Alexander Boynes & Kyoko Imazu
Alexander Boynes is a highly regarded Canberra-based artist whose unique visual language draws on various disciplines including painting, photography, print media, light-based work and video installation. Much of his work has drawn upon an interest in capturing movement and dynamism in the body, achieved through the use of sharp linear patterns within figures and a palette of strong bright colour, with the image seeming to leap off its aluminium surface.
Canberra artist Alexander Boynes is a creative thinker who views the world through a strong and defined social conscience reflecting deeply on our country’s shared past. His work explores the impact on, and loss of, the Australian landscape in the drive to extract fossil fuels that lie below the earth’s surface. It also reflects on the ramifications of this industry for the traditional Indigenous owners of the land. As Alexander says, “This merging of landscape and industry speaks of our failure to invest in a renewable future, as coal, oil and gas extraction dominate the power industry. Meanwhile standing in a rapidly changing environment, the figure represents both the catalyst and the casualty of these actions.”
Alexander Boynes graduated with honours in gold and silversmithing from the School of Art at the Australian National University in 2004. The following year his work featured in ‘Talente’ at the Munich Art Fair. He held his first solo exhibition in 2009 in Canberra and has since exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions around Australia. Alexander’s work is represented in many collections including those of Artbank, the University of Canberra, the ACT Legislative Assembly, the Macquarie Group and the Centre for Art + Environment in Nevada, USA.
Kyoko Imazu is a Japanese born artist based in Melbourne working primarily on paper and in sculpture. She has explored the mediums of printmaking, papercut, puppetry, bookbinding, ceramics and installations. Her intricate work draws on animals, people, imagined beings and creatures from Japanese folklore to tell whimsical stories of exploration and adventure. “I’m interested in paying attention to our tiny neighbours: the weeds, bugs and pebbles that fill our everyday lives. When you look closely, it’s incredible to realise how everything is so different – every petal, leaf and wing is miraculously unique. These beings and objects all have their own stories and universes within themselves, containing many states of life, death and regeneration.” The intriguing nature of her work draws the audience in, opening up new worlds and perspectives.
Kyoko graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2007. Since then, she has been included in over 100 exhibitions throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the USA. Kyoko has undertaken numerous residencies and, in 2017, she was awarded a fellowship by the State Library Victoria to undertake a residency at Baldessin Press & Studio. In 2019, she was a finalist in the inaugural Megalo International Print Prize with her etching “Beetle spotting” and the Fremantle Arts Centre Print Awards with her etching “The Entomologist’s Garden”. Her works are held in several public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia, State Library of Queensland and State Library of Victoria.
Beaver Galleries is Canberra’s largest and longest-established privately owned commercial art gallery. The gallery exhibits and promotes the work of a select group of renowned and emerging contemporary Australian artists. Under the direction of owners Martin and Susie Beaver, and with a team of experienced staff, the gallery has built a national presence, with a dynamic exhibition program and regular representation at Australian art fairs.
