Painting in my private studio situated 5 minutes from the CBD in Adelaide, Australia, a small coastal city, my initial training was at the South Australian School of Art, where I learnt mainly how to think about the content and context of my work. I continue to refine my skills and knowledge as a painter, I feel this is life long learning. I have been painting and exhibiting for more than 30 years now, it is all consuming for me, I feel it is the only thing in the world that is mine and an expression of myself.
I arrived at painting images of women in early 2000 to reflect my personal experience as I observe what happens both around me and to me and thus the imagery evolves around this theme over time. There is a dichotomy in the modern woman; I feel these women are silently screaming about their distress from beneath the folds of their femininity. Locked in suburbia with youth fading, their world seems an alien place, dreams are half forgotten or never going to be, what was desirable is now invisible. The flip side, of course, is that the modern woman has strength and freedom because of her experiences; she is street wise to the traps of life. The femme is free; she is strong, and in complete command of her sexuality. Most of my women in my compositions are cut off below the eyes, below the chin if they face towards you, but mostly they have their backs turned towards the viewer, the viewer hasn’t earned the right to her gaze as yet.
The scenes in my paintings are in essence cinematic, a frozen moment where you can believe that there was a before and there will bean after to be played out in your mind. Like at the movies you play the part of the passive voyeur, however the stillness of paintings allows your gaze to linger only at the visible. You can carefully inspect her hair, the sensual nape of her neck, her back, the fall of her dress, her legs, shoes etc but she’ll never turn for you to see her face, or perhaps there’s a glimpse fractured in the mirror. My heroines are trapped in life’s unfulfilled promises.Vacant spaces equals vacant hearts, the isolated figure in the room, she is off doing psychological battle in the world but her subconscious inhabits the surrounding she has left behind, it hangs heavy in the air. If one experiences an event in environment, that event never leaves the scene, it remains cold in the shadows, hanging in the darkened corners. It’s almost as if the femme lives in a virtual snow dome, in a sheltered environment that exists in a complete and glassed idealism...she might leave the scene but the environment remains.
My femmes do not need the returned gaze, they are encased in themselves, and your role as the voyeur is to caress the surface with your eyes. The strength of female sexuality is to know one has it but not to allow others to know there is acknowledgement or not. These female subjects are not to be owned, they are independent creatures housed in their environments, not dictated by others or ruled by an abstract notion of what they should or shouldn’t be. My femmes, however, do not dwell on their self-importance through the approval of others. My paintings house that captured moment, the still image of a woman in reflected thought, a passing desire, a cherished moment flickers on the tableau of the screen that is my painted image. Ever the perpetual pessimist, cursed by self-doubt, I leave little room for my femmes to find eternal bliss. However I do allow the occasional glimmer of hope.
- Dianne Gall
Education
1982
Bachelor of Arts, Design (Foundation Year), South Australian College of Advanced Education.
1983-1985
Bachelor of Arts, Fine Art, South Australian School of Art, SA, Australia
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2017
Metro Gallery, VIC, Australia
2014
Brenda May Gallery, NSW, Australia
Beaver Galleries, ACT, Australia
2012
Catherine Asquith Gallery, VIC, Australia
2011
Emerge Art Space, W.A, Australia
2010
Cube Contemporary Art Projects, SA, Australia
2009
Beaver Galleries, ACT, Australia
2007
Cowwarra Artspace, VIC, Australia
2005
Beaver Galleries, ACT, Australia
2003
Cube Contemporary Art, SA, Australia
2002
Soho Galleries, NSW, Australia
2001
Hill-Smith Fine Art Gallery, SA, Australia
1999
Hill-Smith Fine Art Gallery, SA, Australia
1997
BMGART, SA, Australia
1995
BMGART, SA, Australia
1993
BMGART, SA, Australia
1990
Tynte Gallery, SA, Australia
1988
Club Foote, SA, Australia
Selected Group Exhibitions
2018
Objects of Desire, (Summer Survey), Bernaducci Gallery, NewYork, USA
Summer Exhibition, Nanda\Hobbs, NSW, Australia
Visions of Venus, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, USA
2015
Five and Under, Arcadia Contemporary, New York, USA
Smashing Suggestions Pink Zeppelin Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Time Element, Gold Street Studios, VIC, Australia
Celebration of Women Artists, Arcadia Contemporary, New York, USA
2014
Objects of Beauty: Contemporary Still Life Painting, CK Contemporary, San Francisco, USA
New Works, CCA Projects, SA, Australia
Time Element, The Light Gallery, SA, Australia
2013
The Obelisk Show, Gallery 26, SA, Australia
2012
Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, USA
Group Show, The Focus Gallery, Hamilton, Canada
2011
Festivite Group Show, Catherine Asquith Gallery, VIC, Australia
Group Show, The Focus Gallery, Hamilton, Canada
2010
Net Work, Art Gallery of Ballarat, VIC, Australia
Reconfigured, Emerge Art Space, Perth, WA, Australia
Mount Eyre Vineyards Art Prize, Rex Livingston Art Dealer, NSW, Australia
2009
Little Pictures, Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2008
Exquisite Palette, St Luke Artist Colourmen, VIC, Australia
2007
Eutick Memorial Still Life Award”, Coffs Harbour RegionalGallery, NSW
Exquisite Palette, St Luke Artist Colourmen, VIC, Australia
Spring Art, Loreto College, SA, Australia
Life is Amazing, Wilderness School, SA Museum, SA, Australia
Open Studio-SALA week 2007, Cube Studios, SA, Australia
Snap Freeze, Still Life Now, TarraWarra Museum of Art, Yarra Valley, VIC, Australia
Summer Exhibition, Michael Carr Art Dealer, NSW, Australia
2006
New Works, Gallery Artists, Hill Smith Gallery, SA, Australia
Loreto Art Fair, Spring Art Fair, Loreto College, SA, Australia
Group Action 2, Criterion Gallery, TAS, Australia
Summer Part 2, Michael Carr Art Dealer, NSW, Australia
2005
Group Action, Criterion Gallery, TAS, Australia
Christmas Exhibition, Hill-Smith Fine Art Gallery, SA, Australia
2004
20th Anniversary Spring Art Exhibition, Loreto College, SA, Australia
Fourteen, SALA Week exhibition, Cube Contemporary Art, SA, Australia
Small Realities, 3-person show, Criterion Gallery, TAS, Australia
Still, Cube Contemporary Art, SA, Australia
2003
Loreto College Spring Art Exhibition, SA, Australia
Eleven, SALA Week exhibition, Cube Contemporary Art, SA, Australia
14 Paintings, Cube Contemporary Art, SA, Australia
Cube + Nodrum + Abrahams, Cube Contemporary Art, SA, Australia
Adelaide Contemporary, Eva Breuer Gallery, NSW, Australia
2002
Wetlands & Wildlife, Westminster School, SA, Australia
Luminous, helengory galerie, VIC, Australia
Melbourne Art Fair 2002 Preview in association with the Helpmann Academy, Cube
Contemporary Art, VIC, Australia
PURE, Cube Contemporary Art, SA, Australia
Annual Spring Art Exhibition, Loreto College, SA, Australia
Fine Art Exhibition, Scotch College, SA, Australia
The Painted Fold-The Garment in Art, Charles Nodrum Gallery, VIC, Australia
2001
Christmas Show, Hill Smith Fine Art Gallery, SA, Australia
Annual Spring Art Exhibition, Focus Artist, Loreto College, SA, Australia
SALA Week Group Show, Hill-Smith Fine Art Gallery, SA, Australia
7 UP, Studio 91B Gallery, SA, Australia
Harvest Market Exhibition, Yalumba Winery in conjunction with Hill Smith Fine Art Gallery,
SA, Australia
2000
Fine Art Exhibition, Scotch College, SA, Australia
South Australian Living Artists Week (SALA), Studio 91B Gallery, SA, Australia
Rural & Urbane, Three Adelaide Painters, Riddoch Regional Gallery, SA, Australia
Annual Spring Art Exhibition, Loreto College, SA, Australia
Group Show, Beaver Galleries, ACT, Australia
Group Show, Jan Murphy Gallery, QLD, Australia
Christmas Show, Hill Smith Fine Art Gallery, Adelaide
1999
SACOSA Exhibition, St Aloysius College, SA, Australia
1998
Group Show, Hill-Smith Fine Art. Gallery, SA, Australia
1997
Group Show, Flinders Lane Gallery, VIC, Australia
1996
BMGART at Flash Cafe, SA, Australia
Group Show, Flinders Lane Gallery, VIC, Australia
1995
St Peters College Art Exhibition, SA, Australia
1993
BMG at the HILTON, Hilton Hotel, SA, Australia
1992
9x12 exhibition, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, SA, Australia
1991
ALL BOXED UP, Jam Factory Gallery, Adelaide.
9x12 exhibition, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, SA, Australia
EMERGENCY, Artspace, Adelaide Festival Centre
1990
SAW, members of South Australian Workshop exhibition, North Adelaide School of Art
Gallery.
Group Show, Tynte Gallery, SA, Australia
SMALL OBSESSIONS, (small scale paintings &constructions)", The College Gallery, South
Australian School of Art, SA, Australia
9x12 exhibition, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, SA, Australia
1989
A SMALL PICTURE SHOW, Tynte Gallery, SA, Australia
EDITION HOUSE, Adelaide Festival Centre, SA, Australia
8x10 exhibition, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, SA, Australia
1986
WILDLIFE, Tete Gallery, Living Arts Centre, AdelaideFestival of Arts, SA, Australia
Members Exhibition/Auction, Contemporary Art Centre of SouthAustralia, SA, Australia
1985
PAINTING BY NUMBERS, South Australian School of Art Gallery, SA, Australia
Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia Exhibition,toured to Alexander Galleries, WA, Australia
Members Exhibition, Contemporary Art Centre of SouthAustralia, SA, Australia
1984
REMARKS, Royal South Australian Society of Arts, KintoreGallery, SA, Australia
Awards and Recognition
Mount Eyre Vineyards Art Prize, Rex Livingston Art Dealer,Sydney - Finalist
Eutick Memorial Still Life Award 2007, Coffs HarbourRegional Gallery, NSW – Finalist
Art Fairs
2018
Sydney Contemporary, Nanda\Hobbs, Sydney
2016
Palm Springs Art Fair, Arcadia Contemporary, Palm Springs, USA
2016, 2015
LA Art Show, Arcadia Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
2014
Melbourne Art Fair, CCA Projects, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
2006
Melbourne Art Fair, Beaver Galleries. Royal ExhibitionBuilding, Melbourne
2002
Melbourne Art Fair, Cube Contemporary Art, Royal ExhibitionBuilding, Melbourne
Collections
Bennett Collection, USA
ARTBANK
Parliament House Collection, ACT, Australia
SimsLockwood, NSW, Australia
Stillwell Management Consultants, SA, Australia
Private collections throughout Australia, United States and Europe
Open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday - 11am -5pm
