‘Redefining BORDERS: The Contemporary Way’
Welcome to ‘Redefining BORDERS: The Contemporary Way’, an exhibition of works by
Anna Malinowska Ramon Evangelista Jessica Lambe HaHo Art
Ms Pip Balfe Megan Ward Lynda Charles Jeffery Baidoo
& Anai Singer
In a time where across the world the yearning for political, social and economic equality is more prevalent than ever, yet a time where where we come from is at the forefront of where we are heading, this collective show breaks down the parameters and unites modern society through artistic expressions. Redefining Borders: The Contemporary Way considers the true movement of contemporary art across geographical interpretations, bringing together creativity that spans across Europe to Asia, Africa to North America, South America to Australia and beyond. Where culturally diverse and uniqueness is a celebration of our expressions, we invite our viewers to explore how contemporary art stands as a unified force within a world in struggle for political, social, and personal freedom.
- Oreofe Art Gallery
Connect With Us
Opening Times
Monday - Thursday 10.30AM-4.00PM
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Friday CLOSED
Saturday 12.30PM - 6PM BY
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Sunday 12.00PM - 5.00PM
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Viewing Strictly By Appointment
Explore The Collection
Our Artists.
Ramon Evangelista
“My artworks are a pop art hybrid of painting and sculpture. Whether it’s someone’s interests or something I like and feel that pops into my mind, I like to create it in different styles using different techniques and materials. Like living beings, art communicates in a special way, telling different stories with emotions and themes we can all relate to.”- Ramon Evangelista
Ramon Luis Evangelista is a Filipino artist who lives in urban Metro Manila in the Philippines.
He studied digital animation in the College of St. Benilde, De Lasalle University and took up painting in 2019 as a self-taught artist. His travels abroad and visits to art museums in Europe, Asia and the United States nurtured his fascination with paintings.
Ramon Luis developed his art which he describes as a pop art hybrid of painting and sculpture.
His style draws inspiration from Pop art icons like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Tom Wesselman, as well as the geometric complexities of cubism by Pablo Picasso. This influence is evident in his technique of breaking down images into smaller geometric shapes to create intricate details. His use of vibrant colours clearly demonstrates his fascination with Disney and the dynamic visuals of Nintendo video games which he loved to play as a child. His formal education in digital animation provided him with the platform to create art and enriched his understanding of colour rendering. He transforms his digital creations into paintings, injecting it with energy, excitement, joy and enthusiasm.
Ramon Luis creates textures in the form of embossed ridges, to give not only a 3D effect, but also lighting and shadow effects that vary depending on the thickness and elevation of the ridge and angle of the light. He also uses brush textures to provide relief and “tactile” sense.
He often features digital images of his favourite personalities and figures. His compositions are not just a reflection of his own interests and mood but also a response to the collective interests of his audience. He sees his art as a medium for connection, a way to share emotions and experiences with others.
The pinnacle of Ramon Luis’ career came in 2023 when he participated in the London Art Biennale held at the historic Old Chelsea Town Hall. His painting, ‘Nintendo ICONS Rule!’ was showcased as a finalist, marking a significant milestone in his journey as an artist. This international exhibit brought well-deserved recognition and acclaim.
Anna Malinowska
Anna Malinowska is an Essex-based portraiture artist originally from Poland. Anna captures and portrays the people she admires from their actions to their life achievements through the medium of painting. By associating colour with emotions, she uses a vivid palette to create her own, often playful, impression of her subjects, intending for her own emotions to resonate with the viewer.
Musicians often associate their memories with certain sounds, or hear specific melodies when reminiscing about a memorable encounter. The closest way I could describe my experience with art is to feel about the colours the way they feel about the music. To paint the way I feel is usually the only way I can express my true self.
”Humans are powerful. We can achieve so much and inspire so many others. And yet, we forget, or often don’t realise it without a little reminder.
So I paint people. The way I experience them. To pay them a tribute for impacting me in any random way, and to say thank you - just in case they too need a little reminder sometimes.” - Anna Malinowska
HaHo Art
DUFFY has exhibited extensively throughout his career in both solo & group shows, has won many awards plus admirers both here in Australia & internationally since embarking on his artistic journey.
Born 1966 in Melbourne Australia Chris Duffy aka Ha Ho Art migrated to London’s East end in the UK where he remained & educated from 1970 onwards. As is the case for most of his generation growing up in Britain back then, it was an unsettled & often troubled childhood, as a young teen he would find refuge by ‘Wagging’ school & ‘Hanging out’ at the capitals national galleries. This was Duffy’s initial foray into art whilst being in absolute awe of the sheer audacious, brilliance, size, smells & genius of the great masters on display. Duffy knew there was only one path for him to take… That of an artist.
Returning to Australia in 1988 & after a 7-year stint working for his father in the construction industry the art bug struck again & he decided that the time was right to do something about it. In 1996 he enrolled at the Benalla Campus of Wangaratta Tafe as a mature age student studying for an associate Diploma in visual art. In 1997 Duffy enrolled at La Trobe University Bendigo where he graduated with a fine art degree with honours in 1999.
After a period of living by the bay on the Bellarine Coast painting & running a small local artists gallery there were extended periods in the UK & Vietnam after which Duffy returned to Bendigo in 2015 to live permanently. However, since this time he will often escape the cold Central Victorian winters opting for the sunny shores of the northern hemisphere & in particular the seaside town of Hastings East Sussex UK where he has a studio to paint but mostly to recharge & refuel his imagination.
Chris Duffy’s art is bold & colourful! Paintings in Acrylic on canvas as well as on board which are then ‘cut out’ using a jigsaw as an alternative display option. He is both passionate & excited to be a part of the “new” art movement Street Art! You will find several of his hand painted street art, murals & paste ups in & around Bendigo’s CBD under the name Ha Ho Art as well as other regional Vic towns & overseas.
Jessica Lambe
Materiality is at the forefront of my practice, and I have always believed that clay has a life of its own despite such a prominent coexistence with its maker. Clay has its own humanistic traits such as memory, movement, tension and fragility. - Jessica Lambe
I have formed a collaborative relationship to clay whereby I embrace the fluidity and initiative that clay possesses. Materiality is at the forefront of my practice and using both hand building and throwing techniques, I form sculptural vessels focusing on a fragmentary approach to form and bridging the gap between tradition and innovation. Taking a fragmentary approach to my making allows space for me to play and create a dialogue between each piece as an individual and then as a whole.
At the core of my sculptural vessels lies a commitment to craftmanship and detail. I have explored various glazes and reduction firing, constantly pushing the limits of the medium and its final form of a vessel. I am particularly interested in how textures and surface finished both enhance and change a final form. The fusion of stoneware glaze and magma glaze is a deliberate choice to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary ceramics.
Through integrating both glazes in one vessel, I aim to challenge the conventional and create a vessel that is sculptural, visually compelling and purposeful.
- Jessica Lambe
Lynda Charles
“I’ve always thought that the human body is the best art out there; nothing is more beautiful or complex than the physical and emotional things we are made of. I want to show everybody what I see when I look at people.”- Lynda Charles
Lynda Charles is a Nigerian-born visual artist who stumbled onto art accidentally while studying to obtain an undergraduate degree in Applied Biology. She always knew she didn’t want to be an applied biologist but wasn’t quite sure what the alternative was. She discovered her desire to create art while visiting her friend’s makeshift art studio in the final year of her undergraduate study. Without the benefit of formal fine art education, Charles committed to honing her craft through practice, mistakes and frustrated attempts. Lynda Charles prefers to draw inspiration from what she deems to be the most beautiful art in existence – people. The self-taught artist believes that everything we experience as people is filtered through our lenses and ultimately becomes a part of us, transforming us. She longs to represent humanity’s beauty and turmoil, its collective expressions, emotions, and joys on paper and canvas. That way, others can share the experience in whatever form it comes to them.
Megan Ward
Megan Ward is a UK based Fine Arts Artist, with a Mixed Media Fine Art degree from the University of Westminster. Her study saw her pursue her desire to create pieces identifiable to her artistic style yet appealing to the masses. Having come from a background where art wasn’t the most accessible form of creativity, Megan found herself recreating what was around her, constantly capturing family members, magazine covers or whatever she could find. These experiences were what sparked her love for portraiture.
‘A portrait or figure painting is something that you can relate to or it can be used to encourage an emotional reaction. I believe that art should be available to everyone and if my artwork can not only be an escape for myself but someone else too, I will con-tinue to create works like these.’ -Megan Ward
Megan is constantly working on pushing the boundaries of traditional portraiture by distorting the face while keeping it identifiable. Inspired by artists such as Jenny Saville and Francis Bacon whose works are able to portray real and identifiable emotions through manipulation of face or body in a dramatic way yet still keeping it recognisable. Megan’s artistic process involves taking images a step from reality by either experimenting with textures, brushstrokes or using different mediums. Her recent focus on how colour can change and how a portrait is received, delves deeply into the psychology of colour. Whether she can use her works to provoke a reaction or capture attention are key components of Megan’s work.
Ms Pip Balfe
“Whilst I sit on my sofa tapping away on the iPad and my artworks stand poignantly in view, I appreciate the journey each painting takes me on and the emotion behind each process. I would advise anyone no matter how awful they feel, to pick up a paintbrush, it really works.” - Pip Balfe
Pip Balfe left Middlesbrough at the tender age of 18 for London having been in an apprenticeship at a department store. Married with two fabulous children, her divorce at 40 thrusted her into the big wide world wondering what an earth to do. The next few years that followed were spent plying her skills that her apprenticeship brought her especially as the only law her mum had given was ‘to get yourself a trade’.
Pip then went on to work as a stylist/interior designer, flower arranger and stand dresser as these projects were all part of her professional training. In 2017, Pip then decided she wanted to paint and signed up to a class. After just 3months, her determination led her to enter the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and was shortlisted after only a short time painting. This momentous achievement pushed Pip to paint more. Prior to the Covid pandemic, her extensive portfolio saw sales of over 40 paintings with one lady buying 6 at one time. When Covid then hit, things naturally came to a standstill however Pip kept painting. Lockdown gave her time to practice and perfect her craft in oil painting and come to love what she painted. Every so often in her commissioned works, Pip incorporates her interior design background and draws on her knowledge of colour coordination with client’s schemes and her artistic vision.
As the pandemic brought a social distance and disconnection from the outside world, art became a therapeutic and relaxing coping mechanism for Pip as it did for many and the details within her works replicate this and today stands as a testament for her journey.
Jeffery Baidoo
“My first work with pieces of fabric took me one to two months to complete (a picture of Nelson Mandela). The echo was extremely positive, encouraging me to create more.” -Jeffery Baidoo
Jeffery Baidoo is his name, a Ghanaian contemporary visual artist who resides in Greater Accra . As a contemporary artist, Jeffery gets inspiration from working with various materials, especially fabrics and newspapers to create colourful collages full of life on his canvas. By using various of fabrics within his artistry, Jeffery has some iconic visual representations of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, religious belief, social values, political and royalty. In spotting the potential within those colourful “fabric”, he began to make mental comparisons on canvas.
His strategy is to create figures that come alive through textures, patterns, oil and acrylic colours. As an artist, Jeffery not only recycles remnants of African prints and fabrics to create something new, beautiful and unique but also as a contributor to the world’s environmental vision to save resources and lessen waste.
‘The source of this inspiration was when I visited my tailor for my shirt, I realised these remnant pieces of materials can be useful to me as a contemporary artist.
My focus was the philosophy about the colours in the cloths, as they hold symbolic meanings.
Black: maturation, intensified spiritual energy, spirits of ancestors, passing rites, mourning, and funerals
Blue: peacefulness, harmony, and love
Green: vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal
Gold: royalty, wealth, high status, glory, spiritual purity
Grey: healing and cleansing rituals; associated with ash
Maroon: the color of mother earth; associated with healing
Pink: assoc. with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red
Purple: assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women
Red: political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.
Silver: serenity, purity, joy; associated with the moon
White: purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions
Yellow: preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, beauty. - Jeffery Baidoo
Anai Singer
Anai Singer is a Chicago-based fine art painter , fashion designer and photographer. She graduated from the prestige Academy of Fine Arts receiving a Master’s Degree with Honours . Anai is internationally a recognized artist with a large number of exhibitions on her account .Her artworks are in the private collections in the United States and across Europe . Her positive personality had a huge impact on her work . In each of the paintings she motivates her viewers , gives them good energy and confirms that they are one of a kind . Anai’s creativity is very joyful.
The artist shows it through colour and form. warm , bright colours dominate but also monochromatic - for balance yet still with a hint of positivism .
Anai Singer's works perfectly finds itself in the 3d format . using textures and forms to express. Her latest collection of paintings entitled : “ teddy bears “ are a confirmation of her love for them. They fascinate the artist with both shape and cuteness. Typography is also something close to the artist’s heart. It allows for versatility in her creativity as it involves font style, appearance and structure, which aims to elicit certain emotions and convey specific messages . Paintings consisting of a letter composition are the Anai’s hallmark.
