Ces McCully (b. 1982) is an artist from Melbourne, now based in the south of France. An exploration of human and social psychology is often at the forefront of her work, which typically is a response to current events, ranging from our exposure to rapidly-changing technology to political divisions. Her preoccupation with how we view ourselves and others has driven this current body of work, where she has established new ways of combining textiles with painting. Referred to as her ‘soft paintings’, McCully embeds wool into raw canvas to transform it into a 3-dimensional piece before painting it entirely; bringing together these opposing hard and soft forces – a balance of the masculine and feminine.
acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
140 x 110 cm
SOLD
Composition (rhythm in green)2025
acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
140 x 110 cm
acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
140 x 110 cm
SOLD
acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
140 x 110 cm
$14,800 framed
ENQUIRE
acrylic on burlap and synthetic fibre
46.5 x 40.5 cm
$3,500 framed
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Petite composition (blue pole)2025
acrylic on burlap and synthetic fibre
46.5 x 40.5 cm
acrylic on burlap and synthetic fibre
46.5 x 40.5 cm
$3,500 framed
ENQUIRE
acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
130 x 162 cm
$18,500
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acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
130 x 110 cm
$13,500
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acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
130 x 100 cm
$14,300 framed
ENQUIRE
acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
130 x 100 cm
$14,300 framed
ENQUIRE
acrylic on burlap and acrylic wool
140.5 x 110 cm
$14,000
ENQUIRE
acrylic on burlap and synthetic fibre
50.2 x 70.2 cm
SOLD
Petite composition (serpents)2025
acrylic on burlap and synthetic fibre
50.2 x 70.2 cm
acrylic on burlap and synthetic fibre
50.2 x 70.2 cm
SOLD
In a world obsessed with the slick and hyperreal, I no longer have any interest in perfection. More than ever, I’m craving what can only be made with a human touch. It’s a kind of resistance, maybe.
Each piece involves many hours of physical labour — tufting by hand, building the surface line by line before the act of painting begins. It’s a repetitive, meditative act that leaves the body tired and the mind clear. There’s something in it that feels primal — as if the work is reaching back as much as it’s reaching forward, tapping into the human impulse to make; to mark time and place with rhythm, colour, and form.
Somewhere between abstraction and language, these shapes have formed slowly; growing over time like the human language, or landscape, or family memory. I don’t know if they’re letters, figures, maps, or moods — maybe all of it. For me they’re like personal hieroglyphs; not to be decoded, but felt. And what I want the viewer to feel more than anything is a sense of comfort and warmth.
I think a lot about cosiness. Not in a stylised way, but in a deeply human sense. The comfort and safety of being somewhere that lets you fully exhale. The act of love in laying a blanket over someone or gifting something hand-made or knitted. This show is about that kind of warmth; about physical and emotional safety, and the comforting imperfect mess of being human.
Ces McCully, 2025
Ces McCully
Born 1982, Melbourne, Australia
Lives and works in Southern France
EDUCATION
2005
- Bachelor of Contemporary Arts, Deakin University, Australia
SOLOS, PROJECTS & JOINT SHOWS
2025
- 'Home to home', Edwina Corlette, Brisbane
2024
- ‘Suns and daughters’, Rhodes Contemporary Art Gallery, England
2023
- ‘Desde el fondo de un naufragio’, joint show, Galeria Herrero de Tejada, Spain
- ‘Heroes & Villains’, PIERMARQ*, Sydney
- 'Safe Space', NBB Gallery, Germany
2022
- 'More than this', Breach, Miami, USA
- 'Mary and Me', Rhodes Contemporary Art Gallery, England
2021
- Art Basel, basketball court artwork for John Marquez family collection, Miami, USA
- 'Strange like me', PIERMARQ*, Sydney
- 'There's never been a better time', Mars Gallery, Melbourne
2020
- 'Figuration/Abstraction', joint museum show, Kunstbygningen, Denmark
- 'Mongrel', PIERMARQ*, Sydney
2019
- Residency, Andenken Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 'Me and You and You and You', joint show, Andenken Gallery, Netherlands
- 'A cure for melancholy', solo show / carte blanche, Galerie 42b, France
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2025
- Sydney Contemporary Art Fair with Edwina Corlette
2024
- 'PLS ASAP', Fabien Castanier Gallery, Miami, USA
- The Armory Show with Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, USA
- 'Raw', group show, Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, USA
- 'Summer Games', Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, USA
2023
- Untitled Art Fair with PIERMARQ* Gallery, Miami, USA
- 'Papier', Delphian Gallery, England
- '13-A-Dozen', Galleri Sandberg, Netherlands
- 'Meeting Point', Galerie Slika, France
- 'Crossing', Lorin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2022
- 'What's your dream', Galerie Zberro, France
- London Art Fair with Rhodes Contemporary Art Gallery, England
- 'Breath', Mozuku Gallery, Taiwan
2021
- 'Paperworks Vol I & II’, NBB Gallery, Germany
- 'Wahllokal', Helium Cowboy, Germany
- 'Brindar con extranõs, Part 2', Galerie Trinta, Spain
2020
- 'Phoenix', Rompone Gallery, Germany
- 'Assume the position', Von Fraunberg Art Gallery, Germany
- 'Paper works', PIERMARQ*, Sydney
- 'Behind closed doors', Helium Cowboy, Germany
- Auckland Art Fair with PIERMARQ*, New Zealand
2019
- 'Delphian X Guts', Delphian Gallery & Guts Gallery, London
- Taipei Art Fair with Bluerider Art Gallery, Taiwan
- 'Untitled', Bluerider Art Gallery, Taiwan
- 'Melbourne comes to Sydney', Home@735 Gallery, Sydney
2018
- 'A little Christmas tree', Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
- 'Marching through the fields', Warbling Collective, England
- 'Presence', Curatorial & Co, Sydney
2017
- 'Origins', Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne
COLLECTIONS
Moco Museum, The Netherlands
Private collections in Australia and Internationally
PUBLICATIONS
2019
- Inside Out Magazine, Australia
2018
- Elle Decoration Magazine, Denmark
- Real Living Magazine, Australia
- Inside Out Magazine, Australia
- 'Yellow', Lula Magazine, Japan, Issue #8
- Gael Magazine, Belgium