Clare Dubina ‘Time Will Tell’

Clare Dubina (b.1977 UK) is a multi disciplinary artist located in Naarm (Melbourne), holding a BFA in Printmaking from the University of The Arts, Philadelphia USA. Since graduating, in 2001, Dubina has moved through various creative roles within fashion photography and visual merchandising, redirecting her path in 2020 back to painting and ceramics to pursue art as a full time career. Clare draws on the female form as an ever evolving source of inspiration in her art practice, which had led to collaborations with iconic Australian brands such as Viktoria & Woods, Tigmi Trading, Bed Threads, along with notable press features by Hunter&Folk and The Design Files. In 2023, Clare successfully participated in two duo shows and several group shows, with this exhibition marking her first solo with a gallery. Clare’s works sit amongst private collections within Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom.

With this collection, my artistic exploration continues to hinge upon the female figure, inspired by the abstractions of it’s shapes, forms and negative spaces. I aim to convey the essence of femininity by capturing the strength, vulnerability, and complexity through a fusion of colour, line and design.

One of the most frequently asked questions of me is how long it takes to complete a painting, which continued to inexplicably weigh heavily on my mind as a negative connotation and an insecurity. Most things and experiences seem to be measured by the amount of time spent, and as an artist, hearing that question somehow made me feel that the work is being judged in the same manner. Delving into the interplay between creation and duration, I decided to challenge the notion that artistic value lies solely in the hours invested. Beyond the hands of the clock, I have been exploring the significance of the creative process, aiming to embrace the profound beauty found in the outcome and within the essence of the art. By relinquishing the need for a predetermined destination, my work becomes an ever-evolving narrative- a testament to the liberating power of leaning into the unknown.

Guided by the mantra ‘Time will tell”, I shifted from one piece to another, not focusing on completion, but allowing the pieces to evolve as a journey, and not as a destination. My work reveals a palette chosen not by reason, but by emotion and unbridled instinct, and can therefore almost be expected to change within the hour or day, leaving behind any noted completion times.