Catherine O’Donnell Art Guide Feature: ‘Building a Collective Memory’

May 14, 2021

Catherine O’Donnell is currently featured in an editorial for Art Guide, written by Steve Dow. The editorial cover’s Catherine’s inspirations for her practice and shares insight into her childhood memories.

“Growing up on a public housing estate built in the 1960s at Green Valley, south-west of Sydney, artist Catherine O’Donnell remembers her family feeling lucky that they lived in their humble fibro bungalow. It had the same layout as many other houses in the neighbourhood—walking into a friend’s home was much like walking into your own. The construction of the houses, the formation of the fibro, and the configuration of the doors and wooden window frames are hallmarks of O’Donnell’s art today. “That architecture is imprinted in my brain,” she laughs.

From these beginnings also came O’Donnell’s love for minimalism. Sometimes, her play with shadows—implying what is not directly represented in the picture—can help her audience impose their own narratives on her art. …”

Read the full article