For several years, my work has explored the relationship between opposing forces such as hard and soft, masculine and feminine, or concepts of the self and other. Rather than viewing these polarities as fixed opposites, I’m interested in the spaces where they overlap, creating a kind of third thing.
The paintings in Holding the Centre continue this investigation through a language of assembled forms that sit somewhere between bodies, symbols and architecture. Individual forms, textures and colours push and pull against each other, fighting to advance. The tension between the opposing elements plays a productive role, whereby meaning emerges through relationships, much like Josef Albers’ colour explorations.
My search for balance remains central to the work. It is a game, almost a musical exercise, where I’ve built my own rules and parameters, and harmony is created through the continual negotiation of opposing forces. Some decisions cannot be reversed, and must be resolved only through subsequent moves.
The title reflects an idea that has become increasingly important to me in recent years. We are living in a time characterised by fragmentation, where certainty is often found at the extremes. The middle ground can appear to be weak or difficult to maintain, but it’s precisely this space between opposing positions that interests me. The possibility that we might make better sense together than we do apart.
Ces McCully, 2026
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.
McCully's practice spans painting and sculpture, characterised by a dynamic interplay between abstraction and figuration. Her work explores the psychological and emotional resonances of the human form, often dissolving bodily structures into fluid, gestural fields of colour and line. Through this process, McCully creates compositions that hover between presence and absence, inviting a contemplative engagement with states of vulnerability, intimacy, and transformation.
Working with a distinctive visual language, McCully employs layered mark-making and a nuanced palette to evoke both corporeal and atmospheric sensations. Her paintings frequently suggest fragmented or shifting figures, where boundaries between body and environment become porous. This ambiguity allows for multiple readings, positioning the viewer within a space of emotional and perceptual openness.
McCully holds a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts from Deakin University.
Ces McCully
Born 1982, Melbourne, Australia
Lives and works in Southern France
COLLECTIONS
Moco Museum, Amsterdam
Moco Museum, London
Private collections in Australia and Internationally
EDUCATION
2005
Bachelor of Contemporary Arts, Deakin University, Australia
SOLOS, PROJECTS & JOINT SHOWS
2026
'Holding the Centre', Edwina Corlette, Brisbane
'Bathers', Etesian Gallery, Menorca, Spain
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
Edwina Corlette Gallery is pleased to announce Home to Home, Ces McCully’s debut solo exhibition with the gallery. Presenting seven new works, the exhibition reflects the vision of the Australian artist, now living and working in the south of France. McCully’s practice delves into the paradoxes of human experience, navigating the spaces between psychological and physical, masculine and feminine, and hard and soft, expressed through minimal forms, geometric structures, and recurring symbols.
Her work explores themes of female relationships and identity, combining textile and paint to create pieces that are tactile and visually striking. Often referred to as her ‘soft paintings,’ McCully embeds wool into raw canvas to form three-dimensional surfaces before painting over them, uniting opposing forces and reflecting on the balance between masculine and feminine, rigidity and fluidity.
Her first solo exhibition with the gallery, 'Home to Home', will run from 8–28 October, presenting a compelling body of work that reflects on contemporary culture, technology, and social dynamics through her signature interplay of form, texture, and abstraction.
