Press Release

The Summer Salon exhibition program is an annual event dedicated to exploring artistic expression from Sydney and beyond. In gallery one, deliberate nods to the legacies of Brancusi, Giacometti, and Yves Klein converge harmoniously in both painting and installation. Genevieve Felix Reynolds, with her poignant wall works, skill-fully navigate contemporary abstractions of time, space, and history. Reynolds not only broadens the horizons of painting but also embarks on a distinct exploration of colour interplaying seamlessly with architectural elements. Adjacent to Reynolds’ captivating works, Robby Bennett’s paintings unfold as intricate amalgamations of imagery and cultural reference points. These compositions of colour are a visual symphony reflecting the pervasive influence of online and image cultures in contemporary society. Drawing inspiration from diverse sources, including comic books, art historical imagery, family life, abstraction, and online image culture, Bennett’s artworks create beautiful and thought-provoking compositions.Tina Havelock Steven’s powerful installation, featuring a drum kit flocked in Yves Klein blue, explores new sculptural techniques and narratives. The installation vividly connects to cycles of exploitation, misrepresentation, and misinformation, referencing the ethics of documentary-making inspired by Yves Klein’s emotional reaction to the premiere screening of his performance work at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962. Ascending to gallery two, Gene A’Hern’s mesmerizing paintings captivate with a distinctive pictorial language, seamlessly navigating between abstraction and landscape. A’Hern’s gestural marks reveal recognizable elements from his everyday surroundings in the Blue Mountains, creating a lyrical discovery of place that captures depth, movement, and vibrant colors. In the same space, Samuel Hodge’s exploration of painting through photographic collage and mixed media draws on a twenty-year archive of material. Juxtaposing specific objects from unfamiliar places, Hodge reanimates imagery, thoughts, and feelings, challenging the duty and integrity of the materials he manipulates, including photography, textiles, and digital video.

In the residency space, Orson Heidrich’s sculptural wall works in brass or aluminium, delve into the relationship between artist and industry, showcasing a meticulous process of sourcing, fabricating, and manipulating varied physical and digital media in collaboration with industrial networks and the wider community. On the top floor, **Bella Bruzzese’**s elaborate sculptural wall masks and feminine floral paintings invite you into a world of personal histories, exploring themes of femininity, spirituality, emotional identities, and imagination inspired by family traditions from Italy and the Philippines. Each piece is a testament to Bruzzese’s intricate craftsmanship and evocative storytelling.

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Installation Views

Selected Works

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Artists Exhibiting

Also Exhibiting at Cassandra Bird

About the Gallery

CASSANDRA BIRD is a contemporary art gallery with spaces in Sydney and Paris. Working across Australia and Europe, the gallery represents artists whose practices engage with critical, material, historical, and cultural questions, situating their work within broader institutional and transnational contexts, and building sustained connections between practices, histories, and audiences. The gallery draws on deep experience across contemporary art sectors in Asia, Europe, and North America, which shapes a considered approach to working with artists, one focused on long-term development, meaningful institutional relationships, and thoughtful placement. Across its two locations, CASSANDRA BIRD connects artists, institutions, and collections, maintaining a genuine commitment to the artists it represents and the longer arcs of their careers.

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Address
54 Kellett St, Potts Point
Sydney
Australia
Opening Hours
Tuesday-Friday
10am-5pm

Saturday
11am-5pm
(1)
Sydney 54 Kellett St, Potts Point
Cassandra Bird
54 Kellett St, Potts Point, Sydney, Australia
+61 (02) 9161 4213
https://www.cassandrabird.com/

Opening hours
Tuesday-Friday
10am-5pm

Saturday
11am-5pm
The art world in focus