By Rhys Cousins
2024
plaster & pigment on board
79x63cm framed
ON HOLD pending art prize submission
ARTIST STATEMENT
The works presented by Cousins’ forms part of his ongoing series, titled “Screenscapes”. The works delve deeper into the symbiotic relationship between LED screens and urban environments, investigating thresholds and moments of morphing between of the contemporary urban experience.
Framing serves as both an aesthetic and conceptual challenge, questioning conventional measures of value and technological progression. Through plaster and pigment, Cousins employs a pastel-like palette to visually harmonise his compositions. Through rich textures, he challenges the flatness of screen technology, presenting it as a multidimensional element within the urban fabric. The works provoke thoughts about the impact of technology on our everyday lives and the haptic possibilities of an increasingly digital existence.
BIO
Rhys Cousins is a Melbourne artist who is necessarily transdisciplinary, blending formal education in landscape architecture with works across sculpture, installation, and digital screens. Cousins’ practice is an investigation into the contemporary urban experience, specifically the phenomenon of landscape in the digital age. Winner of the 2022 emerging artist award at FortyFive Downstairs for his work ‘Pixel’, a textural reimagining of screen technologies, he has been a finalist in numerous art prizes including the Sunshine Coast Art Prize 2023 and Footscray Art Prize 2023 and has exhibited in solo and group shows across Australia.