In recent work, Rosemary Valadon re-engages the still life tradition and the shadows cast by gender roles and stereotypes that upset the easy search for domestic bliss. Here an amazing table ensemble becomes a theatre set for an unsettling feminine eye, rendered with humour and suspended desire.Her new exhibition, Shadows of Desire, explores the artist’s studio with a deeply personal approach, bringing into focus meaningful objects that furnish Valadon’s life and work within the remote historic town of Hill End in central NSW. As stated by art critic, Bruce James, “Hill End offers Rosemary the perfect venue for this act of artistic revival”. The artist also draws inspiration from her garden, which is renowned in the community for its fruit trees and rose beds, and from the region’s contrasting seasons and extreme climate.Although her work is strongly autobiographical, Valadon successfully tackles contemporary issues which underpin her experience and views on feminist identity, encompassing archetypes of women in society, stereotypes, mythology and iconic storytelling. Her symbolism reflects an ongoing preoccupation with classical artistic traditions and the role of nature in art, alongside juxtaposing iconography related to violence, death, sex and religion.Rosemary Valadon is a multi-award winning Australian artist (the Blake Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award, Muswellbrook Art Prize). She is a regular finalist in the Archibald, Sulman, Blake, Portia Geach and Mosman art prizes. Her career spans 40 years, and her work has recently been exhibited at Orange Regional Art Gallery (Interiors) and Maitland Regional Art Gallery (Rosemary Valadon: Textures of Desire).
WORKS
![Valadon Rosemary_Table of Promises_oil on canvas_106 x 152 Valadon Rosemary_Table of Promises_oil on canvas_106 x 152](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Valadon-Rosemary_Table-of-Promises_oil-on-canvas_106-x-152.jpeg)
![Valadon-Hip flask, coffee, fruit and flowers-oil on linen Valadon-Hip flask, coffee, fruit and flowers-oil on linen](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon-Hip-flask-coffee-fruit-and-flowers-oil-on-linen-scaled.jpg)
![Valadon-Dark fruit -Light Spirits-51 x 61cm-master Valadon-Dark fruit -Light Spirits-51 x 61cm-master](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon-Dark-fruit-Light-Spirits-51-x-61cm-master-scaled.jpg)
![Valadon-Afternoon Sojourn-122 x 91cm Valadon-Afternoon Sojourn-122 x 91cm](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon-Afternoon-Sojourn-122-x-91cm-scaled.jpg)
![Valadon_The Orange Hat_oil on canvas_40 x 40cm_master_0 Valadon_The Orange Hat_oil on canvas_40 x 40cm_master_0](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon_The-Orange-Hat_oil-on-canvas_40-x-40cm_master_0.jpg)
![Valadon_The Kitchen Chair_oil on canvas_40 x 40cm_master Valadon_The Kitchen Chair_oil on canvas_40 x 40cm_master](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon_The-Kitchen-Chair_oil-on-canvas_40-x-40cm_master.jpg)
![Valadon_The Gin Bottle_oil on linen_76 x 55cm_master Valadon_The Gin Bottle_oil on linen_76 x 55cm_master](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon_The-Gin-Bottle_oil-on-linen_76-x-55cm_master.jpg)
![Valadon_Lucky Lady_oil on linen_76 x 61cm_email Valadon_Lucky Lady_oil on linen_76 x 61cm_email](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon_Lucky-Lady_oil-on-linen_76-x-61cm_email.jpg)
![Valadon_Breakfast 76 x 55cm_oil on linen_master Valadon_Breakfast 76 x 55cm_oil on linen_master](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon_Breakfast-76-x-55cm_oil-on-linen_master.jpg)
![Valadon_Between the Lines_oil on linen_ 112x91cm_master Valadon_Between the Lines_oil on linen_ 112x91cm_master](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Valadon_Between-the-Lines_oil-on-linen_-112x91cm_master-scaled.jpg)
![Valadon-Landscape 3-Teapot, flowers fruit-oil on linen-76 x 101cm-master Valadon-Landscape 3-Teapot, flowers fruit-oil on linen-76 x 101cm-master](https://wagnercontemporary.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Valadon-Landscape-3-Teapot-flowers-fruit-oil-on-linen-76-x-101cm-master-scaled.jpg)