Six decades of talent: Retrospective celebrating artist Salvatore Zofrea on show at NSW Parliament

11 April 2022

Sulman-Prize-winning artist Salvatore Zofrea OAM is renowned for his immersive creative works and fluid, ever-changing style – which visitors can see up close and personal right now, in the latest free exhibition to be hosted in NSW Parliament's Fountain Court.

'Luminosity: A Salvatore Zofrea Retrospective' features a selection of bold art from across Salvatore's six-decade career, and is open at 6 Macquarie Street, Sydney on weekdays from 9am to 5pm until 28 April 2022. A virtual recreation of the exhibition can also be seen at www.bit.ly/luminosity-online.

"To see pieces of my work from all these years together in this exhibition is truly special, and has given even me a greater understanding of myself and my journey," Salvatore said. "I hope visitors will learn a little something about themselves when they come visit, too. I say that when you look at my work, you bring your own experiences to it. Each piece will reveal something different for – and about – the person in front of it."

The exhibition features works from Salvatore's Psalms series, which he began in 1975 and has continued throughout his career, having now painted 105 of the 150 Psalms from the King James Bible in what is considered the largest consecutive series by any Australian artist. Luminosity also features landscapes in a variety of styles and larger-than-life portraits that leap off the Fountain Court walls, all showcasing the ongoing diversity of Salvatore's aesthetic styles and chosen subject matters.

The retrospective has been curated by Rhonda Davis from the Macquarie University Art Gallery, and is complemented by a further showing of the artist's works at the university until 29 May.

"Salvatore has been one of Australia's most prolific and outstanding artists since the 1960s, and has won the Art Gallery of NSW Sulman Prize three times," said Macquarie University Curator Leonard Janiszewski. "Having immigrated to Australia with his family from Italy following Word War II, he was powerfully self-driven to pursue an artistic career, and has never stopped following his heart when it comes to style and technique. This is what makes his work so exciting to view."

The exhibition at NSW Parliament is being hosted by Member for Canterbury Sophie Cotsis, who said visitors can expect to be wowed by the works on display. "The sheer sizes of the pieces alone can take your breath away. There is colour, there is vibrancy and there is fun, but many of the works also invite you to reflect on the human condition, with Salvatore conveying his own philosophical insights and inviting you to explore your own."

For more information on visiting the exhibition at NSW Parliament, and for details on the further exhibition at Macquarie University, visit www.bit.ly/about-luminosity. Members of the public are also invited to attend a special poetry reading with one of Australia’s leading poets, Geoffrey Lehmann, in celebration of the exhibition on 13 April, 1-2pm in the NSW Parliament Theatrette.