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MONA magic Mona Foma headed north to Launceston in 2019. When describing the Launceston-based iteration, Violent Femmes bassist and Mona Foma festival curator, Brian Ritchie said it will be ‘fraught with a sense of adventure’. The week-long cultural event saw attendees flock to the city for memorable experiences including Launceston Grammar’s Formal 2018 exhibition. Grade 12 student Hazel Woodfield reports: Formal, curated by artist Paul Snell, featured at the Poimena Art Gallery and was part of the 2019 Mona Foma. The exhibition was a window into the world of abstraction, held open by the expertise of artists such as Steven Carson, Paul Snell and David Marsden. The artists skilfully utilised form in their pieces, as their works often interact with surrounding space. The artists employed different techniques and mediums to their works, resulting in a broad range of abstraction, from the emotional That Feeling by Steven Carson, the muted hums of Paul Snell’s Dissolve, to David Marsden’s blunt and captivating Tip Trip.
In curating the exhibition, Paul says that putting the show together gave him the opportunity to look at different ways people view abstraction in a contemporary sense. “The exhibition was an exploration of abstract art and the ability by the artists to creatively push the genre,” says Paul. “It was a great opportunity to showcase non-narrative based works, and a really broad range of ways in which artists can approach abstraction. “I like works that don’t tell a story, works that are self-referential – they are what they are.” The exhibition was officially opened by Tasmanian artist Penny Mason and included the works of fourteen Australian artists from five states as well as one from Spain: Gaston Bertin, Louise Blyton, Steven Carson, Danica Chappell, Anton Hart, Brent Hallard, David Hawley, Emma Langridge, Susie Leahy Raleigh, David Marsden, Lisa Sharp, Paul Snell, Ryllton Viney, and Paul Zika.
Paul Snell’s Dissolve Quiet blues shift rhythmically in between vertical stripes that gather in the middle of the oval cut Plexiglas in thin light lines. Dissolve’s composition is mostly symmetrical, and the abstract piece is minimalist and non-representational. Despite the dazzling effect of the Plexiglas, overlapping colours and parallel lines, Dissolve fulfils an otherworldly stillness. Hazel Woodfield, Grade 12
Below/ Paul Snell, Dissolve #201801, 2018, Chromogenic print face-mounted 4.5mm Plexiglas, 80 x 160 cm. Edition of 2/3
