Julie Scifo: Wonderland

Penrith Regional Gallery is proud to present the first solo exhibition by Western Sydney artist, Julie Scifo. Wonderland explores the emotional, physical and memory landscapes of Penrith through the eyes and recollections of Scifo. Raised in Penrith during the 1980s and 90s, Scifo recalls the recent history of Penrith through a healthy mixture of personal memory and pop cultural reference.  

Drawing on the artists background in street art and zines, Wonderland is equal parts autobiography, speculative fiction and mash-up, combining references from 90s American TV and movies, as well as those closer to home.  

Wonderland nods to the now defunct amusement park once at Eastern Creek as well as a proposition from the artist to reconsider our everyday surrounds as spaces of the uncanny and uncommon. Here, BMX Bandits collide with WESTPAC tote bags, all at the base of the Blue Mountains. Side note: the final chase sequence of the Eponymous Nicole Kidman was filmed in Penrith.  

Beginning with traditional forms and materials (landscapes and portraits on canvas), Scifo makes a sharp departure into the world of technicolour dreams and memories.