Heath Wae's 'Mineral Meridian' Blends Hand-Foraged Pigments with Dreamlike Orchid Paintings
Australian artist Heath Wae presented his first solo exhibition in New York, 'Mineral Meridian,' at CARVALHO in Brooklyn. The show featured 15 paintings made with oil and hand-foraged mineral pigments, including seaweed emulsions, myrrh resin, frankincense tinctures, and acacia gum. Wae, based in Bundjalung Country, New South Wales, grinds stone and minerals into 'time-bearing' pigments that connect to geological processes spanning millions of years. The paintings depict orchids in a state of becoming, inspired by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's 'A Thousand Plateaus,' where orchids mimic female wasps to attract pollinators, symbolizing entanglement and transformation. Wae's blurred compositions encourage viewers to focus on sensation rather than description, emphasizing networks of soil, water, light, and minerals. The exhibition draws on Sigmund Freud's concept of eros as a life force. Wae's work has appeared in Australia, the UK, Asia, and the US, and belongs to major private collections.
Key facts
- Heath Wae's first solo New York exhibition 'Mineral Meridian' was held at CARVALHO in Brooklyn.
- The exhibition includes 15 paintings using oil and hand-foraged mineral pigments.
- Wae forages materials from Bundjalung Country in New South Wales, Australia.
- He uses seaweed emulsions, myrrh resin, frankincense tinctures, and acacia gum.
- The paintings are inspired by Deleuze and Guattari's 'A Thousand Plateaus.'
- Orchids in the paintings symbolize becoming and entanglement with pollinators.
- Wae's pigments are described as 'time-bearing,' linking to deep geological time.
- The exhibition references Sigmund Freud's concept of eros.
Entities
Artists
- Heath Wae
Institutions
- CARVALHO
Locations
- New York
- Brooklyn
- Bundjalung Country
- New South Wales
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Asia
- United States