Kerrie Oliver
Tippy Toes
13 September – 5 October 2025
OPENING/MEET THE ARTIST Saturday 13 September, 11am – 5pm ALL WELCOME
MEET THE ARTIST Saturday 4 October, 11am – 2pm and ARTIST TALK at 1pm
Kerrie Oliver’s collection of new works—titled Tippy Toes—springs from an obsession with the act of painting: its physicality, its conceptual parameters, and its flexibility. From her home studio in leafy inner-south Brisbane/Magan-djin, Oliver negotiates the boundless possibilities of non-objective, material exploration alongside the demands of everyday life with two busy teenage sons. Pulsating with sumptuous colours, material experimentation, and traces of impulse (smear it on, wipe it off), the paintings feel effortless, unhurried, almost frozen in time. “When they’re on the wall they seem completely deliberate,” explains Oliver “but during the process it’s as though they’ve painted themselves”. This statement offers a partial glimpse of Oliver’s drive toward procedure, process, and play, a sentiment that echoes Harold Rosenberg’s mid-twentieth century treatise on action painting: “the act of painting is the object…the painting itself is a ghost”.1
1 Harold Rosenberg, “The American Action Painters,” Art News 51 (1952): pp. 48-49.
continues in Art Almanac print edition September 2025, written by Sally Molloy.
Q & A
How do you choose your subject matter?
I choose my subject matter in abstract expressionism by focusing on emotions and inner states rather than literal representations. I draw inspiration from personal experiences, memories, or current moods, allowing intuition to guide the composition. Colour, form, and gesture become the language through which I express what words cannot fully capture.
What techniques do you use?
In my paintings, I use techniques like scrunching, folding, and scraping to introduce spontaneous textures and organic forms. Glazing and wiping help me build translucent layers, creating depth and subtle shifts in colour and light. I also apply a variety of mediums to alter surface quality, enhance contrast, and invite unexpected interactions between materials.
Who are your influences?
There are many but to name three:
Amy Sillman – I was sent a video link of AS seminar at the Whitney Museum. I was taken with AS’s intelligence, knowledge of art and humour. I enjoy AS work and her output is phenomenal but it is quite possible, I have a greater appreciation for her writing and ability to talk about art and her work. For example, AS’s commentary on Louise Fishman, 9 Innings – Note of a commentator. Thoroughly enjoy Lousie Fishman’s work with the addition of AS commentary giving an extra layer of enjoyment.
Michaël Borremans – he had me when he said, ‘originality is an obscenity’ (during a discussion with Luca Guadagino (Italian Film Director) on the David Zwirner Podcast). Or I am kidding myself, maybe it was learning of his 19th century property, formally a baron’s hunting château now studio. I thoroughly enjoy surveying MB paintings. His variation of paint application, subject matter and choice of colour invites deep curiosity and desire.
Mamma Andersson – during my university days I was torn with what discipline to major in. I landed on printmaking as this seemed to incorporate many other disciplines of art. I believe this might be what draws me to MA’s paintings. I can see there is a printmaking quality in her work. Each layer isolated and receives various treatment of paint application. MA’s words resonated with me when I heard her speaking on a podcast about the importance of, ‘finding your own way’ as an artist.
Artist Biography
Kerrie Oliver was born in New South Wales and currently resides in Brisbane, Queensland. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts, UNSW.
Oliver has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally in London, Canada and Korea. Her work has explored the discipline of printmaking and has expanded into drawing and painting. Oliver has been successful as a finalist in various prizes, including Redland Art Awards (2024), Michael Reid National Emerging Art Prize (2022), and was the 2018 Winner of ‘Works On Paper’ Award Small Works Art Prize at Brunswick Street Gallery.
This is her second solo exhibition at Straitjacket.
