the macabre, and the spectral. Ghost stories, steeped in mystery, have permeated cultures across the globe, reflecting our perennial need to explain the unexplainable.

     

    The human experience is marked by this paradoxical relationship with darkness. As children, we feared it—as adults, we rise above it, using logic and rationality to guide us. But even the most rational amongst us falter when we find ourselves alone in the dark. Which begs the question: Is it the dark itself, or the corners of our own minds we truly fear?

     

    The mind is a remarkable instrument, capable of creating vivid and elaborate worlds. In the absence of light and certainty, our imaginative power is amplified, free to conjure its most terrifying images in the gaps between what is seen and unseen.

     

    Once Upon a Midnight Dreary is an exploration of the liminal space between light and dark, where shadows come alive and the unseen exerts its presence. Here, we desire to make sense of the mysteries that lie beyond the veil of the visible world. Through this lens, we can safely examine our existential anxieties without fear of retribution.

     

    Untethered by the constraints of reality, our mind creates phantoms and spectres that lurk in the shadows, painting the darkness with the conjurings of our imagination. 

  • Works
    • Leslie Rice As you are, we once were; As we are, you shall be , 2023 Acrylic on black velvet Diptych 2 x panels 86 x 39cm
      Leslie Rice
      As you are, we once were; As we are, you shall be , 2023
      Acrylic on black velvet
      Diptych 2 x panels 86 x 39cm
    • Kathryn Ryan Beyond II, 2023 oil on linen 107 x 84cm
      Kathryn Ryan
      Beyond II, 2023
      oil on linen
      107 x 84cm
    • Paul Ryan Meat, After Rembrandt, 2018 Oil on Linen 183 x 199cm
      Paul Ryan
      Meat, After Rembrandt, 2018
      Oil on Linen
      183 x 199cm
      Sold
    • Jun Chen Redland, 2024 oil on canvas 137 x 160cm
      Jun Chen
      Redland, 2024
      oil on canvas
      137 x 160cm
    • Mitchell Ferrie TOMBSTONE 1, 2022 Bianca Cararra marble, Black granite H135 x D24cm x W27cm
      Mitchell Ferrie
      TOMBSTONE 1, 2022
      Bianca Cararra marble, Black granite
      H135 x D24cm x W27cm
    • James Drinkwater The Boxer, 2019 Bronze, Ed of 12 38 x 25 x 5cm
      James Drinkwater
      The Boxer, 2019
      Bronze, Ed of 12
      38 x 25 x 5cm
  • Installs