Everywhere I Have Ever Been

By Sharne Wolff

There’s a zen-like quality and sense of calm to Miso’s current show Everywhere I Have Ever Been at MiCK Gallery in Paddington. Using a method that is almost the opposite of mark making but still done completely by hand, the artist engages in the labour intensive process of punching pinholes in pure creamy-white paper to reveal the image. Despite the elegant appearance of the final product, the creative process is improvised.

You might not have seen Miso’s work in a gallery before but, if you’ve been to Melbourne where her paste-ups and drawings have adorned the walls and doors of laneways and abandoned buildings in recent years, it’s very likely you’ve seen her street art. She’s one of few artists who’ve managed to make a successful transition between the streets and the commercial gallery while maintaining a sense of integrity in both practices.

Miso’s interest in city environments mixed with memories captured from recent travel evolved into this meditative body of work – which also contemplates the affinity between human and natural worlds. Maps of Tokyo, New York and London become embedded within images of the moon while the spiralling rings of Paris streets are, naturally, laid out within the threads of a spider web. Intriguingly, Sydney is represented by a sprig of wildflowers.

Until May 5.

MiCK Gallery, Paddington

mickthegallery.com

Pic: Miso Moon (A Map of London in the Riots) (detail), pinpricks on paper 150 x 110cm.Courtesy the artist and MiCK Gallery.