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By Genevieve Brandenburg
Ruby Chew is presenting an impressive one-woman exhibition at Magazine Gallery for this year’s SALA Festival. Some 30 watercolour, oil, and acrylic portraits will adorn the walls of the Gallery, just off Clubhouse Lane, for the next month. Proof of Chew’s remarkable talent, this body of work is just waiting to transport its viewers to another world.
In Chew’s portraits there is a mix of the old and new. The evocative gazes of the young men and women of this day and age mix with the clothes, the colours, the patterns and the feel of the 1950’s to create a reminiscent atmosphere that permeates the entire gallery. Stepping into this exhibition is like stepping into another world – a world of beautiful people, of gorgeous fashion and of a time long past.
Chew’s portraits succeed in capturing and expressing not only the physical appearance of her subjects, but also aspects of their character as well. Her paintings have all been attended to with a tremendous amount of love and devotion, evident in her skill with the paintbrush and honest representation of her subjects. Upon looking into the eyes of these people, one feels to understand at least something about them and in this way, we are invited into the beautiful, vintage world of Ruby Chew and her subjects.
At just 22 years of age, Ruby Chew’s talent is phenomenal and the future of this artist is looking bright. An exhibition of excellent quality, I highly recommend seeing the portraits of Ruby Chew first-hand and sampling a taste of this other world. To not do so, would be to miss out on a gem that Adelaide won’t be able to hide for much longer.
Exhibition and Artist Details:
Dates: Until 31 August 2011
Where: Magazine Gallery, 83a Hindley Street, Adelaide (enter down Clubhouse Lane)
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Friday, 10am – 5pm
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