Opening 6pm Thurs 31 May
Exhibition runs Fri 1 Jun – Sat 23 Jun
Open Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm, Saturday 11am – 3pm

Intricate, witty and irreverent, Nicole O’Loughlin’s hand stitched embroideries depict pop icons from the 80s and 90s.

Reminiscing over her childhood and teenage idols, Nicole creates highly detailed “thread paintings”. Her compositions reinterpret domestic objects and challenge preconceived notions of “feminine arts”. The artworks in Pop Life revel in cheeky, humorous and beautiful combinations of characters and gendered imagery, feminising masculine figures with floral embellishments and glorifying female pop icons.

Taking its title from the song “Pop Life” by late music artist Prince, this exhibition plays with the idea of celebrity worship. Figures from popular culture are intermingled with rehashed religious iconography, classical art references and glimpses of cultural relics, all meticulously depicted through the medium of embroidery.

Image: Nicole O’Loughlin, Saint Patti, Patron Saint of Punks (detail), 2017, Hand embroidery and sequins on linen