Alex Ray
Compositions
6 November - 17 November 2024
G4
Opening Night
Friday 8 November | 6 - 8pm
◼︎
The works in this exhibition represent both digital and drawn pieces, reflecting the duality of my practice as an artist and my background in architecture and design. Each piece draws on the structured precision of architectural drawings while pushing the boundaries of abstraction through digital processes. This interplay between the hand-drawn and the digitally rendered forms the foundation of my creative exploration.
Central to my work is the inherent tension between monochromatic and color elements, where carefully composed, minimalistic drawings contrast with the open-ended possibilities of digital media. My drawings are marked by a deliberate flatness, echoing the mechanical precision of architectural blueprints, yet within this flatness lies an exploration of space and structure.
In contrast, my digital works embrace depth, layering elements and creating spatial compositions that blur the boundaries between abstraction and synthetic environments. The digital process allows for an improvisational approach that contrasts with the meticulousness of my drawn works, opening up possibilities for novel abstractions that challenge perceptions of space and form.
This body of work navigates the tension between control and openness, flatness and depth, monochrome and color—reflecting the push and pull between the mediums I work with. Through these compositions, I invite viewers to consider how different modes of making can influence and inform one another, creating a dialogue between the digital and the drawn, the rigid and the fluid, the composed and the spontaneous.
Artist Bio
Alex Ray is an artist who embarked on his artistic journey later in life, in addition to his career as an architect and designer. His background in these fields deeply informs his practice, particularly through his interest in both traditional drawing and digital media. Heavily influenced by minimalist and abstract expressionist art, Alex's work explores the boundaries between abstraction and the photographic representation of synthetic environments, often blurring these distinctions in his digital creations.
In his digital work, Alex uses multiple layering techniques, including using 3D modeling and rendering software often in outer-intuitive ways, to produce complex, spatial compositions that challenge perceptions of reality. His works are characterized by their spatial quality, where abstraction takes on a three-dimensional form, creating unique visual experiences that exist between the digital and physical realms.
In contrast, Ray’s drawn work exhibits a purposeful flatness, almost mechanical in nature, echoing his background in architecture. This flatness mimics the precision of architectural drawings, yet it carries an intentional artistic quality that brings a different depth to his practice.
A central theme in his work is the interplay between drawing and digital media—how these two mediums can inform and disrupt one another. His practice continuously probes the boundaries and intersections of these forms, resulting in artworks that are both technically meticulous and conceptually rich.
Contact
Phone : (03) 9482 3550
mail@redgallery.com.au
Address
157 St Georges Rd
Fitzroy North, Victoria, 3068
Map
How to get here
Tram: Route 11
Stop 21 just north of Edinburgh Gardens
Melway Ref: 30B12
Parking in nearby streets
Bus: 504 (Reid Street)
