Contemplative Spaces – Artist talk and workshop with Yuria Okamura

Join Yuria for her artist talk at MPRG followed by an architectural and garden inspired painting workshop at Beleura House & Garden.

At MPRG, Yuria will discuss her love for nature and how, for the first time, she has introduced botanical forms into her geometric and symbolic practice of drawing and painting. Positing the garden as a site of harmony between nature and culture, Okamura draws up garden-like spaces combining geometric and botanical imageries and enshrines nature within imagined architecture. The patterns that appear in her work are derived from scientific illustration, esoteric symbolism, religious architecture and decoration, and also reference the history of abstract painting.

The Beleura shuttle bus will pick up from MPRG and light refreshments will be served on arrival. We will have a short garden walk to gather inspiration prior to commencing the workshop in (ideally!) an outdoor setting.

In the workshop, Yuria will provide an insight into her arts practice and discuss how she incorporates a variety of forms into her work to visualise contemplative spaces. She will demonstrate how to set up preliminary sketches using different outlining techniques with colour pencils or carbon paper, and how to employ different watercolour staining techniques, including layering and detailing. You will have approx. 2 hours to work on your own, having observed and captured the geometric, architectural and botanical references in the gardens of Beleura House.

Please bring along your preferred painting and drawing materials, a sketchpad and/or paper, a phone to take photos to draw/paint from and an easel if you have one you can carry on the bus. Some coloured pencils, paint, rulers, paper and easels will be provided. All abilities are welcome, bookings essential as numbers are limited.

Yuria Okamura is a Melbourne-based artist whose practice encompasses drawing, painting and installation. Okamura holds an MFA (Research) from the University of Melbourne and a BFA (Honours) from RMIT University. She has been awarded Australia Council Career Development Grant, Stuart Black Memorial Scholarship, Ursula Hoff Institute Drawing Award, Lloyd Rees Memorial Youth Art Award, RMIT Honours Travelling Endowment Scholarship, Sanskriti Kendra Residency (India), The Studios at MASS MoCA (USA), Abbotsford Convent Studio Residency (Australia), Bayside City Council Residency (Australia) and Takt Artist Residency (Germany). She has exhibited at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Daine Singer, Incinerator Gallery, Margaret Lawrence Gallery, La Trobe Art Institute, C3 Contemporary Art Space, Anna Pappas Gallery, Five Walls, Tributary Projects (Canberra), Kunstraum Tapir (Berlin, Germany), Langford 120, Seventh Gallery, Japan Foundation Gallery (Sydney) and Mølla På Grim (Kristiansand, Norway). Her work has been featured in international magazines, including Fukt (Germany) and Create Magazine (USA).

Image : Yuria's work Emination2 (detail), photographer Simon Strong

When

Location

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Civic Reserve, Mornington, 3931, View Map