Marina Strocchi's Territoryscapes

JULY 24th through SEPTEMBER 30th

Hovering somewhere between abstraction and landscape, Marina Strocchi's paintings are rich evocations of her experiences of living in the Central Australian desert. Melbourne born Strocchi has lived in Central Australia for the past 19 years, working for a substantial period with the Aboriginal artists of the region.

Her work is an affirmation of the environment of Central Australia, which she expresses with a flattened perspective of complex patterns. Strocchi’s paintings are strong on narrative and feature familiar icons of the Northern Territory.  Dogs, birds, trees, rocks, fish - her pictures seem to pulse with the “patterns of nature” reflecting the synthesis of nature's repetition with the clutter of human habitation that one finds in the expanses of the desert. Strocchi’s inspiration combines European,  primitive and naive art, as well as an early association with the ROAR group in Melbourne.  Strocchi employs bold design and rich coloration in her appealing and highly personal style.

Since gaining a Bachelor of Art in Melbourne, Strocchi has exhibited in Paris, Melbourne, Alice Springs, Darwin, Sydney and Brisbane. Her extensive involvement in the cultural life of Alice Springs and Central Australia has included work as a lecturer and curator, as a field officer at Papunya Tula Artists and as the founding coordinator of the Ikuntji Art Centre in Haasts Bluff.