Previous Exhibition

Group Exhibition —
HERE I AM

Dec 15 – Dec 23, 2016

About the Artists      

Side Gallery is reflecting on the first year of exhibitions. We've gathered together a selection of artworks by artists who participated in our 2016 program. Some of these works may be familiar while many of them are new and all are small and intimate: affordable gifts for the festive season. Shown together they generate a web of interconnection, revealing where we've been and perhaps also sensing the ways forward for Side. You're invited to help us celebrate and join our conversation.

DJ Michelle Xen will bring a unique ambience to this special evening in the lush gallery garden.

About the Artist

Kate Barry

Kate Barry, originally from Christchurch, is a creative force equipped with a degree in illustration, printing-making, and graphic design. Her journey led her through a prolific career in book publishing, primarily focusing on design and illustration, before reigniting her full-time devotion to painting.

With a visceral touch, Kate’s art dismantles the confines of our digital lives, responding intuitively to nature and internal musings. This engagement evokes nostalgia and a profound connection to the energy that envelops us. Through her vibrant canvas, she invites passersby to become captivated by bold brushwork and vivid hues.

Kate’s journey has been acknowledged with numerous finalist selections in esteemed awards, including the Clayton Utz Prize, The Lethbridge 20,000, Lethbridge Landscape Prize, The Milburn Landscape Prize, The Hawkesbury Art Prize, and Brisbane Contemporary Art Prize.

Her artistic footprint spans the globe, with solo and group exhibitions spanning Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, the USA, Spain, the Netherlands, Auckland, and Christchurch. Notably, her pieces find a cherished place in The Modern Furniture Stores’ collections across various cities. Furthermore, her work found prominence on the international stage through ABC television’s crime drama “Harrow.”

As Kate’s practice surges ahead, marked by a multitude of accomplishments—ranging from commissions to online and boutique sales, television features, and national prize finalist positions—she seamlessly integrates this progression into her exploration of new conceptual dimensions, challenging the boundaries of her successful painting career.

About the Artist

Krista Berga

Auckland-born, Brisbane-based, Krista Berga works across sculpture, drawing, painting, text and installation. 

“In both form and content, Berga's works are acts of transgression and transformation ... palpable and in fact electrifying.” — David L. Clark

Photography: Sarah Norton

About the Artist

Julie Paterson

"Coming up to Brisbane from my home in NSW always means visiting friends like Leesa, and having a quiet catch up. Typically I hang out and walk the streets, photographing and sketching the buildings and environment near where Leesa lives and works. Sometimes we go for a drive and she points out places that I might like. 

I consistently find much of the architecture of Brisbane delightful — being a textile designer by trade, the layering of pattern and texture always grabs my attention and imagination. Over the years I’ve taken to painting simple little compositions of what I’ve seen on found card or wood. When Leesa asked me what I’d like to put in the show, I said, my paintings of ‘Brisbane Architexture.’ It’s a good slip of the tongue that made Leesa laugh, so that’s what this ongoing series is called." 

Julie Paterson, 2018

About the Curator

Beth Jackson

Beth is a curator of contemporary art with over twenty years’ professional experience working in the gallery sector and in the realm of public art, across public and private spheres. Her curatorial consultancy practice Artfully, established in 2012, seeks to embed art meaningfully within social contexts and built environments. For Beth, curating is not simply about having a bird’s eye view of the field, picking ‘winners’ or ‘rising stars’. It is a deliberate investment in process and dialogue between curator and artist, between artists and fellow creatives, fostering living and ongoing conversations, encouraging peer review, collaborations, sharing and problem solving. Involvements include studio visits, camping on locations, sharing informal joint activities, more formal workshop scenarios, and facilitating professional introductions and networks. Side Gallery is an opportunity to have intimate and serious one-on-one conversations with artists for a particular ‘snapshot’ within their practice. Beth has abiding interests in feminism and environmentalism. She produces art criticism for journals such as Eyeline Magazine as well as for exhibition catalogues and other publications.