Bruce Reynolds
ACT b.1955
Habitus, 1994
Linoleum on plywood
152.5 x 220 cm
BCEC Art Collection
Bruce Reynolds has made linoleum a defining material in his practice, treating it as both image and object. Once a ubiquitous flooring material in Australian homes, Reynolds’ use of repurposed ‘lino’ speaks to the architectural and human histories these floors were reclaimed from. He frequently cuts, inlays and collages these pieces of linoleum onto wooden panels to create richly patterned surfaces.
The material’s domestic history and manufactured colour allow Reynolds to reference architecture, memory and labour, while its physical thickness lends his works a sculptural presence. Rather than using linoleum for printmaking, he exploits its tactile and graphic qualities to blur boundaries between painting, relief and construction.
Through linoleum, Reynolds builds ‘paintings’ that are materially grounded, archaeological in spirit and charged with visual rhythm and historical resonance.
Habitus can be viewed on Arbour Level.