MELBOURNE.- Tolarno Galleries has now opened Brendan Huntley’s new exhibition of paintings and sculpture, True to Life. Huntley’s seventh show with Tolarno encompasses six ‘cocoon heads’ made with white raku, glaze and slip, a large (near 100) cluster of palm-sized ‘pinheads’ also in clay, and 10 paintings. Each cocoon head features a butterfly or a moth sprouting forth as an imaginative headpiece, signifying self-discovery and the acceptance of change.

“The cocoon heads are self-portraits, in a way, as there is a strong autobiographical element in my work, but I also like to think of them as guardians,” says Huntley.

Taught to work with clay from an early age by his mother, professional potter Italia Huntley, Brendan Huntley’s sophisticated approach sees him utilise a range of materials and techniques to realise his earthy, shape-shifting creations.

“I make the cocoon heads in modular states, with three on the go simultaneously,” he explains.

“I incorporate wheel-thrown vessels with lots of hand-building, and I swap, add and remove sections – it’s a bit like Frankenstein. I need to feel as though they’ve almost formed themselves, which allows for spontaneity.”

Bursting with vitality, the sculptures appear ready to take flight. Arrayed as a constellation on one wall, the pinheads are the product of an end-of-day ritual that ensures no leftover clay is wasted.

“I’ve been making these since 2015 and they are my little process point,” he says.

“They’re good for when you want to make something but you’re tired and don’t want to get too physical. They fit in the palm of my hand – you can see the imprint. They’re almost like a palm reading,” he laughs.

Huntley uses an assortment of stamps both bespoke and readymade (seed pods, pen lids, pebbles) to mould the clay; sometimes he draws into it with a needle.




“I don’t get caught up in whether they’re ‘working’ or not, because they’re so small. It’s intuitive.”

Huntley’s pinheads informed the paintings, which cleverly situate themselves at the threshold of representation and abstraction, beguiling the viewer with their formal ambiguity. Look closer and you begin to see that they are macro portraits of a section of a pinhead set against a background of vivid patterns borrowed from the butterfly and moth wings. Through careful composition, Huntley finds the sweet spot where visual legibility meets delight. Textured and tactile, the paintings have the hypnotic focus of a mandala.

“I want the eye to get lost and wander around rather than just immediately recognise that this is a head,” he says.

Brendan Huntley

Born in Frankston, Melbourne in 1982, Brendan Huntley works across sculpture, painting and drawing. He has been exhibiting since 2004 and joined Tolarno in 2011.

Huntley was selected for Primavera at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney in 2013, Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne in 2014 and the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Dark Heart at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide in 2014, curated by Dr Nick Mitzevich.

In 2023 Huntley and Melbourne fashion label Alpha60 collaborated on Sense of Direction, an exhibition held at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne featuring paintings, sculpture, monotypes, rugs and clocks.

Huntley’s work is in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, British Museum, Artbank, Monash University Museum of Art, Shepparton Art Gallery and University of Queensland Art Museum, and in international private and corporate collections.

Huntley is also the lead singer of cult punk band Eddy Current Suppression Ring, which he formed with three friends in 2003. The band has released four albums to date, scored three ARIA nominations and was awarded the Australian Music Prize in 2009.

Tolarno Galleries
Brendan Huntley: True to Life
August 12th, 2023 - September 2nd, 2023