The work of Kirsten Riley is both exuberant and celebratory whilst at the same time acknowledging the darker edges of life. Images rise to the surface; some recognisable, others less so. Motifs are repeated, a gesture or a symbol recurs within a single piece but can also be found in many of her works.

Led by her instincts, semi abstract images appear. The work is directed by her subconscious, responding to traces on the surface. Her spontaneous and energetic acts of making take reference from memory, mood and feeling. This energy lends a sensuous aspect to the work, drawing on classical references as well as personal experience.

Whilst there are various elements within Riley’s work; images of couples, industrial spaces and landscapes; one thing that is constant is the personal language that Riley has built up over the past 20 years. Each piece has a palpable sense of life. Unafraid of trying something new Riley subsumes a number of processes which keeps the work forever moving forward and fresh.