Home in the World

Last Updated on February 10, 2024 by Home in the World

‘Sumptuous, sensual paintings inspired by Asian iconography’ – such is the tagline for Wendy Arnold’s lush INYO art exhibition at Gullotti Galleries in Cottesloe, and it couldn’t be more apt. Boobs, buttocks and bedroom eyes, all with a distinctly Oriental flavour, are the order of the day in this mixed-media collection. Exploring Asian imagery and adornment of the feminine form through the use of acrylics and gold/silver leaf, these works wouldn’t be out of place in a lavish boudoir.

Wendy Arnold herself is a New Zealand-born artist working in Australia. She initially pursued a career in fashion design, and was in fact one of the creators of the Studibaker Hawk brand, which was worn by rock stars and sold by the likes of Harrods. Certainly not too shabby!

She then began painting full time in 1995, and has presented at over 25 exhibitions across Australia, as well as in China and Paris. ‘I can knit, I can sew, and I’m dangerously good with a hammer. But it is with the practice of painting, I have found myself. The real me, the me I wanted to be since I was a very small girl’, she is quoted as saying, and this quote is writ large on one of the first walls you see as you enter the gallery.

I personally love Oriental styles and patterns, and am equally fond of artwork that uses gold and silver leaf, so you could say this exhibition was a match made in heaven for me. And Gullotti Galleries itself, which specialises in Australian and contemporary international art, does such a great job with the way it presents the pieces. This was not my first time there, and every exhibition I have attended has made me feel like I have been transported to London, New York or Paris as soon as I have set foot through the door. The mood lighting, mellow music, fragrant air, comfy couches and archway features all make for an exceptionally cool, cosmopolitan art gallery experience.

As you will see from my selection of photos below (and my Instagram reel, available here), Arnold’s works are tastefully seductive – an eclectic mix of ‘barely there’ nudity and coyly modest concealment, vividly infused with elements of nature and Far Eastern motifs. A real feast for the eyes, and utterly in keeping with the exhibition title of INYO – the Japanese version of ying and yang, a balance of positive and negative energies.

Wendy Arnold’s INYO exhibition runs from Sunday 30 April to Sunday 21 May 2023 at Gullotti Galleries, Cottesloe. The gallery is open Tuesday- Saturday 9 am to 5pm and Sundays 11 am to 3pm.