Sharon Kitching is a Sydney painter at the oneplus2 studios. The work is largely figurative and reflects her interest in portraiture, and particularly in the gaze. Difficult to articulate, yet strangely fascinating, our relationship to the gaze is influenced by culture and governed by various social taboos. In Sharon's paintings the gaze is hypnotic, attractive, repellent, a thousand yard stare, endless, the path to the soul, and always actively engaging with the viewer. Often represented by nothing more than a dab of paint, the eyes are often the focus of her paintings.
Figures are built up from progressive paint layers, revealing a history of the previous figures and paint layers, beneath the figure that remains. The paintings play with the interaction between colour and the psychological aspects of portraiture. You can follow the history of her paintings on her tumblr blog.
Sharon Kitching studied photography at the National Art School back when it was known as East Sydney Tech, and randomly attends the odd sketch group at various pubs around the inner west. She loves a good sketchbook and is generally prepared to draw, chat and drink simultaneously. This portfolio contains selected work from the last 15 years.
2018 iWost Weekend Open Studio
2017 Bread and Circuses Chrissie Cotter Gallery Camperdown NSW
2017 Ephemeral on the Strand, Townsville QLD
2016 Underneath Behind: Recent Paintings with Mariola Smarzak, Oneplus2 Gallery
2015 SEEN at Sheffer Gallery with Pamela Branas
2012 Shifty women, dirty rats with Cathy Weiszmann, A-M Gallery Newtown
2002 Beautiful unaware: Shoebox Gallery Darlinghurst
2002 Somebody loves you: Yo-Yo Shopfront Squatspace Broadway
2002 Hats (Recent Paintings): ECA Bar Darlinghurst Road Darlinghurst
2001 Black Francis and the white cloud: with Tania Mason Rubyayre Gallery Surrey Hills
2016 Ryde Womens Art Prize (finalist)
2016 Lost Weekend @One plus2 artist studio
2015 Rock, Scissors Plant Group Show at One plus2 studios
2015 August: Salmagundi Stew Chrissie Cotter Gallery
2015 Mosman Art Prize (finalist)
2015 Ryde Womens Art Prize (finalist)
2015 Lost weekend @ One plus2 artist studios
2014 Belle Arti Prize
2014 Art Gallery pop-up Glebe
2014 May Remake: the project
2014 March: LOST Open studio trail and Group Show at oneplus 2 artist studios Rozelle
2013 Oct Permanent part time: Speed Show at Verge Gallery University of Sydney
2013 March: MOST Open Studio trail at Salmungi studios Arncliffe
2003 Zine Show Wren Gallery
2003 Every worm has a tale Wren Box
2002 Slacking off Imperial Slacks Gallery Surry Hills
2002 Busi-ness Shoebox Gallery
2001 The Zine Show Briefcase Gallery Hollywood Hotel
2001 The Shadow Show Shoebox Gallery
2001 My World Shoebox Gallery
2000 Pet Thing Shoebox Gallery
2000 Backwards Shoebox Gallery
1998 Salty Feet, Stranger Nipples & Peggy Guggenhiem South Gallery
2001 - 2002 Director of ARI ShoeBox Gallery 74 Surrey St Darlinghurst
Member of NAVA Australia
ARTchipel artchipel.tumblr.com/post/17761870473/tumblr-artists-discovery-feb-2012
The Thousands
http://thethousands.com.au/sydney/out/shifty-women-and-dirty-rats/