CLAUDIA DAMICHI NO ROOM TO MOVE

One wonders, has the social isolation of a temporary relocation to Tasmania increased the artful complexity of Claudia Damichi's paintings? In No Room to Move Damichi has preserved the distorted spatial proportions of her previous paintings, however the rooms in her new work embody an absurd stage-like sensibility where perspectives are reshaped, colour inflated and elaborate patterns feature throughout. If a room is a metaphor for the psyche, then Damichi's paintings have become increasingly and deceptively idiosyncratic. The psychological drama of her most recent work has been amplified by the theatricality of her paintings. As with suspense films whose sophistication lies with what is unseen, and therefore what is left to be imagined, the unease in Damichi's paintings originates with what, or who, she has left out. The subtle disquiet of Damichi's paintings distinguishes her work, the paintings capture a quality that ensures they are not immediately 'available' to the viewer; they disclose their intricacies over time. One look is not enough. And finally, it is Damichi's menagerie of quizzical birds, perched expectantly with their vivid plumage and enigmatic dimensions that begin to redefine these spaces. Her flamboyant birds, no longer forlorn, now animate the spaces with their curiosity.

Ali Noble, 2007