Kate Dorrough, Monumental Water Rites, 2023, acrylic on linen, 168 x 214 cm

Kate Dorrough’s body of work is an invitation to float suspended within the landscape – like silt in a river. A sensation that draws its embodied inspiration from the artist’s memories of swimming in creeks on family holidays during her formative years. Floating in a natural body of water alters our relationship to our surroundings, as we look upwards, trees appear taller and more ethereal, skies seem preternaturally blue against shimmering, pink, sandstone forms. Whilst one is floating, one’s body becomes alert to tiny shifts in the atmosphere, one feels connected to something deeper, older, and more mysterious. The experience of floating is intuition made real, reminding us we are not separate from that which surrounds us. Each of Dorrough’s artworks becomes a testament to our intimate connection with the earth, reminding us of the eternal rhythmic pulse of creation, destruction, and renewal, and the exquisite beauty and vulnerability inherent in every stage.

Excerpt from my catalogue essay for Kate Dorrough’s exhibition at Arthouse Gallery – on exhibition 27 July – 12 August 2023