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Holly Anderson in her Meanjin/Brisbane Studio. Portrait ny James Caswell. -
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A luminous path.
Some Things Too Bright to See marks Holly Anderson’s first solo museum exhibition. This new body of work centres on her long-standing fascination with the glitter path – the fleeting line of reflected sunlight that shifts and moves with the viewer across bodies of water.
Treating the glitter path as an optical event rather than a fixed part of the landscape, Anderson explores moments of brightness so vivid they seem to meet our gaze. These paintings invite the viewer into a space where perception becomes physical and deeply felt, as light flattens depth, dissolves form and reveals our own position within the scene.
A defining concept in this series is Anderson’s belief that these glittering reflections behave like “a body that faces me.” This framing shifts the viewer’s understanding of light from passive observation to active relationship. Instead of watching the sea shimmer, the viewer is positioned as being met by it. Through this perspective, Anderson encourages a reconsideration of perception itself: seeing becomes an interaction, a moment of recognition between environment and self.Light, in Anderson’s hands, becomes physical. The pieces suggest that light is something we not only witness but feel, something that touches us as much as we touch it with our gaze. By emphasizing this physicality, Holly draws viewers into a sensory experience that extends beyond the canvas. Her work underscores how deeply intertwined our bodies are with the natural world, especially in moments of stillness where attention rests fully on shimmering detail.One of the most striking qualities of the collection is its ability to transform fleeting moments into sustained contemplation. Sunlight on water is an event that lasts only seconds, shifting with every ripple, yet Anderson captures its essence in a way that feels timeless. Her work elevates these brief encounters into spaces for reflection, inviting the viewer to linger, breathe, and experience the quiet expansiveness that the ocean offers.Taken together, Some Things Too Bright To See becomes more than a series of seascapes and interiors — it is an exploration of how light, body, and environment intertwine to shape human experience. Anderson’s ability to draw out the infinite from the everyday encourages viewers to notice the delicate brilliance that surrounds them. Through this series, she not only captures the shimmer of sunlight on water but also reveals how much beauty exists in moments that are often too bright, too brief, or too quiet to fully see.Words by N.Smith
