Art / Cameron Haas, “Amplify”. At Nancy Sever Gallery, Level 1, 131 City Walk, Canberra City, until June 20. Reviewed by JOHN LANDT.

THIS fine exhibition of non-figurative paintings by Canberra-based artist Cameron Haas is his third exhibition at the Nancy Sever Gallery. 

It’s immediately apparent on entering the gallery that this is work of the highest quality, and unsurprising that it’s drawing the attention of domestic and international collectors.  The number of red stickers confirms this impression.

As the viewer moves around the exhibition, the large organic forms are constantly on the move, drawing the viewer into each work. The flat colours interact dynamically.

Particularly effective are those forms that emerge from underneath the large shapes. The untouched canvas around the edges of each work supports the overall feeling of freshness and energy.

The human dimensions of the canvases (most are 132cm square) enable the body of the viewer to respond directly to the works. Rather than being a primarily visual process, this more closely resembles the way babies and infants gain their first understanding of the world. The artist’s recent experiences as the father of young children would appear to be exerting a beneficial, albeit perhaps unconscious, influence on his art practice.

The warmth and humanity of his paintings is their defining feature. As in the recent Canberra exhibitions of works by Hilarie Mais and Andrew Christofides, this exhibition demonstrates how non-figurative art can provide the basis of a compelling form of personal expression.