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Con-Struct Casula Powerhouse

CON-STRUCT

Glenn Locklee

The work of South West Sydney artist, Glenn Locklee, observes two societal phenomena: the increasing redundancy of small business and domestic manufacturing; and the proliferation of high-rise, high-density living as house and land ownership become increasingly unattainable.

The burgeoning demand and ease of access to imported commodities has governments and businesses scrambling to claim new expanses of riverside land for development. Such voracity has resulted in an ever-changing physical environment and a desired lifestyle of material aspiration and human disconnect.

Such issues currently threaten Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and its pristine surroundings. Locklee presents three new commissioned works that contemplate the history and architectural character of the Casula Powerhouse building and its capacity as an arts centre to recollect and respond to local stories in the rapidly growing region of South West Sydney.

Locklee’s paintings are not overtly political, nor do they carry an agenda of protest. They stand as silent witnesses to change; evocative peripheral images that conjure up subliminal memories and reflection of the industrial environments of South West Sydney where the artist grew up. This is evident not just in the subjects of these works, but also the poetic architecture and process of making these works. The sparse geometric construction and layers of tertiary colours play off against the expressionist rendering of surface and portrayal of light. The use of aluminium as a canvas - known to be a common building material - complements the surface texture, but also reveals the very material of our being.