We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of NSW stands.

Aida Tomescu Silent spring

oil on linen

200.5 x 307 cm

My paintings have long responded to the particular conditions of the Australian landscape – the sheer expansiveness of the land, the splendour and severity of colour, and specifically the quality of light. In the extreme circumstances of 2019–20, each of those conditions was dramatically altered, practically and emotionally.

The openness of this diptych’s structure, the fluidity of the pigments and the potential in the material residue signal the manner in which nature will reconstitute form in the most unpredictable way.

The title Silent spring references the environmental science book by Rachel Carson published in 1962.

Aida Tomescu, 2020