Art / The Place We Feel Most Us, Ray Monde. At Tyger Gallery, Yass. Until June 7. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY

Ray Monde’s exhibition at the Tyger Gallery in Yass addresses human connection through nature, and with a smart entrepreneurial concept, he hopes to attract new art collectors.

The show, which opened on May 24, has three of Monde’s ghost-worked collage pieces on sale to new collectors on a “pay what you can” basis. This concept hopes to draw in art lovers to become the next generation of art collectors. Monde’s works would be a good place to start.

Monde, a collage artist, has been a finalist in several prestigious art prizes, including the Blake Prize (2020, 2022), Paddington Art Prize (2021, 2024), Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize (2020), and National Works on Paper Prize (2020, 2022).

His original design concept is quite striking in this exhibition. They are all collage works made of synthetic polymer paint and magazine tear-outs, but the most interesting aspect of these works is the choice of colours for his palette, which did remind me of the way Albert Namatjira uses colour to add an extended story to his art.

The pastel and earthy hues put nature in a co-state of real life and human invention. The idea blends well to make for something original beyond the design aspect.

Then there are the paper tear-outs. They don’t just make the text appear as a ghost image; they act as shapes and contours found in nature. He supplements these collage aspects by shaping them into patterns and forms that can be seen in the landscape.

Another interesting aspect of these works is the placement of little human figures doing various things like swimming and sitting high up on a cliff. This creates a connection among humans who share nature, which builds an intimacy between each other.

They are quite fun works, too. The vivid colours lend themselves to an amusing brightness that exudes from every painting. In most, the human figures seem to be in conversation, as the painter is in conversation with the viewer, creating a bond that forms through a shared connection of art, nature, and dialogue.

The shapes formed by hand-tearing the paper and over-painting create a partial graphic representation. All are highly crafted works that make a viewer feel at ease.

It would be a simple thing to imagine yourself in the position of the figures in his landscapes. There’s a strong sense of freedom and openness that comes from seeing these works up close. They are well worth the 45-minute trip from Canberra to see these 20-plus artworks in the Tyger Gallery in Yass.