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Space, air, light, sensory perception, solitary human figures isolated in surreal landscapes, haute couture and literary and artistic memories infiltrate Rosslynd Piggott's canvases and installations. Piggott has been exhibiting regularly since 1981. Her work underwent a significant change from mesmeric oil paintings of the eighties to installation work in the nineties. It is possible to perceive an interaction between the two media in this body of work−−the installations reflect upon, and draw from, the earlier paintings. The oeuvre does not require a chronological reading.
The enduring nature of Piggott's work is one of its special qualities. Phases of subject matter that include the human body, Tuscan landscapes and still-lifes intertwine within her larger, bolder concerns for life's energy and bodily presence/absence. It is possible to evaluate the work by oscillating between the paintings and installations, individual contextual knowledge not being a necessary precursor to an understanding of them.
Suspension of Disbelief could have been the title of the recent retrospective of Piggott's installation work, Suspended Breath, at the National Gallery of Victoria. Cool blue colours seemed to distil and sap the energy of the viewer, while large glass vessels protruded from the walls into the viewing space. Glass vials, scientifically marked and presented, contained air collected upon a European journey. They challenged belief in the invisible. Piggott imbues her work with the incongruities and humour typical of the Dadaists or Surrealists yet the political and social radicalism of these movements has been replaced with a deeply personal exploration of self and life. This installation marked a juncture in Piggott's work that began with her paintings in the eighties.
Piggott's painting Breathless, 1986, shows a naked woman holding two... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline