OPENING NIGHT I SATURDAY 1ST OF AUGUST 5PM-7PM
VIEWING DATES I 1ST OF AUGUST TIL THE 12TH OF AUGUST 2026
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
'Material Witness' presents a new body of work by Murray Gain exploring the relationship between memory, place, and material. Through a process of material co-production, Gain approaches the canvas not as a passive surface, but as a site of exchange where human gesture intersects with the accumulated traces of the world around us. Weathered street posters, eco-dyed fabrics, acrylic, oil, and lino printing converge to create paintings that emerge through a negotiation between intention, chance, and material agency.
Rather than beginning with a blank canvas, Gain works with materials that already carry evidence of time, place, and experience. Street posters hold the residue of public encounters, environmental exposure, and human interaction, while eco-dyed fabrics preserve the imprint of natural processes, recording the influence of organic matter, light, and seasonal change. These materials are not simply incorporated into the work; they actively shape its formation, contributing their own histories and
transforming the painting into a layered record of both human and environmental presence.
Through this process, the works become palimpsests of place, where fragments of the physical world intersect with personal and collective memory. Everyday scenes and familiar Australian landscapes emerge through surfaces marked by previous encounters, creating a dialogue between representation and material history. Figures exist within these layered environments, suggesting that our experiences are inseparable from the places we inhabit and the traces we leave behind.
For Gain, memory is not confined to individual recollection, but exists within the material world itself. Surfaces hold evidence of transformation, preserving moments that might otherwise disappear. Each layer of the work becomes a witness to processes of change, accumulation, and renewal, revealing the hidden narratives embedded within ordinary materials.
Material Witness invites reflection on the ways in which places shape us and, in turn, become shaped by our presence. By elevating overlooked fragments of everyday life, Gain reveals material as a carrier of memory, a record of experience, and a participant in the ongoing construction of the world around us.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Murray Gain is a mixed media artist based in New South Wales, Australia. Working across painting, printmaking, and material experimentation, his practice explores the relationship between memory, place, and the physical traces embedded within everyday environments. Drawing from found materials, natural processes, and traditional painting techniques, he creates layered works that investigate how surfaces can hold evidence of time, experience, and transformation.
His use of weathered street posters, eco-dyed fabrics, acrylic, oil, and lino printing reflect an interest in the dialogue between human intervention and the agency of materials themselves. Through a process that balances control and chance, Gain constructs paintings that examine the ways personal and collective memories are formed through the places we inhabit. His work reveals the overlooked histories within ordinary materials, transforming fragments of the everyday into tactile records of lived experience. Murray
Gain has seen his artwork sold throughout Australia and the world, with his practice continuing to explore the evolving relationship between material, environment, and memory.