Contemporary Australia: Women

147 to all my relations 1 (details) 2011 Gouache, pencil and watercolour on paper Diptych: 244 x 300cm (overall) The concept of flux is palpable in her new drawings, as is the raw energy of works like Transmission 2011. Here, a large expanse rendered in blue watercolour sprouts two tall, horizontal plants, one with a thick, comb-like trunk cascading yellow and orange nectar, the other with a pink vulva-like flower full of insects blended into its petals. The centre of the composition is devoid of greenery, but is populated with small, swarming winged creatures. Are these carnivorous, triffid-like plants; are the insects reacting to some unseen malevolence; or is it simply nature at play? The key work in Tichacek’s new series, to all my relationsI 2011 is a double-panelled drawing depicting a gigantic tree, comprising dense foliage and contorted roots. Pink birds fly into the branches, some appearing to lose definition, as if they are about to become one with the tree. Tichacek has used gradations of watercolour to capture movement — grass blades dance in the wind and arbitrary areas of earthy colours punctuate the air, from afar seeming like clouds of dust and dispersing seeds or flowers. A circular composition suggests nature’s cyclical character, further reinforced by decomposing insects and plants amongst the tree roots. But this can be seen only on closer observation; from a distance, the two‑metre‑high work is harmonious and vibrant. What initially appear to be large, veined leaves are now Escher-like insects whose wings fan out, confusing flora and fauna to reveal obsessively fine line work, delivering Tichacek’s narrative of metamorphosis. This body of work, she explains, ‘is analogous to life and the cosmos [alluding to the] cyclical nature of life, death giving new life . . . life decaying, dying and giving new life’. 6 In less gifted hands, the subject of Monika Tichacek’s series, just like Darrieussecq’s female character, may have succumbed to a repetitive song. Instead, it audaciously engages all the senses for a captivating experience. Maud Page Monika Tichacek