Arcane Lotus Exhibition – Event Coverage

La De Da bar played host to Abyss .607’s Arcane Lotus exhibition on Friday night Featuring esoteric black and white illustrations plastered on plywood sheets, and accompanied by tunes from local musician p a r k s, the scene was set for art enthusiasts to mingle and appreciate Abyss .607’s latest work.

Abyss .607 attributes his fascination with the universe as inspiration behind illustrations, like the ones presented on Friday night, in a recent Q&A with VNA magazine.

“I remember the earliest drawings I did as a child were scenes on alien planets with strange beings and creatures, I can’t recall the direct inspiration for this but it may have something to do with growing up in a place where you could see the stars.”

At the event I spoke to University of Canberra student Josh Ratnam, who is studying Industrial Design.

“His (Abyss .607) work is an amazing example of what can be done with just pen and paper… As a design student I can appreciate the process of the work, even though I design physical objects like chairs and tables. ”

The artwork only appeals to a niche or underground audience. I felt slightly let down, looking at the pieces spread around the room and thinking to myself, “everything here looks the same”, and, “there’s not one piece that I like the look of”. You definitely need the cultural capital that I was lacking.

While I found the artwork somewhat repetitive and hard to inter-operate, I can honestly say I genuinely enjoyed myself at the event. La De Da bar was the perfect venue, and socialising with extremely creative people was a highlight of my night. It was interesting experience exposing myself to this type of event.

I found myself admiring the artwork spray spraypainted on the walls of the bar, more so than the exhibition itself , which I’m assuming isn’t a good sign.

I’m all for supporting Canberrans, however I cant see myself attending another Abyss .607 exhibition again, simply because the illustrations didn’t really interest me at all. It might be worth checking out aspirating artists or design students.