Second sight

Dup exhibition by Ruby Bovill and Kerry Males 

Lupine Studio, Naarm / Melbourne
June 2025

View catalogue here: Second sight catalogue of works




‘Transference’, acrylic on canvas, 101 X 76cm

In her latest body of work, emerging artist and art therapist Ruby Bovill continues to
use painting as a way to connect with her creativity, her unconscious self, and the
natural world. Known for her use of soft layering to create vibrant abstractions of
nature - in this new body of work Bovill plays with the tension between foreground and
background as well as positive and negative space - creating illusions that stretch
within and beyond the edges of the canvas. The lens of art therapy has profoundly
shaped Bovill’s creative process, transforming it into a practice of internal discovery,
healing, and self-understanding. Her paintings capture the essence of being in a
nature, offering viewers an insight into Bovill’s internal world and an opportunity to feel
connected themselves - even within urban spaces.

It’s deeply important to Bovill to acknowledge the traditional and true owners of the
land on which she lives and works—the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin
Nation—and to recognise that sovereignty was never ceded. Whilst Bovill explores her
own relationship with nature through art, she makes clear that the connection to
Country held by First Nations communities carries a far greater cultural significance.
Bovill acknowledges that as a white settler, navigating this has been a challenge.
Through a journey of self-acceptance and personal growth via art therapy, Bovill has
been able to honour her own connection to nature while also acknowledging First
Nations communities’ connection to Country as two different experiences existing
simultaneously.

‘Unfolding’, acrylic on canvas, 101 X 76cm

‘Intuitive sense’, acrylic on canvas, 101 X 76cm

‘I am safe’, acrylic on canvas, 101 X 76cm

‘Her undoing’, acrylic on canvas, 101 X 76cm




‘Remnants’, acrylic on canvas, 101 X 76cm