‘PM’ at A-M Gallery, Newtown

BERNADETTE BURKE

A-M Gallery may be a tiny space, but its debut show is larger than life.
Maylei Hunt and Gavin Bradstreet present a photographic panorama that portrays a sensual, moody love story, incorporating the theme of Indigenous people’s inherent connection to the land.

Titled PM — because the drama plays out at night — the work whisks your eye through an amazing spread that ebbs and flows over a striking six-metre panel.

Even the physical surface of the image is astonishing; as shiny as glass, you can see your own reflection playing over the top of the svelte bodies. The work adorns the entire back wall of the gallery, a glorious spectacle commanding viewer attention.

Though Hunt and Bradstreet put their names to the work, it is also collaboration between the pair and four others — the two professional dancers, Waangenga Blanco and Katina Olsen, and hair and makeup artists Natasha Pun and Belinda Goodwin.

The combined talents of this troupe are what we see in the compelling imagery: the story told through dance and movement, emerging from different environments to show space and time.

The interpretation of a love story through dance brings a new dimension of elegance and grace to a theme most of us are all too familiar with.

As a whole the work is titled PM, but it is also cleverly divided into individual chapters, which combine to make up the majestic, overall image. Each smaller panel has a name that tells its own story and allows the work to stand alone as a unique image.

The last panel ‘Home’ is breathtaking, the two beautiful figures barely emerging from dark shadows in a style reminiscent of Rembrandt. ‘Solitude’ is equally stunning, a portrait of the young man in solemn thought, with eyes as deep as a lake disappearing into the night. Despite these divisions, the works are combined seamlessly.

PM was a huge undertaking, involving hundreds of photos melded together digitally by Hunt and Bradstreet.

The unveiling of this enormous task was fittingly celebrated with the show being opened by Aunty Ali, an Aboriginal elder, and Christine Cornish, a respected Sydney photographer and teacher from the National Art School.

The artist statement describes the aim of the work to show “dreams brought into reality”, and in the tiny A-M Gallery packed from wall to wall on opening night, it seems that at least these two artists have done exactly that. The fruits of their labour have been well worth the time and effort, rewarded by the hordes of supporters who turned up to witness it.

INFO: PM will be on display at A-M Gallery at 191 Wilson St, Newtown until September 3.