Bus Projects’ space in Melbourne is a prime example of the direct influence an environment can have upon a work of art. The gallery’s warren-like rooms were dimly lit for Bonnie Lane’s recent exhibition Into the Dark, which featured a series of projections ranging from the mundane to the saccharine – spectral curtains billowed, little girls skipped.
Lane’s projections aimed to explore the intermediary state between childhood and adulthood, though some – like a work featuring a young girl smearing her face with makeup – seemed laboured in their approach. In one room however, was a projection arresting in its simplicity. In a darkened recess, a young girl floated in sleep, a soft breeze tousling her hair. She was captivating. But what arguably gave the work its edge was the influence of its immediate environment. The grimy, subterranean room in which the child was projected evoked a sense of foreboding not found in a white cube context. While this work was conceived exclusively for Bus Projects, one can’t help but wonder if its power would be diluted should it be shown elsewhere…
Bonnie Lane’s exhibition Into the Dark closed on May 28.
Leg of Lamb 