Navigation Lines was a remarkable exhibition. A series of cotton paper works from an artist who has comprehensively claimed the territory of her materials of choice, occupying centre stage in The Central Art Gallery space with an orchestrated presence that was anticipated, yet in seeing and experiencing - still a surprise.
The exhibition confirmed that Fiona Van Oyen has a great deal still to say about place as a defining symbol and indicator of self and belonging. The experience of the exhibition was also in on the act, directing our attention to the familiarity of skylines, landscapes and the plants and trees around us. In cutting cotton paper into sculptural silhouetted works and, as a printmaker, disrupting the absolute flatness of her paper surfaces, (embossing and embedding them with ridges and channels), Van Oyen’s attention was upon sharing an encounter of the physical qualities of her materials with us in a moment in time in the space of the gallery.
