Camie Lyons

CAMIE LY ONS

From the Centre

21 May – 8 June 2024

CAMIE LY ONS

Opening Night

Tuesday 21 May 20 24 6pm – 8pm

15 Roylston Street Paddington NSW 2021

Exhibition Dates

Tuesday 21 May – Saturday 8 June 2024

Open 7 days 10am – 6pm T 02 9360 5177

sydney@australiangalleries.com.au australiangalleries.com.au

Cover image: From the Centre (detail) 2024 bronze 110 x 142 x 60 cm; Left: Artist’s studio; Photography: James Evans Foundry booth images taken by artist at Crawford’s Casting, Strathfield. All bronze for exhibition cast with Central Foundry, Mascot

Camie Lyons

Over the centuries, artists have been fortune tellers, warning the state of play both socially and with the environment. There is a great deal of sensibility in today’s art world which has its eye well and truly on the preservation and wellbeing of our shared world with nature.

This attitude is revealed most beautifully in the work of Camie Lyons. We are looking at bronze sculptures, sometimes mounted on concrete, but the genesis of Camie’s work is nature itself. These hard surfaces begin with soft walks through the bush. In many cases each image is made up of carefully selected branches from saplings and fallen trees, each catching Camie’s eye as she is immersing herself both in nature itself and the outcome. It is like nature has pre-drawn the work and Camie is adhering to that tune. Other works are made as bronze raindrops, splashing into their own form, again honed, and tuned by Camie.

There is a very strong relationship between all of Camie’s mediums. Her symphony translates across works made in the foundry, to others drawn on large and small sheets of paper. It’s as though the sculptures have jumped from the paper into bronze or the bronze has leapt into the drawing. There is a marvelous but sure marriage between all her mediums. It is Camie’s intelligence, intuitions, integrity, and pure ability that bring her particular passion alive. She loves nature, bringing its beauty and importance as a snapshot in art pleading for the continuance that nature rules us all. Camie recognises our need to care for the environment and its great and crucial gift to mankind. Camie instinctively knows we humans are the guests not the landlord of our planet.

Not afraid of hard stuff, and messy beginnings she turns into remarkable beauty her nature gathered “stuff”. The works she produces have a sense of sophistication as well as that lasting power of its timeless feeding of us. That is to say, we can glimpse its current beauty but never forget its sense of longevity and where it started.

This is the culture Camie carries with her wherever she goes. Many of the images in this exhibition are from her 2024 residency in Tasmania where, despite logging and water issues, it is possibly one of the great paradises left on Earth.

Wrestling History 2 2024 mixed media on industrial paper 156 x 90 cm

drawings 4 2024 ink and charcoal on paper 76 x 56 cm

At the Core 2024 bronze 73 x 80 x 53 cm in progress at at Crawfords Casting,

Wrestling History 3 2024 mixed media on industrial paper 110 x 89 cm

EDUCATION

2005 Master of Fine Art (Sculpture), College of Fine Arts, Paddington (COFA)

2003 Granite Course, Sten Academy & Chalmers University, Sweden

2001 Studied Butoh and Laban Movement Techniques, Soros Foundation, Bulgaria

2000 Concrete Course, Chalmers University, Sweden

1999 Bachelor of Fine Art (Sculpture), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024 ‘From the Centre’, Australian Galleries, Sydney

2023 ‘Undulation’, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne

2022 ‘Bush Calligraphy’, Australian Galleries, Sydney

2020 ‘Making Meaning’, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne

‘A physical response’, Australian Galleries, Sydney

2019 ‘A physical response’, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst, NSW

‘Humming Space’, Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane

2018 ‘Untethered’, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne

2017 ‘Out on a limb’, Olsen Gallery, Sydney

2016 ‘Spirit Recovered’, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne

‘Tenderness and Tenacity’, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2015 ‘Rural Romance’, Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney

‘Solid Drawing’, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne

2014 ‘Finding Beauty’, Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney

2012 ‘Just This Moment’, Australian Arts Projects, Singapore

2011 ‘Wallflower (entering space)’, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney

2009 ‘In the Zone’, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

‘Lyrical’, Richard Martin Art, Sydney

2007 ‘Ionosphere’, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

‘Falling’, Richard Martin Art, Sydney

2005 ‘Casting Into Space’, Kudos Gallery, Sydney

‘Ned & Bob’, Hungerford & Edmunds Architects, Sydney

2004 ‘e:Motion’, Spence & Lyda, Sydney

2000

‘Moebius Dance’, Sherman Galleries, Sydney

‘Earth Cycle’, Gothenburg City Gardens, Sweden (on permanent display)

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023 ‘Sculpture in the Garden’, Wollongong Botanic Garden, Wollongong, NSW

2022 ‘6 x 6 x 6” Miniature Sculpture Show 2022’, Defiance Gallery, Sydney

‘Artists at Home: Book Launch 2022’, Olsen Gallery, Sydney

‘Sculpture by the Sea’, Bondi, Sydney

‘Sculpture Inside’, Bondi, Sydney

Lake Art Prize, Museum of Art and Culture, Booragul, NSW

2021

2020

‘Sculpture at Scenic World 2021’, Scenic World, Katoomba, NSW

‘Sculpture Other’, Katoomba Cultural Cenrtre, Katoomba, NSW

‘Sydney Contemporary presents 2020’, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair (online)

‘Winter Salon 2020’, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne

‘Persona’, gallery HZ, Hong Kong

‘Navigating the line’ (online exhibition), Australian Galleries

Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, Ravenswood School for Girls, Sydney

‘Live in Art 2020’ (Highly Commended), Live in Art Gallery, Sydney

‘Sculpture at Scenic World 2020’, Scenic World, Katoomba, NSW

‘Sculpture Otherwise’, Katoomba Cultural Centre, Katoomba, NSW

2019 ‘Sydney Contemporary Works on Paper’, Australian Galleries, Carriageworks, Sydney

2017 ‘At Bull Bay’, Delmar Gallery, Hobart

2015 ‘At Bull Bay’, Delmar Gallery, Hobart

2014

‘Singapore Affordable Art Fair’ with Australasian Art Projects, Singapore

2013 ‘Loaded: The Ned Kelly Exhibition’, Australian High Commission, Singapore

‘Grounded’, Australian High Commission, Australian Arts Projects Singapore

Sydney Contemporary Art Fair with Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney

2012 Melbourne Art Fair with Tim Olsen Gallery, Melbourne

2011 ‘Wattle: A Survey of Contemporary Australian Art’, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2010 Dobell Drawing Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

‘Sculpture 2010’ Tim Olsen Gallery, Woollahra, Sydney

‘Signal 8’ Summer Show, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

Melbourne Art Fair with Tim Olsen Gallery

Hong Kong Art Fair with Cat Street Gallery

2009 Hong Kong Art Walk, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2008 ‘Signal8’, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2006 ‘Friend Lyons Petrie’, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney

‘Sculpture 2006’, Global Gallery, Sydney

2004 ‘Push Hard Cut Deep’, Avja Yards, Sweden

2003 ‘Granite Plays’, Hunnebostrand, Sweden

2000 ‘Earth Cycle’, Gothenburg City Gardens, Sweden (on permanent display)

GRANTS, AWARDS, RESIDENCIES & MAJOR COMMISSIONS

2024 Residency at AiRSpace Oatlands, TAS

2023 Commissioned by Deloitte Australia with Art Pharmacy, bronze wall work for Circular Quay offices, Sydney

Highly Commended, Hawkesbury Art Prize, Purple Noon Gallery, Freemans Reach, NSW

Winner, Mount Eyre Art Prize, Rex Livingston Art Objects, Katoomba, NSW

Highly Commended, Sculpture in the Garden, Wollongong Botanic Garden, Wollongong, NSW

Finalist in Sculpture in the Valley, Barrengarry, NSW

2022 Commissioned by AMP Major Foyer Wall works for the Capitol Building, Sydney CBD

Finalist in the Lake Art Prize, Museum of Art and Culture, Booragul, NSW

Finalist in the North Sydney Art Prize 2022, The Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, Sydney

2021 Residency at Umbi Gumbi, Cutagee NSW

Winner, Sculpture at Scenic World Award, Scenic World, Katoomba, NSW

Winner, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Award, Katoomba NSW

2021 Commissioned by the Langham Group, Major Foyer Broze, Gold Coast, QLD

2020 Highly Commended Award, ‘Live in Art 2020 Invitational Art Prize’, Live in Art Gallery, Sydney

Artist Residency at BigCi Australia, funded by Scenic World, Blue Mountains, NSW

Finalist for Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney (postponed to 2022)

Awarded the Ralph Woodford Residency, Byron School of Art, Byron Bay, NSW

Awarded the Umbi Gumbi Creative Residency, Cuttagee, NSW

Commission by the Hilton Hotel, Suite of Drawings, Sydney

2019 ‘Symbols of Endearment’ 4 large drawings commissioned by Tiffany & Co, New York for Sydney Flagship Store, permanent display

2018 Hill End Artist Residency, Bathurst Regional Gallery, NSW

2017 Public Sculpture and Wall Works commissioned by Bates Smart Architects, Melbourne

Bull Bay Artist in Residency, Bruny Island, Tasmania

2016 ‘Natures Waltz’ Kerry Hotel foyer sculptures, Sheraton Group, Hong Kong

2014 Bull Bay Artist in Residency, Bruny Island, Tasmania

2011 ‘True Project’ sculpture commission for Phuket, Thailand

2009 ‘Many Leaps Towards You’ wall installation, Pullman Project, Homebush Bay

2008 Public sculpture commission, Hoi Ha Wan National Marine Reserve, Hong Kong

2006 Public sculpture commission for Sydney City Council, Sydney

2005 Awarded Research Grant, College of Fine Arts, University of NSW

2004 Guest Artist, Stone Academy Hunnebostrand, Sweden

2003 Artist in Residence (Stone sculpting course), Chalmers University, Sweden

2001 Soros Foundation Scholarship to attend Butoh and Laban Techniques in Sofia, Bulgaria

2000 Winner of the Baron Edson Public Art Commission, Waverly Council, Sydney Artist in Residence (Concrete course), Chalmers University, Sweden

COLLECTIONS

AMP limited, major work collection

Deloitte Australia

Gothenburg City Gardens, Slottskogen, Sweden

Hilton Group collection

Hoi Ha Wan Marine Reserve, Hong Kong

Marriot international Collection

Midlands Regional Council, Tasmania

Sydney City Council, Sydney

The Langham, major works Collection with the Great Eagle Group

Tiffany & Co., Sydney

Waverley City Council, Sydney

As well as public and private collections in Australia, England, Sweden, Singapore, London, Hong Kong, France, Thailand and New York

CAMIE LYONS