Elke Varga

Adaptions and Reconfigurations

August 2nd – 24th, 2024

Elke Varga is an artist who lives and works in Perth. Her practice explores ideas associated with colour, and includes painting, sculpture and artist books. Her work is influenced by art history, sociology, colour theory, colour science, colour-modelling systems and psychology. Adaptations and Reconfigurations presents a new body of work that explores alternate readings of the ubiquitous Post-it Note, found in workplaces everywhere. The origins of the work can be traced back to the COVID19 Lockdowns in Melbourne where people found themselves working from home and navigating new online environments. During this time employees began to reflect on the value of work, and terms like the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting and pandemic related burnout began to feature in the media.  Informed by the colourful readymade palette of Post-it Notes, the acrylic paintings on canvas and wall work, reimagine the Post-it Notes as mute containers of colour rather than an office supply that supports the organisation of time, labour and ideas.The work is an intentional and playful slowing down, which feeds into a broader dialogue about the post pandemic value of work, art and creativity in a neo-liberal society.