Daine Singer

Work by Andrea Eckersley currently on view in By Necessity, curated by Meredith Turnbull. “... I am exploring a complex iterative process of investigating surfaces and the activation of colour, form and light. The dress, printed with a reactive dye process is of one of my paintings, folded and shaped to drape over my studio chair. The lighting of this assemblage references Leondardo da Vinci’s Annunciation (c1472) and my recent writings on ‘Colour and Force’. Da Vinci’s Annunciation marks an important development in the history of painting whereby colour is transformed as a distinctive function of light and the modelling of form. As John Sherman (1962) writes about Colour and Chiaroscuro for da Vinci, “every form is modelled independently of colour, and every coloured object is invested with a common range of tone.” The shaped lights, colours, forms and materials in Surface volume ratios [at Alta Forma] and Ombre Inferential [at Daine Singer], relate people, garments and paintings all to each other in an exploration of the modulations of subjectivity and identity.” Andrea Eckersley Ombre Inferential, 2026 dye reactive printed silk dress, wool and steel, studio chair with light @morethanasurface @merecatu

Work by Mashara Wachjudy currently on view in By Necessity, curated by Meredith Turnbull. Wachjudy describes her works for By Necessity as “compositions that relate to things (images, text, light) that reach out to me as time passes - in the world or in a dream. The textiles themselves carry meaning, and lineages and working with them, I am drawn to thinking about modes of adornment and expression in a deeply directional manner.” Mashara Wachjudy, Starlight, 2026 cotton, silk, wool, lace, my great-great-grandmother’s beading, pencil, nylon, steel 25 x 20 cm @mashara @merecatu

Book launch: Please join us for the launch of Do paintings get jealous of windows: Rob McHaffie Thursday 21 May, 6 - 8 pm at Daine Singer 83 Weston Street, Brunswick A conversation with contributors, Lisa Radford, Amelia Wallin and Rob McHaffie to be moderated by Charlotte Day will begin at 6.30 pm. Designed by Tristan Ceddia at TRiC and proudly supported by Buxton International. @robmchaffie @darrenknightgallery @ameliawallin @lisrad @buxton_intl @tric.studio @tristanceddia @charday68

Currently on view, Rob McHaffie ‘Designer Shell’, presented in collaboration with Darren Knight Gallery. photograph: Nicholas Mahady @robmchaffie @darrenknightgallery

Jordan Marani’s ‘7 LAYERS 24 X 250g TASTY CHEESE’ is currently on view in the Bayside Painting Prize at Bayside Gallery. ‘7 LAYERS 24 X 250g TASTY CHEESE’ draws from Marani’s time stacking boxes on the shelves of a wholesale warehouse in Richmond. The cardboard boxes were often marked on the base with a pattern, to be used for optimum efficiency when stacking a shipping pallet to travel from manufacturer to the distributor. Marani’s paintings are based on various pallet patterns he collected from the bases of those boxes. A combination of high art and a basis in working class realities is typical of Marani’s work. Here this is apparent in the employment of what appears as formal geometric abstraction, based on his experience of manual labour and systems of efficiency and productivity. The pun of industrial pallet and the artist’s palette appeals to Marani’s sense of humour and autobiographical tendency. He has used the raw ground of the canvas to suggest the colour of cardboard, and also employs fluorescent colours to evoke the ‘hi vis’ clothing of factory settings. Of the series, he comments: “Working in those environments was kind of shit for me, I needed to find some value in my working landscape”. 7 LAYERS 24 X 250g TASTY CHEESE, 2025 acrylic and graphite on canvas 76 x 76 cm Artwork photograph: Nicholas Mahady Installation photograph: Mark Ashkanasy @jordanmarani @baysidegallery

A series of magazine works Zoë Croggon are exhibited in ‘Slow Read’, curated by Rachel Keir-Smith at Town Hall Gallery in Hawthorn. Through multi-disciplinary works inspired by books, archives and more, ‘Slow Read’ turns our attention to the printed page and to quiet, deliberate acts of looking and reading. Presented in partnership with Melbourne Writers Festival. Featuring: Jacky Cheng, Zoë Croggon, Julie Gough, Gracia & Louise, Nadia Hernández, Deborah Kelly, Martin King, David Noonan and Jayda Wilson. On view until 26 July. Zoë Croggon Untitled (after Imogen Cunningham), 2024 collage of found images and glue on paper, Perspex frame 47.6 x 36.7 x 7 cm framed @zoecroggon @townhallgallery

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the opening of Rob McHaffie ‘Designer Shell’ and ‘By Necessity’ curated by Meredith Turnbull. These exhibitions continue until 30 May. @robmchaffie @darrenknightgallery @merecatu

Rob McHaffie ‘Heal in Heels’. “At a certain point, one begins the work of addressing self-sabotaging patterns and navigating life’s challenges. This work celebrates that process. The font appears juicy and lively, adorned with patterned fabrics and high heels. It suggests that growth though messy can still be expressive and personal.” — McHaffie Heal in heels, 2026 oil on linen 56 x 41 cm @robmchaffie @darrenknightgallery

Rob McHaffie ‘Designer Shell’ opens Saturday 2-4pm. 🍻 @robmchaffie @darrenknightgallery

From the stockroom: Nicholas Currie, Signature, 2025. Nicholas Currie Signature, 2025 oil on canvas 130 x 149.5 cm Nicholas Currie is an artist and curator working with painting, sculpture and performance. Currie is from the Mununjali clan of the Yugambeh language group, with connection to Kuku Yalanji, and currently lives on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne. Humour and kindness are undercurrents to the major themes addressed in his works: contemporary Indigenous perspectives, hauntology and exploration of identity within current so-called Australia. @nicholascurrie

Join us this Saturday from 2-4pm to celebrate the opening of Rob McHaffie ‘Designer Shell’, which we look forward to presenting in collaboration with Darren Knight Gallery. For a preview email [email protected] or DM @dainesinger or @darrenknightgallery Rob McHaffie portrait by Cory White

A glimpse into Maggie Brink’s studio in the lead up to her June exhibition.