Illawarra-based abstract artist Rowland Perry opens a conversation between the pretty and the gritty with works that explore the discord of existence.

His dynamic abstract, expressionist paintings play with contrast, working primarily with acrylic, spray paint and pastel. Each piece is a layered exploration of the tension between beauty and imperfection embracing fragility and force, vitality and decay.

Graduating from Elam School of Fine Arts in New Zealand, Perry’s artistic journey has spanned diverse creative practices – including knife making and wood carving – which inform his deeply tactile approach to painting. His works invite the viewer to find meaning in the most unexpected corners of life, where often the ordinary is the most precious or striking