Adam Lester 'Shape I'm In'

‘Shape I’m In’ is Adam Lester’s eighth solo exhibition at Jan Murphy Gallery.

Steering a course between figuration and gestural interpretation, Lester’s observations of contemporary culture are brought to edgy resolution in his latest exhibition. Drawing inspiration from recent trips to Woodford Folk Festival and coloured by fading memories of early Big Day Out and Livid Festivals, Lester translates his contemporary experiences with a reflective nostalgia.

In these works, Lester escapes and immerses himself into crowds of people. Sketching directly onto the canvas, the people are collaged from material gathered from various sources; memory, photographs, historical footage and earlier drawings.

“After spending a week at a music festival over the summer, I was really taken by the idea of painting crowds of people, like tableaus of the masses. Everyone jammed in together in this one place again, from many walks of life, differing political and religious persuasions, all of us sharing a good time. A momentary antidote to the uncertain times we’ve been living in.”
– Adam Lester, 2023

Lester has taken first prize in the Bentley Art Prize, twice been highly commended in the Southern Cross Art Prize, and twice selected for inclusion in the Churchie Emerging Art Prize exhibition. His work is held in significant public collections including Artbank and Parliament House Art Collection, along with private collections in Australia and Internationally.