Check Out COMA Gallery’s First Exhibition In Its New Darlinghurst Digs

COMA gallery is ready for 2019, feeling like it literally sparkles, with its stark but striking white cube vibe—fresh paint smell included.

Previously in Rushcutters Bay, this exciting contemporary art spot has shifted one suburb over to Darlinghurst, where we are invited to walk up a set of stairs from buzzing Stanley Street to view its opening exhibition, Containment Field.

The group show is centred on transitions, time and points of uncertainty—from the transfer of digital images, to sex and gender experiences, to Soviet tattooing rituals. It's a mixed bag, with each of the six artists included creating installations as intriguing and thoughtful as the next.  

Croatian-born, Sydney based artist Jelena Telecki’s painted Flags appears on the wall next to Spence Messih’s sculpture, RE-RE-RE-, totally splitting the room with its sharp purple design. It looks like a fence or container, setting out its own space in the gallery. 

Manuel Burgener’s video pieceTwenty four is propped up on the floor, and shows a day-in-the-life of the artist. The banality is accentuated by meditative lapping water on the rocking boat. Next to the video installation is Adam Stone'sThe Garden of Eden—bronze cast stems of roses coming up out of the ground, which pretty much steals the show for us in its simplicity.

Then there's a sort-of eerie black leather piece, alone in a separate room and hanging from the ceiling: called Untitled #5 it's Anna McMahon's second piece in the show. The use of leather hide, chain, hooks, cuffs and clamps completely embody the hard versus soft atmosphere the exhibition creates.

Containment Field is a perfect opening act for COMA's new sport, the works bring their own aesthetic quality that balances holding and restraint, to expose a sense of artistic freedom. 

Containment Field is open until March 5. 

Want to check out some more exhibitions? Here are all the best art shows, events and happenings to get around this March. 

Image credit: Installation Image, Containment Field (2019), courtesy COMA.