We have just returned from a whirlwind of a day (make that an afternoon and an evening) in Sydney down by the Quay area. The afternoon was spent happily photographing in the Botanic Gardens, followed by a visit to Alexia Sinclair’s stunning Art Exhibition at the Customs House and, in the evening, the incredible Lights Spectacular show, VIVID.
I’ll add my journals of all three over the weekend. First up is Alexia’s exhibition for which I have no photos but I’ll add links below that will take you directly to her web site.
Alexia’s exhibition “Homage” is on until 29th June 2012, at the Customs House, just across the road from Circular Quay. It shows a selection of her highly complex fine art works for which she has won many awards and accolades. Her work has been exhibited in Australia, NZ, Europe, China, the USA and in private collections. Alexia is a Masters graduate of the University of Newcastle and we are all very proud of her achievements.
In this exhibition there are twelve of Alexia’s innovative artworks which creatively combine photographs and illustrations. Six of her earlier series The Regal Twelve are in the main atrium while six of her new series The Royal Dozen are displayed in huge gilded frames. These works depict Kings and Queens, warlords and dandies, each the result of Alexia’s study of nobility in history and her incredible skill as a digital portrait artist.
Each portrait combines places, architecture and landscapes photographed by Alexia in her travels across the globe. Her hand made bespoke costuming and prop preparation for each portrait adds an extra element of her creativity to the sets. In the style of the master Renaissance painters who have greatly influenced Alexia, each set includes related symbols and motifs which help each individual’s story to unfold within the art works.
After photographing each set, Alexia meticulously digitally ‘stitches together’ each component with added hand illustrations. Each piece of art may have up to 500 layers of digital art work. Alexia describes her work as: “Exploring the complexities of the famous, the infamous and the obscure, these portraits celebrate historical realities within the guise of contemporary fantasy, a kind of conversation between the past and present.”
Alexia has graciously shared her skills through a video explaining how she goes about making her art. These videos are shown at the exhibition on 7 LED screens. They are imbedded in a 16 m long image, ‘wall of ivy’, an image taken by Alexia in France on one of her travels searching for just the right landscapes and buildings for her works.
Also part of the exhibition is Alexia’s new ipad App, “Homage” by Sinclair and Hill, which is available from itunes.
The links below go straight to photos of her Alexia’s regal and royal series of works.
http://alexiasinclair.com/the-royal-dozen
http://alexiasinclair.com/the-regal-twelve
Her web site gives a more in depth look at all her art work as well as commissions.