Janet Laurence @ Galerie Düsseldorf

On Friday we went and saw the Janet Laurence show at Galerie Düsseldorf in Mosman Park.

It's a quite engaging show that could quite easily have been laboured by a focus on technique, tricks and the how-did-she-do-that quagmire of optical illusionism.

The work instead uses the tools well without the work itself being overwhelmed by the brush.

The quality of light as likely experienced whilst making the images is recreating via various methods - liquid light, mirrors, shadows and reflections. This builds new forms, tones and other nuances on to the basic limiting nature of photographic surface.

Space is extenuated, light plays as you move around the pieces, depth appears and disappears as you fix your focus on various surfaces.

I liked the lack of over-polishing in the work. It has it's faults - digital artefacts and 'messy' tones - but rather than these pulling the work down they instead compliment the painterly aspect in the various layers.

The usage of spilt paint/emulsion reminded me of saps (blood) and residues after a burn. Almost like a weeping world that regenerates (almost) irrelevant of what we throw at it.

The show runs through to April 6.