Darren Sylvester
Sylvester’s piece Work Day 2003 is a photograph of the homogenised ceiling, which can be seen in nearly every office block in the world. His inspiration came whilst working in telephone market research and reflects his emotional state triggered by this seemingly interchangeable environment. Work Day is the recreation of one office floor in Melbourne. Through its internal repetition, the image creates a flat God-like perspective, but also that of an ant, or as something as equally insignificant, like the world’s office workers.
For the past ten years Sylvester has exhibited widely within Australia and overseas. His work is held in major Australian institutions including National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Australia Council. For the past three years Sylvester has been voted one of ‘Australia’s 50 most collectable artists’ by Australian Art Collector. Sylvester’s artworks, with their high-end production values and poetic titles, explore the ennui and drama of life. The subjects and protagonists within his works are often placed along side the debris of popular culture – junk food, cosmetics, music and death. By placing these banal props in relation to human beings, Sylvester shows how even the most disposable elements of our disposable culture can be embodied with emotional intensity.
Darren Sylvester is represented by sullivan+strumpf fine art, Sydney