Lydia Wegner's "On Space"

ARC ONE was thrilled to stage LYDIA WEGNER’s latest solo exhibition, On Space, as their last exhibition for 2022. It was an incredible showcase of Wegner's mesmerizing artistic approach, which was pared back compared to her usual theatrical abstraction.

In her studio, LYDIA WEGNER would delicately move a tiny triangular scrap of card with a reflective coating just slightly off-centre, and it was truly amazing to see how this simple action formed the heart of her breathtaking artwork, Green Wave (2022). It was evident why the artist is fascinated with the "magic of visual abstraction", as Wegner's works have an alchemical quality that turns nothing into everything.

It's hard to describe Wegner's approach in just a few words - is she a painter using photographic gels, a stage director, or a maximal minimalist? These designations only begin to hint at her studio practice, which involves selecting, arranging, lighting, and photographing objects on a tabletop in her studio. But her compositions reveal a sculptor's eye for balance and dimension, and a birdwatcher's eye for significant colour.

Wegner's photographs were a taut orchestration of accidents accepted and refined. She was open to chance, using a sparkle of reflected light or an animated shadow to inspire her before letting her hand take over. What viewers saw in Wegner’s photographs was a world of shifting colours and unreliable depths, caught in her impossible architecture.

On Space represented a return to more minimal arrangements, inspired by Wegner’s desire to create "more simplistic and contemplative assemblages." But at the same time, these works were some of the largest the artist had ever made. Surrounded by unprecedented space, the air between objects became charged with shifting colours and unpredictable depths, creating an epic quality to her humble materials.

It was truly an unforgettable experience to see Wegner's work up close. We were proud to showcase such a talented artist, whose work is held in the collections of prestigious institutions such as the National Gallery of Victoria, Monash Gallery of Art, and Artbank, among others. Since graduating with Honours from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2011, Wegner has held six solo exhibitions, including showcases at the Centre for Contemporary Photography and Bus Projects. In 2013, she was featured in the landmark group exhibition, Melbourne Now, National Gallery of Victoria. In 2019, she was commissioned by the Monash Gallery of Art to create a series of works in homage to Robin Boyd, in A Portrait of an Australian House. And Wegner has been a finalist in numerous important photography prizes, including the Bowness Prize and the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award.