Textile Terrain is Liz Wickramasinghe’s second solo exhibition at Boom. Inspired by formative experiences, this body of work explores naturally occurring repetition and patterns found in the landscape; highlighting the parallels with weaving, patchwork and sewing. Liz has created her own visual language to represent these similarities, resulting in an earthy palette and rich, textured surfaces.
 

Liz constructs abstract representations of rock formations and mountains, the skyline in each work providing context as the foreground is beautifully busy with layers upon layers of colour and form. Also like a textile practice, Liz’s process of making is slow and mediative, building up the surfaces with intricate marks to create imagined landscapes full of meaning.
 

ARTIST STATEMENT

"In making these works, I have drawn on some of my earliest and most profound visual memories from childhood that have shaped my practice as an artist. Textile Terrain is an exploratory body of work which interweaves mountainous Australian bush-scapes and the intricate patterns of textile design.
 

Having spent much of my younger life bushwalking, rock and mountain climbing with my wilderness-loving family, landscapes of bold mountain silhouettes and the tangled patterns of dense bushland have left a deep impression on my visual memory. In a domestic setting, some of my earliest hand-making experiences were of sewing and textile making with my mother and grandmother. Creating rudimentary weavings and patchworks with scraps of fabric, learning to cross-stitch, embroider, fix, and make clothes cemented my early fascination with intricate details and patterns.
 

I have sought to highlight visual similarities from each of these themes with a cross-over of elements such as line, shape, repetition, and colour. Lines of threading and stitching can look like the angled branches of a forest; stacked, geological rock-strata can bear similarities to a beginner’s patchwork or tapestry; scrubland foliage can appear as a botanical lacework. I have used printmaking, painting, and masking techniques in the making of these works. This multi-layered process of revealing and concealing imagery is reminiscent of the process of weaving, further referencing textile patterns within abstracted landscapes."
 

BIO

Liz Wickramasinghe is an artist who lives and works in the outer region of Geelong, Victoria.
 

After first completing a degree in design, Liz went on to complete a second degree in fine art, focusing on painting and printmaking. During her time at art school, she developed her unique process of creating multi-layered artworks by combining both painting and printmaking techniques. Her intricate paintings often explore the interconnectedness and tensions between human-made and natural environments. Inspiration is drawn from bushwalking, botanical studies, her love of pattern and design and the coastal landscapes surrounding her home. Liz has worked as an exhibition technician at the NGV and as a secondary school art teacher in Melbourne. She is currently undertaking further studies to teach at TAFE level alongside her art practice.