SOUNDS OF THE SOUK

Featuring paintings by artist Noni Drew and ceramic forms by contemporary ceramicist Catherine Tate, both artists explore this concept – drawing inspiration from the energy, history and colour of the famous souks of Morocco.

Noni Drew’s work is filled with bold colours and gestural marks, and explores the boundaries between representation and abstraction. Her work draws from personal observations and mediated images, which are deconstructed and layered into abstracted compositions that hint at figures, landscapes, interiors and still lives. Noni’s work for ‘Sounds of the Souk’ is a painted response to her time in Morocco, some two decades ago when she spent six months living there.

Catherine Tate is a contemporary ceramic artist with a background in graphics – and this eye for design influences her current work, bringing an appreciation of simple and striking colours and forms. Her work is informed by architecture and interiors – from contemporary minimalism to ancient architecture in rich decay. This series of works responds to a fascination with the colours and textures that come with tenure, drawing on memories of peeling plaster walls – rough and chalky – yet in part still holding the pigments and rich history of time past.

Paintings by Noni Drew

Noni Drew is a visual artist, aesthetic appreciator, colour collector and practicing post-graduate student at the Victorian College of the Arts whose work is held in numerous collections Australia wide and internationally.

‘Sounds of the Souk’ is a painted response to Noni’s time in Morocco, some two decades ago when she spent six months living there. She travelled all throughout Morocco, but for most the most part Noni resided at the seaside town of Essaouira, living (much to her parent’s horror!) with a drum maker who had a shop, which in addition to his drums, sold all sorts of treasures from rugs to jewellery.  Ever since that time Noni has been very much embroiled deep in the Moroccan aesthetic, all of which informs her bright, abstract artworks.

Filled with bold colours and gestural marks, Noni Drew’s work explores the boundaries between representation and abstraction. Her work draws from personal observations and mediated images which are deconstructed and layered into abstracted compositions which hint at figures, landscapes, interiors and still lives.

In more recent times, Noni has been contemplating the parallels of the Berber women weaving their traditional carpets and herself as an artist practising from home – both co-existing with family life and spontaneous and colourful in their design.  These Berber rugs, and the lives of the women who craft them she are employed as source material in Noni’s works and the memories of them are never far from mind.  Sounds of the Souk calls on those colours and memories to create a colourful show imbued with sentiment.

www.nonidrew.com
@noni_drew

Ceramics by Catherine Tate

Catherine Tate is a contemporary ceramic artist with a background in graphics – and this eye for design influences her current work, bringing an appreciation of simple and striking colours and forms.

Catherine’s work is informed by architecture and interiors – from contemporary minimalism to ancient architecture in rich decay.

This series of works responds to a fascination with the colours and textures that come with tenure. Such weathered patinas can be seen in the adobe walls of Greece, to the vibrant colours of Morocco against the backdrop of desert, and the shifting sands textured by the wind and patterned by shadow and passing time.

The texture of Catherine’s vessels is rough and tactile, drawing on memories of peeling plaster walls – rough and chalky – yet in part still holding the pigments and rich history of time past.

The contemporary curved forms of the vessels create interesting negative Spaces, and take on another dimension when grouped together as a family; suggestive of Bedouins huddled or moving through the desert.

www.catherinetate.com.au
@catherinetate.com.au