Marley Dawson’s latest exhibition, loose ends, presents a continued investigation into the blurred lines between life and art.
Exhibition Dates: 31 October – 30 November 2024
Marley Dawson’s latest exhibition, loose ends, presents a continued investigation into the blurred lines between life and art. Pushing sculpture beyond its utilitarian origins, Dawson explores materiality, form, and scale through innovative experimentation. His materials—steel beams, glass, and aluminium—serve as canvases, allowing him to challenge the boundaries of what a material can be and how we experience it in space.
In loose ends, Dawson transforms sixteen aluminium replicas of the Emeco ‘1006’ chair into a monumental circular structure, titled 1006 Portal (2024). Garnet blasted, its surface captures and refracts light, standing as both a literal and metaphorical portal, reshaping our understanding of the chair’s utilitarian design. Similarly, a steel I-beam standing in the gallery becomes an unconventional self-portrait, crafted to Dawson’s exact height and weight. With glass and brass eyes positioned at his eye level, this steel beam takes on a wry, uncanny presence—a human likeness cast in metal, reduced to specific set of dimensions and numbers.
Meanwhile, two glowing beacon-like chandeliers hang outside the gallery’s windows, inspired by the drones that frequently circle Dawson’s studio. Here, Dawson reduces the typically ornate chandelier to a minimalist design of aluminium and steel. In doing so, Dawson brings materiality and form to the fore, revealing the hidden narratives within industrial materials and celebrating the inherent connection between art, everyday life and the spaces we inhabit.
Marley Dawson loose ends
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2024
Group Show, The First 40 Years
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2024
Marley Dawson Bungambrawatha
Albury City, New South Wales, 2023
Marley Dawson Plateau
Hyphen – Wodonga Library Gallery, 2022
Marley Dawson hum
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2021
Marley Dawson ghosts
The Phillip's Collection, 2021
Marley Dawson Public Furniture
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2018
Group Show, State of Play
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2017
Group Show, Future Eaters
Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne, 2017
Group Show, Gravity (and Wonder)
Penrith Regional Gallery, 2016
Marley Dawson Construction (Barangaroo 2016)
Barangaroo Sculpture Walk, Sydney, 2016
Marley Dawson Palethorp
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2016
Group Show, Solid State
Casula Powerhouse, 2015
Group Show, Cars = my automolove
Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, 2014-15
Group Show, Sondheim Artscape Prize Finalists
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, 2014
Marley Dawson Statics and Dynamics
Hemphill, Washington DC, 2014
Group Show, Dawson, Griggs, Moore
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2013
Marley Dawson
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2013
Marley Dawson Big Feelings Going Nowhere, 2013
Hillyer Art Space, 2013
Group Show, SEXES
Performance Space, Sydney, 2012
Marley Dawson HEAVY INDUSTRY / LIGHT COMMERCIAL
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2011
Group Show, Purlieu
Awesome Arts Festival, Perth, 2010
Group Show
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2009-10
Marley Dawson Box of Birds
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2009
Marley Dawson Trick Shop
Locksmith Project Space, Sydney, 2009
Marley Dawson Shed
Chalk Horse, Sydney, 2008
Group Show, OBLIVION PAVILION
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2008
Group Show, ECR
Parramatta City Raceway, Sydney, 2008
Group Show, Oblivion Pavilion
Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne, 2008
Group Show, She's not Structural
Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney, 2007