Art / “New Works” by Marie Hagerty. At Nancy Sever Gallery, Civic, until July 25. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY

ABSTRACT art is much more than random lines and marks on a canvas as these new works by Canberra artist Marie Hagerty prove. 

Lines that twist into shadows. Curves that follow the human form. Black, white, orange and collage fill the dramatic shapes and designs through all 18 works on show in this exhibition.

The acrylic and oil paintings on canvases of varying sizes each hold an individual story. While some are themed with stories from other painters such as the Spanish artist Francisco Goya, and Slavic themes, they are all connected by the flow of movement through each work.

Two quite startling works “Evil Eye”, 2020 and “O”, 2020, after Jackie Onassis jump out at a viewer, even though they are digital prints. They mix visual ideas that capture the essence of things removed and hidden. “Evil Eye” draws you into a vortex of fear in a nightmarish existence, like a big brother is watching all.

There’s no escaping the presence of the human form in many of the artworks. Some offer a constricted view while others bend and flow across the canvas as dancers move around each other.

Many could depict the inner world of a human being if you wanted to look at them that way. Most are alive with volume and weight. But yet they float free as though they are only just touching the canvas, while others feel trapped in their frame.

There’s a lot in these works. They say so much with just simple shape and form. While graphic in design, many mirror one another in their intimacy and their strength. Other artists, such as the Australian gestural abstractionist Peter Upward (1932-1983) might trigger a few similarities for some in a couple of pieces, but these all contain an exclusive style.

Artworks such as these are not images that one could grow tired of. They are complex and free at the same time. They express ideas. It takes a long time for an artist to create abstract art as good as these.