Venus, 2013-2019

backlit transparent archival film (lightbox)
118.5 x 118.5 cm (framed)
edition of 5 + 2AP
SOLD OUT

Petrina Hicks

Petrina Hicks utilises the seductive and glossy language of commercial photography to create artworks that probe at the false promise of perfection, exploring photography’s ability to both create and corrupt the process of seduction and consumption.

Women, girls and animals are recurring subjects in Hicks’ photographs. A white snake coiling around a pale arm evokes biblical notions of purity, while a reclining nude cradling aged ceramic vessels bring to mind classical Greek motifs. Owls and cats command centre stage in an eerily human manner, while girls avert their gaze or obstruct that of the viewer with organic objects.

Hicks’ work has been exhibited throughout Australia, Europe, North and South America and Asia. She has been awarded several significant prizes and residencies, and her work is included in public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Victoria.