What Lies Beneath

VIRTUAL TOUR

What Lies BeneathArtist Statement

"The sea is a haven, it is my haven. It’s a fragile, beautiful place that provides freedom beyond the physical.  I have an overwhelming sense of liberation when I’m wrapped in the cool salt-water blanket of the ocean. My entire life I have been drawn to the water – the way it makes me feel, the weightlessness and the intrigue from the beautiful to the sublime.

When I left school, I studied ballet at the Victorian College of the Arts. I have always loved watching and feeling the body’s movement. Gravities’ effects dissolve in saltwater – our imagination is matched with the physical - we can move and dive and be immersed in a world that is completely ‘other’ to our existence on land. Our ability to communicate, the sounds we hear and the colours we see all morph into a simpler more primal state.

As a race we have the ability to do great things – we also have a spectacular record of destroying things that we consider superfluous to our needs. Art is an important conduit for reminding us of what we have and what we will lose.  This extends beyond clean water and all that lives beneath the surface. The potential loss for us is cerebral as it is physical.  

When I make these paintings, in my mind I’m below the waves. Free-flowing washes of colours and layers give way to a focus on sea creatures or coral structures. They are made with a physicality- intuitively responding to the marks that flow. Whilst the work in this exhibition is a deeply personal exploration of the seascape of my mind, fragments of my memory will be fragments of yours. Ultimately this is a shared experience mirroring the inherent essence of the ocean- it’s universal importance to us all."

Dee Smart 2021

Dee Smart moved from Adelaide to Melbourne as a teenager to study ballet at the Victorian College of Arts. Further studies in acting in Sydney led to a successful career in film, television and stage. Following the birth of her first child, Smart began pursuing visual arts where a passion for life drawing led directly to a painting career that has gained significant momentum in recent years.

In 2017 and 2018, Smart was selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize—her first two attempts. Both works achieved notoriety for their pop sensibility and dynamic palette. Her 2018 Archibald portrait was ultimately collected by one of the most prominent private collections of female artists in Australia.  She has also been a finalist in the Paddington Art Prize and, recently, the 2019 Portia Geach Memorial Award— Australia’s most important art prize for portraiture by women artists. These, along with success in other significant prizes this year, underline her rising star.  Recently, the prestigious Bennett Collection in the United States included Smart’s work in their collection, making her one of only three Australian artists to be acknowledged.