‘Raw Undoings’ is deeply personal. It is about trust and balance; listening to the space, the paint and the self. It is about stopping at the beauty of first mark-making and disassembling everything that follows.
When Mate first discovered this style she was moved to tears; overwhelmed with a knowing that ‘this is it’.
‘Raw Undoings’ not only pays homage to Country and Mate’s First Nations ancestors, but also Mate’s own journey as an artist.
The black lines that wind and fork through the work represent the deep crevices of the Australian landscape, acting as borders and markers that create movement, direction and prevent people from getting lost. Mate’s ancestors mapped the land with their experiences and journeys, and this is reflected in her approach to painting the landscape, drawing inspiration from how she relates to her surroundings.
The artwork spreads across both the wall and the pathway with a nature strip in between, which creates a mirroring affect with multi-layered perspective shifts. The colours and organic shapes wind across the two surfaces, contrasting the rigid grid of the brick wall and the cold, jagged geometry of the urban surrounds. As you journey along the path, you will be hit with a sense of hovering high above the landscape and simultaneously being dwarfed within the artwork, of walking in Danielle’s shoes and the wonder of your own experience, immersed in all the work’s wild and brilliant colour.