A sell out exhibition evidence of a dream brought to life
Alissa Relf
A second sell-out exhibition realises the dreams of COFA graduate Clara Adolphs.
Titled The Man in Me from the Bob Dylan song of the same name, this exhibition continues the artist’s study of the human condition, this time specifically relating to men. From a realisation that many of her favourite artists, musicians and writers are male, Clara Adolphs was curious to capture moments that represent the male approach and the male psyche.
With their blank gazes so full of expression, it is easy to connect with the subjects in these portraits. The created narrative conveyed enables the viewer to relate to the anonymous figures, recognisable as their own family, friends, or even themselves.
Recreated from old photographs, her artworks are more than an album of memories. They are an exploration of the ephemeral, capturing a fleeting moment of life that has passed in the blink of an eye.
It is her collection of old photographs, sourced from family, friends and op-shops across the globe that inspires Clara Adolphs. This interest began in her youth, pouring through the albums that belonged to her father, a fellow collector and amateur photographer.
Born in 1985, Clara Adolphs did not begin painting until university. Majoring in painting and drawing, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales in 2008.
Determined to forge a professional career in painting, her primary goal was to find a style she was comfortable with. “I think I went through every movement in art history, to find my own style.” Clara Adolphs’ thick impasto technique has been likened to Ben Quilty and Lucian Freud, artists she names as influences.
With a liberal amount of paint, Clara Adolphs uses a palette knife and brush to build on the abstract she has taken from old photographs. “I take much pleasure in surrendering control and allowing the paint to take on a life of its own. I also enjoy the contrast this creates between the surface of the painting and that of the old photograph”. The muted colour palette of her artworks reference these black and white photographs and retain a sense of times passed.
Alongside the creative process, Clara Adolphs enjoys learning about and building a relationship with her anonymous subjects. While building the layers of paint of her artworks, she is building the layers of narrative of their lives.
Since graduating from COFA’s concrete grounds, Clara Adolphs has been a finalist or winner in over eighteen art prizes. Most recently she was selected for the 2014 Salon des Refuses for her portrait of painter Alan Jones titled Alan Jones Painting Me. With her artworks collected by industry patrons and professionals, Clara Adolphs is already successfully creating and forging her own path. At 29 years of age she is only at the beginning of her artistic journey.
The Man in Me runs from October 10–October 26 at the MiCK Gallery, 83 Moncur Street Woollahra.
Clara Adolphs, Tall Trees, 2014, oil on linen, 86 x 81 cm/ Image courtesy of the artist
