The former Chincogan Mowers workshop will host Brent Hallard’s latest solo exhibition, Colour

Orbs, debuting at the recently opened Garage Gallery, run by the Byron Community College.

The exhibition brings together paintings from three distinct title groups: Mullum Orbs, Snapper

Orbs, and Saturn Orbs, spanning a range of scales.

Though composed of nested squares, these paintings carry the presence of an orb: something

luminous, concentrated and spatial. The square acts as the structure — the container — while the

colour fields generate a sense of radiance.

Hallard’s Colour Orbs have been described as moving in similar aesthetic territory to Josef

Albers’ Homage to the Square, while taking a very different position. As one recent review

observed, Albers’ works were studies in colour theory and complementary relationships, whereas

Hallard’s works “almost do the opposite, exploring the distance between colours.”

Art historian and critic Christopher Heathcote noted Hallard’s fascination with how adjacent

colours interact, describing several of the Orbs as “exquisite to behold” while admitting

frustration at not knowing what lay behind the decisions. Hallard is comfortable leaving that question open.

The paintings invite the viewer to look beyond their rigid edges into a perceptual space where

colour operates as light. Individually precise, the works also begin to interact across the gallery,

creating a larger field of colour and spatial tension.

The exhibition marks a compelling collision of local history. Where grease, gears and small

engines once defined the space, Brent Hallard’s meticulous works introduce a different

kind of machinery — one of colour, perception and visual interaction.

From pistons to perception. Colour Orbs

Brent Hallard

Garage Gallery, Byron Community College

(Former Chincogan Mowers)

4 Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby

7th ~11th October Refreshments: Thursday 8th, 5 ~ 7 pm