RACHEL MILNE Nest 15 May - 1 August 2021 1
FOREWORD Newcastle Art Gallery is proud to present RACHEL MILNE: Nest, the Gallery’s first solo exhibition of highly respected local artist Rachel Milne. Born in Cambridge England in 1978, Milne studied painting at Cardiff University, Wales in 2000 and exhibited regularly at the Royal West of England Academy. In 2013 she migrated to Australia to establish her life and practice here in Newcastle. In the same year, Milne was awarded the Singleton Art Prize and has subsequently been selected many times as a finalist in the Kilgour Prize, Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award, Salon des Refusés, Tattersall‘s Club Landscape Art Prize and Wynne Prize. Working from life is fundamental to Milne’s practice; her paintings celebrate observations of the everyday. Through an acute understanding of impressionist colour, light, tone and structure, the artist depicts deeply personal and intimately scaled subjects from within the solitude of her studio. Testament to Milne’s skill at working with the immediacy of the oil medium and at a larger scale, the artist also successfully produces work ‘en-plein-air’, deftly capturing the shifting reality of her
Left: Tree on B89 2020 oil on board 27.9 x 22.9cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection
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local environs and the representation of well-known landmarks. This exhibition provides the Gallery with an opportunity to develop a survey showcasing a local contemporary artist from the collection at a prolific point in their career. Works of art dating from 2014 to 2021 - including five from the Newcastle Art Gallery collection, will be displayed for the first time with paintings produced from Milne’s ‘artist in residence’ at Hill End and across the Hunter region, in addition to key loans from private collections. It has been a pleasure for Newcastle Art Gallery to curate this exhibition with the artist and I extend my sincerest gratitude to Rachel Milne for her enthusiasm; Randi and Robert Linnegar from King Street Gallery on William for their fundamental commitment to the success of this project, and to the private lenders for their generosity and support.
Lauretta Morton Director, Newcastle Art Gallery
Left: Speers Point Pool Behind Fence 2020 (detail) oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Artist collection
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RACHEL MILNE Nest Venturing through the unassuming entrance of the Victoria Theatre is a step back in time. You are immediately hit by the dank, dusty atmosphere of the space, the distant rustle of pigeons roosting and the mysterious sounds of this building and all its secrets. It’s a stifling and heavy atmosphere, as though the myriad of performances, singing, dancing and acting hang ever present in the building.
AS BOTH AN ARTIST AND INTREPID ARCHITECTURAL EXPLORER, MILNE CREATES WORKS OF ART THAT ARE A GHOSTLY HOMAGE TO THE CREATIVE BODIES THAT ONCE INHABITED THESE SPACES. The abandoned remains of a theatre are the last place you would expect to find an artist in residence, but for Rachel Milne, this is her favourite ‘studio’ setting. Here we encounter the artist with her paint palette, paints and brushes set up. In the corner is her first completed painting in this series of the magnificent proscenium arch sitting over the former stage. She has captured
Images page 7, Left top (clockwise): Nest 2020 oil on board 160.0 x 120.0cm Artist collection The Stage, Victoria Theatre, Newcastle 2021 (detail) oil on board 160.0 x 120.0cm Artist collection Escalators 2015 (detail) oil on board 46.0 x 41.0cm Belinda Daley collection Behind the Gallery Wall, NAS 2021 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Artist collection
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the gradations in light, the impressive copper pressed ceilings and exposed scaffolding once used for performances.
‘I’M INTERESTED IN THE INTERIOR, I’M INTERESTED IN THE LANDSCAPE, I’M NOT INTERESTED IN THE HUMAN BEINGS WITHIN THAT, I’M JUST INTERESTED IN THE PLACE ITSELF’.’ Milne is in her element developing this new series of works capturing the demolition and salvaging of Newcastle’s ever-evolving urban landscape. As both an artist and intrepid architectural explorer, Milne creates works of art that are a ghostly homage to the creative bodies that once inhabited these spaces. Milne’s longstanding fascination with the abandoned buildings of Newcastle began with the former David Jones Building in 2013. As the much-loved department store closed and was repurposed as the artist hub ‘The Emporium’, Milne accessed the building and uncovered hidden departments, the former café, an eerie butcher’s shop and the hairdressing salon. She described her first steps into the building as, ‘…quite spooky… but I recalled how much feeling there was for the building from everyone in Newcastle… people remember having their hair done at the hairdressing salon and the café and the beautiful food hall…’ 1
Left: Knifed Bun 2019 (detail) oil on board 45.0 x 40.0cm Private collection
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Following this series, Milne searched for other sites in Newcastle to capture such as Newcastle Art Space, Hunter Street TAFE Newcastle Art School and The Creator Incubator. Curiously, these scenes contain no people, a deliberate motive in Milne’s practice where the building interior drives the narrative of the painting. She states, ‘I’m interested in the interior, I’m interested in the landscape, I’m not interested in the human beings within that, I’m just interested in the place itself’.2 Despite this interest, not all of Milne’s paintings are centred on the interior space. Recent works of art have explored the landscape following an artist’s residency at Hill End. Milne has succeeded in capturing the lifeforce of the region, through the natural wildlife or the buildings with stories of the local community. Red Dog Grave at Ackermann Cottage 2016, a recent acquisition to Newcastle Art Gallery’s collection, captures loss, family stories and the tradition of artmaking in the region.3
‘I WAS UNSURE – WORRIED ABOUT BEING THE SAME PERSON AFTER BIRTH AS I WAS BEFORE…’ In the same year, Milne became the protagonist documenting her first pregnancy in the work of art
Images page 11, Left top (clockwise): Red Dog Grave at Ackermann Cottage 2016 (detail) oil on board 40.9 x 49.9cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection Haefligers Studio in Sun 2016 (detail) oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Private collection Unsure 2016 oil on board 27.3 x 22.7cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection
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Unsure 2016. She said, ‘This was painted when I was newly pregnant with my first child… I was unsure – worried about being the same person after birth as I was before…’4 The recent painting Chariot 2020, is a salient bookend to Unsure. The portrait of a pram became a metaphor of freedom during the COVID-19 lockdown and a symbol of resilience in fearful times. Milne said; ‘This was painted during the first week of lockdown... People are often dismissive of prams - but this was our only mode of getting the family out of the house and the machine is a beast – a chariot – so strong and well designed...’5
‘… OFTEN WHEN I AM PAINTING IN A FIGURATIVE WAY I’M NOT LOOKING AT OR THINKING ABOUT THE OBJECTS THEMSELVES I’M THINKING ABOUT THE SHAPES, THE TONES AND THE COLOURS AND SLOWLY THE OBJECTS WILL REVEAL WHAT THEY ARE.’ Milne’s domestic still life paintings are small windows into the artist’s every-day. Their intimate size belies the uncanny within. De-headed prawns are a metaphor for latent anger, eggs shelled and compiled neatly in a bowl a reflection on loss and the fragility of life. These paintings not only reference Vanitas and Memento mori but also comment on being a woman in the 21st century. This undercurrent is no better realised than in Knifed Bun 2019, its pink confection icing with protruding knife Left: Diving Board, Lambton Pool 2018 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Private collection
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an allegory for gender politics. Milne comments; ‘The stabbed bun is a response…. you can’t help but keep looking at it, that frustration that you encounter as a woman…’6 Set against the backdrop of current events, these works of art resonate louder than ever. Milne’s fascination with the suburban swimming pool has also been a genre explored in recent years. As an egalitarian space, the mid-century design of the Speers Point pool appeals through exploring the forms and shapes of the site.7 Milne describes that, ‘… often when I am painting in a figurative way I’m not looking at or thinking about the objects themselves I’m thinking about the shapes, the tones and the colours and slowly the objects will reveal what they are.’8
‘... WHAT I’M SLOWLY REALISING, IS THEY ARE ALWAYS THE CHAIR OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED… AND THAT’S WHY THEY DON’T PILE IT
Milne’s 2021 series of abandoned chairs tell stories of loss and pathos. In Council Pick Up Pink Chair 2021, Milne captures the vacant seat, abandoned on the roadside. Setting up an easel, Milne would be approached by local residents, as these chairs were often the favourite of a relative who had died. Milne stated, ‘… these chairs
Images page 15, Left top (clockwise): Council Pick Up Pink Chair 2021 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Artist collection Cold Pizza 2017 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Reiner Hafner collection Butter 2017 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Ewen Wallace collection Eggs 2017 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Reiner Hafner collection No Sitting Down 2020 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Artist collection
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that people put out, they don’t stack anything on them… what I’m slowly realising, [is] they are always the chair of people who have died… and that’s why they don’t pile it up with stuff. [the family have said] ‘I’m so glad you are painting this chair because it meant so much to us…’9 Rachel Milne’s development as a painter is driven by a desire to better herself technically and conceptually. She is unafraid to tackle new subjects; actively exploring new locations and subjects overlooked or often unseen. In the process of doing so she successfully captures the everyday minutiae of life, loaded with messages of motherhood, feminism, family, loss and grief. Nest is a testament to Rachel Milne’s drive and tenacity as an artist to celebrate and reposition painting as vital and contemporary. Sarah Johnson Curator, Newcastle Art Gallery
Rachel Milne in conversation with Sarah Johnson, 7 Feb 2021 Rachel Milne in conversation with Sarah Johnson, May 2019 3 Rachel Milne, Artist statement, Red Dog Grave at Ackermann Cottage, 2016. Cited December 2020 4 Rachel Milne, Artist statement, Unsure 2016. Cited December 2020 5 Rachel Milne, Artist statement, Chariot 2020. Cited December 2020 6 Rachel Milne and Sarah Johnson in conversation, Newcastle, 6 July 2019 7 Rachel Milne and Sarah Johnson in conversation, 7 Feb 2021 8 ibid 9 ibid 1
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Left: Homesick 2020 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Artist collection
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LIST OF WORKS Maitland Self Portrait 2014 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Artist collection
Evening Kangaroo 2016 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Valerie Gregg collection
Cold Pizza 2017 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Reiner Hafner collection
Massive Doors 2014 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Private collection
Haefligers Bed 2016 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Private collection
Eggs 2017 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Reiner Hafner collection
Tony & Julie-anne’s Hallway 2014 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Tony and Julie-anne Kelly collection
Haefligers Studio in Sun 2016 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Private collection
Morning Walk Government Road 2017 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Ian Penn collection
Chicken, Peas, Mash and Gravy 2015 oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Private collection
Red Dog Grave at Ackermann Cottage 2016 oil on board 40.9 x 49.9cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection
Across to Stands 2018 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Private collection
Escalators 2015 oil on board 46.0 x 41.0cm Belinda Daley collection Rainy Day Hill End 2015 oil on board 10.0 x 15.0cm Teah Linnegar collection Sultana Bran and Banana 2015 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Michelle Wheatley collection The Butchers Rail 2015 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Michael & Gilda Floyd collection Bathroom Mirror, Haefligers Cottage 2016 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Artist collection Birthday Cake Mirror 2016 oil on board 46.0 x 41.0cm Christopher Cosier & Dr Christopher Webber collection Evening Chair 2016 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Private collection
Stove Murrays Cottage 2016 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm David Unicomb collection Studio Chair 2016 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Private collection Studio Haefligers 2016 oil on board 61.0 x 81.0cm Bathurst Regional Art Gallery collection Gift of the artist 2018 Through to Garden 2016 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Private collection Unsure 2016 oil on board 27.3 x 22.7cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection Butter 2017 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Ewen Wallace collection
Diving Board, Lambton Pool 2018 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Private collection Diving Pool 2018 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Private collection Good to be Home 2018 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Private collection Hallway Mirror 2018 oil on board 46.0 x 41.0cm Kakwani Family collection Next Door 2018 oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Private collection Self Portrait in Motel Room 2018 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Private collection Speers Point Pool Umbrellas 2018 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Ella Burrett collection
Sun Shade, Charlestown Pool 2018 oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Ian Penn collection
Nest 2020 oil on board 160.0 x 120.0cm Artist collection
Unmade Bed 2018 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Pamela Honeyfield collection
No Sitting Down 2020 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Artist collection
Knifed Bun 2019 oil on board 45.0 x 40.0cm Private collection
Other Side of the Fence 2020 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Private collection, Lake Macquarie Awabakal Country
Behind Gallery Wall, NAS 2021 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Artist collection
Pineapple Chunks 2020 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Artist collection
Council Pick Up Green Chair 2021 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Artist collection
Private Property 2020 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Artist collection
Council Pick Up Pink Chair 2021 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Artist collection
Skatepark 2020 oil on board 120.0 x 160.0cm Artist collection
Newcastle, East End 2021 oil on board 28.0 x 23.0cm Artist collection
Speers Point Pool Behind Fence 2020 oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Artist collection
The Stage, Victoria Theatre, Newcastle 2021 oil on board 160.0 x 120.0cm Artist collection
Laundry 2019 oil on board 45.0 x 40.0cm Kakwani Family collection Bad Day 2020 oil on board 22.5 x 23.0cm Artist collection Chariot 2020 oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection Construction 2020 oil on board 80.1 x 99.9cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection Dino and Ahn’s Place, Dino’s Studio 2020 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Artist collection Fan 2020 oil on board 100.0 x 80.0cm Artist collection Homesick 2020 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Artist collection Hotdog Sausages 2020 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Artist collection
Speers Point Pool November 2020 oil on board 120.0 x 160.0cm Artist collection Speers Point Shade Sails 2020 oil on board 40.0 x 45.0cm Artist collection Stage One Restrictions 2020 oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Private collection Studio Chair 2020 oil on board 23.0 x 28.0cm Leanne & Trevor Harrison-Davies collection
Tree on B89 2020 oil on board 27.9 x 22.9cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection Annie and Wendy Live Here 2021 oil on board 35.0 x 30.0cm Artist collection
View From the Balcony, Victoria Theatre, Newcastle 2021 oil on board 60.0 x 50.0cm Artist collection View From the Stage, Victoria Theatre, Newcastle 2021 oil on board 80.0 x 100.0cm Artist collection Wet Summer 2021 oil on board 23.0 x 38.0cm Artist collection
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ISBN: 978-0-6486678-5-8 © Newcastle Art Gallery All images courtesy the artist Published for the exhibition RACHEL MILNE: Nest 15 May - 1 August 2021 This organisation is supported by:
1 Laman Street Newcastle | 02 4974 5100 | nag.org.au Above: Chariot 2020 (detail) oil on board 30.0 x 35.0cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection Front cover: Construction 2020 (detail) oil on board 80.1 x 99.9cm Les Renfrew Bequest 2020 Newcastle Art Gallery collection