Pat BRASSINGTON

born 1942, Hobart, Tasmania
lives and works Hobart, Tasmania

Bird in Hand is typically characteristic of Brassington's images which are both charming and menacing. These images regularly feature an uncanny collision of bodies, objects and domestic spaces and provoke a sense of disquiet as they subtly and humorously scratch at the underbelly of the human condition.

In her unique way, Brassington blurs the boundaries of the real and imagined, stripping photography of its authority, bestowing it instead with the sense of dream or fantasy. It is unsurprising then, that she is was recently named Australia’s key surrealist artist working in photo media. An attribute of Brassington's work, and one of its strengths, is a sense of digital restraint. Faced with the sophistication and range of possibilities that digital imaging technology allows, she instead ops to use tools sparingly - and with delicious intent. Her use of language is also deliberate and artful - the titles of her works (such as Bird in Hand) often adding yet another edge to the viewing.

Other selected artwork acquisitions