Chloe Caday

Tracing the stories and histories of the river that travels around Caday’s home, ‘Winter’s Arrival’ examines the history of Inverleigh – particularly focusing on Federation Bridge and the surrounding landscape. Along the river, markings of the devastating 2022 floods are found scattered across the river – damaged planks along the bridge and piles of hay and debris lodged between branches above head height. Winter’s Arrival quietly reflects on the resilience and restoration of the place – the careful balance of nature restoring itself and our role in protecting it.

Caday's paintings of the Australian bushland are all painted en plein air at her home in She Oaks, a beautiful locality nestled right beside the Brisbane Ranges National Park in Victoria. Drawing inspiration from her Filipino roots, her practice explores the importance of travel and connection to the land as it signifies the historical, cultural and spiritual connections within place. Caday’s landscapes are an intuitive and refreshing interpretation of her familiar natural surroundings, embracing her creative curiosity and naïve wonder. Her use of gestural mark making is a central technique to her practice – exploring the intricate and rhythmic interplay of sound, light, and form within each intuitive and organic motion of the brush.