This latest series of paintings and drawings, titled Darker Places, is an extension of my art practice where the female is the central focus of consideration.

Through the depiction of abstracted figures and forms I hope the viewer can envision women not as subject or object but as self, conveying notions of sensuality, inner beauty and the intangible qualities associated with the female. I’m deeply curious about the distinction between the exterior and interior self (or the private and the public self) and the consequent mapping of our own body’s boundaries – the way in which the formless matter of the female psyche has to be contained within these boundaries, conventions and poses. Through my exploration into these ideas I hope to create a visual language that speaks to and of the female experience and the continual search for the meaning and possibilities of personal identity, whilst always posing the question – what defines an autonomous and absolute woman when the surface of her body has become her frame, her armour?

The abstracted works Darker Places aim not to transcribe, but rather imply, a feeling of of the feminine and all that this carries with it: strength, motherhood, fragility, sexuality, burden and beauty. I’ve studied the female silhouette as a solidified whole – reworking and reducing the body to its most essential form in order to heighten it’s expressive power, ultimately hoping to break the body out of it’s framing contours, and instead creating new, unapologetic boundaries.

The process of reduction plays an essential part in the creation of this new series of artworks, subtracting detail and simplifying forms to create highly abstracted artworks that although streamlined still hope to achieve a sense of expression and vitality. It is as much about the lines that I choose to paint as it is about the lines I choose to leave out, with simplification of form being at the core of this.

Caroline Walls
b. 1984, Auckland NZ

Melbourne-based Caroline Walls is a contemporary New Zealand-born artist working across a number of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture and print-making. Walls draws inspiration from the movement and fluidity of the female form, moments of intimacy, contemporary perceptions of women’s sexuality in the current cultural sphere, as well as notions of gender and fertility. Born in 1984 in Auckland, New Zealand she has studied at Swinburne University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of the Arts. She has spent extensive time living abroad in London and New York before returning to Australia to continue her art practice.

Keenly interested in the construction and complexity of the female identity, and the distinction between the private and the public self, which are key themes of the work she produces, her artistic practice is grounded in a sensitive use of colour and a deep understanding of composition and form. Caroline’s reductive paintings are stripped back to the most essential line and shape to heighten the expressive power of each artwork. There is obvious intention behind the lithe colour scheme of her paintings, which resonate with fleshy, natural milk and oak tones of the skin.

Caroline has previously had three solo exhibitions in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia and has also exhibited in a number of group shows including the AFF in New York City, Platform, Los Angeles and the The Other Art Fair. Darker Places will be her fourth solo exhibition to date, opening in August 2018 at fortyfivedownstairs on Flinders Lane in Melbourne, Australia.