For Ann Debono, representational paintings are uniquely paradoxical objects. Her paintings meld realism with abstraction to explore the condition of an image as it stands in relation to the visible world. For Debono, visible phenomena around her seem to fluctuate between two poles: of latency and potency, silence and speech, illegibility and legibility, without ever touching and fusing with either extreme. Her choice of imagery exemplifies this fluctuation: a shattered window-pane, photos from a book or marks on a concrete footpath, all vying for precedence. As the viewer’s eye navigates these compositions the artist questions their reflections on what is significant in the world. Debono’s paintings also provide a glimpse into the artists process of viewing, and the aesthetic potentiality of imagery she observes in her everyday environment. These paintings attempt to transmit an image of the world as a field of infinite regression of images behind images through which some spectral ‘real’ is evacuating.

Select solo exhibitions: Bypass Blue Abyss, Metro Arts, Brisbane, 2024; Sieve See, Gertrude Glasshouse, Melbourne, 2022; Diachronic, Sutton Gallery, 2020; Crease and Increase, Sutton Gallery at Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne, 2018; Awled, Sutton Projects, Melbourne, 2017; Dehiscence, KINGS ARI, Melbourne, 2016; Upaithric, CAVES Gallery, Melbourne, 2015.

Select group exhibitions: The Gardener’s Ellipse, CAVES, Melbourne, 2024; XXX: Celebrating 30 years of Sutton Gallery, Sutton Gallery, Melbourne, 2022; The Sun at Midnight, Hellenic Museum, Melbourne, 2022; Bayside Art Prize, Bayside Gallery, Melbourne, 2022; Gertrude Studios 2021: If Not At Arm’s Length, Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, 2021; Spring 1885 Art Fair, Sutton Gallery Satellite exhibition, Melbourne, 2021; December Mostra, The British School at Rome, Rome, 2018; Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, Geelong Gallery, Geelong, 2018; Crocodility, Bundoora Homestead, Melbourne, 2018; Bayside Art Prize Bayside Gallery, Melbourne, 2017; Painting Revealed, Sutton Projects, Melbourne, 2015.