In 'odes to ephemera' emerging artists Vittoria Cugno, Emma Lynes and Molly Morris-McGinty collaborate to express intangible ways of relating to the world.
Using the materiality of paint to suspend moments in time, the artists consider the empowering states of slowness and mindfulness in an ever-consuming, fast-paced capitalist context.
Emma Lynes is an emerging artist living and working in Naarm/Melbourne who completed her Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Honours) in 2024. Lynes works primarily in oils and gouache to explore the expressive possibilities of the space between abstraction and representation. Seeking inspiration from the natural environment, Lynes lets the slow painting process guide her to reflect upon the beauty that exists within the minutiae of the everyday. Lynes reflects upon her internal landscape to draw out her experience of close observation and expand upon feelings of reverence and connection felt within a present moment. With natural colour palettes, her work is informed by the sublime, romantic and aesthetic sensibilities.
Molly Morris-McGinty is an emerging painter living and working in Naarm/Melbourne who graduated with a Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) (Honours) at RMIT University in 2024. Morris-McGinty’s work considers alternate ways of seeing as expressed through paint. She creates scenes drawn from night encounters that conjure moments of wonder and quiet reflection from walking alone in the dark. The artist is inspired by the eerie absence of human presence in this setting. She is particularly interested in the interplay between the anxieties of being alone at night as a woman and the contradictory relief of the solitude and stillness it provides in a fast-paced society.
Vittoria Cugno is an emerging artist living and working in Naarm/Melbourne. In 2024, she completed a Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) (Honours) Degree at RMIT University. Cugno specialises in figurative and representational oil paintings. Her practice involves taking snapshots of fleeting, candid, everyday interactions of human connection that develop into large-scale works, expressing a sense of momentariness. Cugno uses vivid colours and experimental painting techniques to express emotion and the sensations experienced in the captured moment, finding reverence for these brief moments amid the chaotic noise of our capitalist world.
Image: Molly Morris-McGinty, nightlight (detail), 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.
RMIT First Site Gallery
RMIT Building 16,
Level 2 (Storey Hall Basement)
City Campus, RMIT University
344 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
T: 03 9925 1717
E: first.site@rmit.edu.au
W: rmit.edu.au/about/culture/first-site-gallery
Opening Hours
(during exhibition periods)
Tuesday – Friday: 11am to 5 pm
Closed public holidays, Saturday – Monday, and RMIT Campus closures.
Entry is Free
The Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV) acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands where our office is located, and all Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and Australia. We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enduring traditions and continuing creative cultures. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
We are an LGBTQIA+ friendly organisation that celebrates diversity. We are committed to providing safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive services for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
