The EVE Hotel Brings Art House To Life With Louise Olsen
Louise Olsen’s artworks unfold throughout The EVE Hotel this winter as part of Art House – a cultural series exploring the meeting point between art, design and place.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos KAITLYN BOŠNJAK, GEORG ROSKE & ANDREA VELTOM
Acclaimed Australian artist Louise Olsen leads the inaugural Art House season. Photo: Andrea Veltom
‘With these new works being installed at The EVE, I’m exploring the relationship between nature, landscape and atmosphere, and the vibrations that happen where they touch,’ shares Australian artist and Dinosaur Designs co-founder, Louise Olsen. Photo: Kaitlyn Bosnjak
Art sits at the heart of Bar Julius, with works lining every wall and the space designed to evolve over time. Photo: Georg Roske
“From the beginning, art has never felt like something added onto The EVE, it’s always been part of the hotel’s identity and atmosphere.”
Bar Julius features Louise Olsen’s monumental Barrisol ceiling artwork Still Life, suspended above the space. Photo: Georg Roske
‘There are so many artists in the Surry Hills and Redfern areas. Not only has the hotel begun a revitalisation of the area but is supporting a vital part of the community.’ Photo: Kaitlyn Bosnjak
Louise Olsen’s work has been woven into The EVE Hotel since its opening. Now, the Australian artist and Dinosaur Designs co-founder and creative director leads the inaugural season of Art House, on view until September.
Developed with Sydney cultural platform Arts-Matter, Art House brings new and existing works into Bar Julius, the lobby and the cloisters, moving art beyond the conventional gallery setting.
Already embedded within the identity of The EVE, Louise’s permanent contributions include Still Life, the monumental Barrisol ceiling artwork suspended above Bar Julius, and Dream Garden, a large-scale hand-knotted work made from Tibetan wool and silk.
For Art House, Louise’s presence expands with eight new paintings, presented courtesy of Olsen Gallery, alongside Dinosaur Designs objects placed throughout Bar Julius, the lobby and the cloisters.
‘There’s a warmth and materiality to The EVE that really resonates with my practice. It’s so wonderful to be part of The EVE’s art programming with my work incorporated into the ceiling of Bar Julius and in other areas of the hotel and now extending that even further with Art House,’ says Louise, ‘There are so many artists in the Surry Hills and Redfern areas. Not only has the hotel begun a revitalisation of the area but is supporting a vital part of the community.’
Across the new paintings, Louise returns to subjects that have informed her practice for more than four decades. Nature, landscape and shifting atmospheric conditions are translated through colour and abstracted form, with as much attention given to the spaces surrounding each gesture as the marks themselves.
‘With these new works being installed at The EVE, I’m exploring the relationship between nature, landscape and atmosphere, and the vibrations that happen where they touch. There’s a sense of the elements being simultaneously empty and full, where the space around the forms pulse and become just as important as the marks themselves,’ shares Louise.
Louise’s works sit within an existing collection curated by Sydney gallerist David Stein, which moves between contemporary Australian art, international pieces and collectible design. In the lobby, Tarryn Gill’s luminous sculpture The Moon casts a soft glow, while Bar Julius brings together Cornelius De Neve’s 17th-century Portrait of a Man and Jean-Paul Goude’s 1982 poster Grace Jones Clubbing.
‘From the beginning, art has never felt like something added onto The EVE, it’s always been part of the hotel’s identity and atmosphere,’ says Ben Mellor, general manager. ‘Louise felt like the natural inaugural artist for Art House because her work is already woven into the fabric of the building. This season is about deepening that relationship and creating a hotel experience that feels immersive, cultural and distinctly Australian.’
The EVE Hotel
8 Baptist Street, Redfern NSW
