André de Vanny

This work will be on show at Carriageworks from 3-6 September as part of Curatorial+Co.'s Sydney Contemporary 2026 presentation.

André de Vanny explores the tension between the abject and the sublime, drawing on the ethereal qualities of early Renaissance painting and the visual language of contemporary abstraction. His practice is deeply physical, incorporating cycles of disintegration and repair that reflect the human experiences of trauma, resilience, and healing.

Says de Vanny of this work, "The ground for this painting was built up over years with countless layers of acrylic paint and various mixed media. Folded and creased, the canvas itself carries the embedded marks of time and place, taking on a visceral texture and a three-dimensional topography. The more figurative elements were drawn from a series of studies based on Giotto's 'St. Francis Cycle,' with early sketches in chalk and pastel allowing for compositional exploration. The painting continued to develop as an intuitive process of mark making, until this central mythic figure eventually emerged - part dog, part horse, a symbolic vision of hope in golden amber, shining through the dark thicket."