Earlier this year, Harry sourced hundreds of paints from deceased estates on Gumtree, some of which were over 60 years old, to bring Courtyard Sonder based on a found postcard to life on canvas. Transfixing and transforming these materials into modern contemporary works, which speak to the absurdity of our times, whilst also pondering the lives of the figures displayed that carry their own internal narrative.
The work (Courtyard Sonder) itself is referenced from a postcard I discovered while clearing out cupboards at a former job in an auction house. The image was small and seemingly insignificant and I felt compelled to bring it back to life. Recreating it on an incredibly large scale gave it the presence it deserved. As I enlarged the image, I was struck by a profound sense of sonder. The awareness that every passerby, every figure within the scene, carries an entire world of inner life, emotion, and experience. It invites reflection on the shared yet solitary nature of human existence, and on the beauty of the unnoticed lives that weave together the fabric of our everyday world. Something we rarely take the time to contemplate.
- Harry RothelHarry Rothel (b. 1995, Australia) is a multi-disciplinary artist who works across painting and sculpture. His work portrays an imaginative narrative and is mapping ideas of the human psyche. However, it can often be confrontational in exploring social conventions, politics, and the world he lives in. Macabre and extravagant themes run throughout his work accompanied by soft and stripped-down colours that create disquieting images. His use of overlapping themes of joy and horror, with the application of subtle and acerbic layers of stripped back paint construct somewhat eerie pictures that he hopes challenge the conventions of today.
His recent exhibitions include: Corporeal, Edwina Corlette, Brisbane, Australia (2025) Pareidolia amongst the trees, Ames Yavuz, Sydney, Australia (2023) Paralysing disproportions, Oigall Projects, Melbourne, Australia (2022)