This is Paul Hinchliffe’s second exhibition with The Church Gallery. As usual, his work is challenging and thought provoking. The title of the exhibition, Pandora’s Lids refers to the myth of Pandora who was accused of releasing a box full of troubles into the world. Pandora’s Lids represent the moments following their release and embody the subsequent ‘change of view’ that may have accompanied such an event. Troubles, like challenges, can change a person’s perception of reality.

Other works in the exhibition expand on this theme and situate themselves in a sort of ‘no-go zone’ between the real and the pictorial – between truth and illusion. Paul has achieved these illusions by creating two dimensional artworks that reference three dimensional objects. Not such a new thing in itself, painters have been attempting to cheat the viewers’ eye for centuries. However, Paul does it in an entirely new way, using both traditional and innovative materials. Some works represent something as simple as a flat plane with a folded corner, the challenge is then to represent this as both a construction and a two dimensional form which also happens to appear to be three dimensional. Unlimited variations on both simple and complex ideas have originated from a visual diary of drawings composed whilst Paul resided in Melbourne earlier this year.

He stated that,
“It would be unwise to build a chair without thought for the body that sits in it. Likewise with paintings and the eyes that look at them. I don’t paint paintings, I build them.”

Thus, Paul’s artworks challenge the very notion of painting. He is conscious of how the viewer is attempting to perceive and understand his artworks. His constructions are visually beautiful, combining flat areas of colour with simple designs and symbols that relate to a complex thesis dredged from art history, literature and mythology. In viewing them, the public is invited to lift the lids on their own expectations of contemporary art and thought.

Paul Hinchliffe is an eminent and influential West Australian artist. He was one of the co-founders of Gallery Heimatlos, a ‘nomadic’ art space that extends artspheres of influence beyond the confines of traditional art spaces and boundaries. Paul is also a freelance writer, curator and university lecturer.

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