This exhibition is the culmination of Monika Behrens’ research into 17th-century Dutch still life, engaging with paintings as ‘thinking images’, rich with object relations. Within three distinct bodies of work focusing on subgenres of still life — floral, hunting trophies and pronk — Behrens discovers distinctive relationships between objects that move beyond narrative and symbolic readings. 

Behrens’ floral paintings involve the mirroring of time and dimensionality: pronk paintings comprise vibrating channels of intensity, and hunting trophy paintings are ‘monster-scapes’ of texture and friction. These paintings are colourful re-imaginings of a 400-year old tradition.

Monika Behrens is a painter, predominantly known for her still life paintings. She has been awarded numerous international residencies and has exhibited widely in Australia, including as a finalist in both the Sulman and Archibald prizes.