The paradox of awe

Solo show 2025
Curatorial & Co. Sydney

view available works through Curatorial & Co. here

The paradox of Awe

My paintings start long before I enter the studio. They begin in the moments I spend immersed between the landscapes of my two homelands in Wadawurrung Country on Victoria’s Surf Coast, and in Pyemmairrener Country on the east coast of Tasmania.

I actively avoid working en plein air or from photographs as I’m not trying to mirror what I am engaging with, instead I am representing how I feel when I am in the environment.
The Paradox of Awe marks a new phase in my life—one that differs from my last series which was created through a transition of change and grief. In this series, rather than paintings of the night sky, I have chosen to represent daytime scenes that capture the feeling of awakening that is experienced in a sunrise, and the rejuvenation of its rays warming your back.

I explore the paradoxical nature of awe: the ephemeral; sublime moments in nature that simultaneously inspire hope and fear; strength and fragility; insignificance and transcendence. These moments hold a tension; an acute awareness of being small within something vast which I seek to translate into dreamlike, symbolic landscapes. I recently felt this awe when witnessing the Aurora Australis from my front doorstep. As I watched the sky bathed in a dance of wild pink, I felt enveloped by the grandeur and beauty of nature and, in this moment, I realised just how small I felt—small like the specks of seashells in my paintings.

Last year, a dramatic and impressive storm swept over the sea, leaving in its wake a scattering of dying bees on the shore. I spent the morning trying to save them, gently placing survivors on the marram grass. These encounters, of sublime beauty entangled with sorrow, are the emotional heart of my practice and, as I paint, the mark-making process itself transmutes akin to meditation—a way to process both the ache of the earth and the hope that persists in moments of connection.

The loose acrylic layers ground compositional elements that represent the expanse of a universal and imagined place, anchored by a vast sky and a serenity of the ocean. These dreamlike, surreal scenes are punctuated by intricate, rich brush strokes that articulate symbols: bright yellow wattles as an ode to my beloved aunt; a drift of seashells in ancient cliffs as a marker of deep time; and daytime stars a reminder that we are part of a broader universe, one that is expansive and consuming even when we can’t see it with our own eyes.

Ultimately, my work seeks to evoke awe as a transformative emotion; one that offers space for reflection, belonging, and connection. It is a call to remember our place within nature’s intricate and fragile web, to hold both the heartbreak and the wonder, and to find meaning in the moments where time, memory, and the land converge. The Paradox of Awe.


INGRID DANIELL, September 2025

I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to all Tasmanian Aboriginal people; the Traditional Owners of
lutruwita (Tasmania) and recognise the palawa continuing connection to Land, Sea, Waterways, Sky and Culture.
I honour and pay my deepest respect to Elders, past and present, whose memories, knowledge, hopes and wisdom has and will ensure the continuation of culture and traditional practices of Aboriginal Tasmania.

I also acknowledge and pay my respects to the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the skies, land,
waters and sea country of Wadawurrung Country. I honour and pay my deepest respect to their Elders past, present whose memories, knowledge, hopes and wisdom has and will ensure the continuation of culture and traditional practices of their community.