Silke Raetze

Quiet Play

1 - 12 October 2025

Opening Night

Friday 3 October | 6 - 8 pm

G1

Artist Statement

Silke Raetze’s artistic practice is constantly evolving, guided by her curiosity and desire to explore various themes and philosophies. The concept or idea is always the starting point, and finding the right medium to express it becomes the solution. This leads her to work with a diverse range of techniques, including collage, painting, stitching, drawing, and assemblage.

Drawing inspiration from the simplest things—whether it’s a collection of shapes, a child’s toy, or the rain. Raetze will frequently return to the core idea, undergoing a process of rigorous simplification to distill its essence.

Minimalism has a strong influence on Raetze’s practice, both in her work and in daily life. When working she returns to the question: What is essential in a painting? The answer is often found by removing rather than adding. This process of editing creates a dynamic tension and ultimately a dialogue with the work.

By reducing forms and shapes to simplify compositions, and limit the color palette, this approach paradoxically brings a sense of freedom, achieving  balance and harmony by  finding beauty in the quiet elegance of simplicity.

Artist Biography

Silke Raetze is a Sydney-based artist whose diverse and evolving practice spans painting, drawing, and mixed media. A graduate of the National Art School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she was awarded a prestigious residency at Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon the following year, marking the beginning of a dynamic career in the Australian contemporary art scene.

Raetze has exhibited widely in solo and curated exhibitions across Australia. In 2009, she undertook a transformative painting and weaving residency in Peppimenarti, a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory, where she worked alongside renowned artists such as Regina Wilson and Patsy Marfura. This experience deeply influenced her artistic approach, expanding her engagement with texture, materiality, and storytelling.

In 2010, Raetze explored her passion for natural history as an Artist in Residence at the Australian Museum, contributing to the museum’s Birds of Paradise exhibition. Her work has since been recognized in numerous prestigious art prizes, including the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, the Gosford Art Prize, the Waverley Art Prize, the Duke Art Prize, the Hazelhurst Works on Paper Award, the Swan Hill Drawing Award, and the John Olsen Prize for Drawing.

She has also been featured in significant curated exhibitions such as Southerly Buster at Hazelhurst Gallery (curated by Daniel Mudie Cunningham), Slipstitch at Tweed Regional Gallery (curated by Dr. Belinda von Mengersen), Hands-On: Craft in Contemporary Art (curated by Cash Brown), Private Assembly at Tweed Regional Gallery (curated by Susi Muddiman), and Out of the Darkness at Gallerysmith in Melbourne.

Her works are held in regional collections, including Swan Hill Gallery, Warrnambool Art Gallery, and Ararat Gallery in Victoria. Though formally trained in painting, Raetze’s practice now incorporates a broad range of mediums and techniques, reflecting her ongoing exploration of form, texture, and narrative within contemporary art.

Contact
Phone : (03) 9482 3550
mail@redgallery.com.au

Address
157 St Georges Rd
Fitzroy North, Victoria, 3068
Map

How to get here
Tram: Route 11
Stop 21 just north of Edinburgh Gardens

Melway Ref: 30B12
Parking in nearby streets

Bus: 504 (Reid Street)