Inspired by lived experiences, Life & Fiction explores how reality and subjectivity interact to shape how we see and understand the world. The retelling of life events relies on memory and interpretation and as a result, becomes a unique reflection of the individual recounting them.

Miriam and Doug Fee met while studying at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. Both gravitate towards paint for its tactile and expressive qualities, often working within figurative and portrait traditions.

Doug and Miriam invite viewers to bring their own perspectives to the work and consider the ways reality, subjectivity, and imagination entwine and diverge in the interplay between documentation and fiction.

DOUG FEE

Doug’s art is informed by his studies at the Julian Ashton Art School and Tom Bass Sculpture School, and by his work with welding and cabinetmaking.

“I paint to process and express the world around me, usually as an emotional response to what I have seen or experienced. The act of applying paint is as important to me as the construction of visual imagery, and I often use found materials and objects in my artwork. At times something unconventional can say more than traditional art media and supports.”

MIRIAM FEE

Miriam’s artwork is often thematic, employing figurative representation and symbolism to convey ideas and emotions. Recurring themes include celebrating diversity and acknowledging the passage of time. As a secondary school art teacher, she has come to view visual art as a vehicle for expression and agency that can bear testimony, inspire, and challenge.

“My artmaking often explores what it means to be human and the physical and spiritual realms we inhabit.'“

Catalogue coming soon