Next week is your last chance to visit ‘A Fish Tale’, Australian contemporary artist Stormie Mills first solo show outside of Australia at Gabba Gallery which opened a couple of weeks ago in L.A.
Titled ‘A Fish Tale’ and based on the story of a man and his friendship with a fish, the exhibition speaks about losing friends and making new ones. It is based on the writings of UK filmmaker Mark Strong who, was inspired by Stormie’s work “I miss my friend I want him back” painted in 2008 for his solo exhibition loss + endings = fish.
The fish as a symbol of the fragility of life is nothing new to Stormie Mills iconography. Young children are often given fish as pets, trial in order to teach them about life and death, and of course responsibility.
Through illustration Stormie Mills examines the human condition addressing concepts like such as friendship, melancholy and a sense of loss, and showing how people continue to rise above adversity.
About Stormie Mills
Stormie started painting in 1984 and in the three decades since, he has created an evocative collection of characters inspired by and deeply connected to the street.
His creative journey began in the forgotten corners of our cities, the abandoned buildings and broken back lanes provided a canvas.
As his practice developed, Stormie’s iconic characters found their way into the galleries and homes of collectors around Australia and the world. Stormie’s palette is sharply monochromatic.
Black represents dirt, white speaks of erasure, grey is drawn from the cityscape and silver the language of dreams.
The works draw on a deep sense of isolation and yet each character seems to carry a message of hope.
These opposing elements in Stormie’s practice imbue his characters with a palpable presence and humanity.
And when art captures the tenderness of the human condition, people connect with it.
Testament to this is the significant expansion of Stormie’s collector base in Australia in the past five years and his sold out shows in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.
His whimsical works are represented in galleries around Australia and Stormie’s private and public commissions light up streetscapes from Perth to Scotland to downtown Richmond USA.
www.stormiemills.com
‘A Fish Tale’ will run until June 18 at the gallery located on 3126 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
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