Scott Elk / DUSK+DUST: The Denouement – Drawing Together the Strands of Grief

The denouement is the final chapter of any story or journey, where the plot strands are drawn together. This exhibition marks the denouement of artist Scott Elk's journey through the stages of grief, drawing together all its strands, which began in December 2022 with the passing of his father. However, it also symbolises the beginning of solace, acceptance, and celebration of a well-lived life. A multidisciplinary artist, Scott works in drawing, ceramics, painting, and music. He describes his entire practice as working through his emotions and thoughts. After his father passed away, Scott used his art to process his grief. The outcome of this process is this exhibition—a Requiem for his father.

Scott conducts this poignant and sombre Requiem using each artistic medium as an instrument in his orchestra. This visual arrangement is accompanied by a three-part soundscape that encourages visitors to listen as they experience the exhibition.

Scott describes his father as a man who never fit into the world the way he was expected to. He was a deeply religious man, and music was his love. He played in bands and taught drums throughout his life. Scott connected with his father in adulthood, bonding over their shared love of music. Before he passed away, Scott was able to record his father clicking his drumsticks. You can hear these drumsticks, along with his father’s voice in the soundscapes.

In his Requiem for his father, drawing serves as the melody, ceramics as the harmony, and painting as the rhythm. Each serves as a stage in this transition of grief through the accompanying soundscapes. “A transitional journey" is how Scott describes the soul's transition from life into the ether. This mirrors Scott's journey from leaving Sydney for an opportunity in Idaho to continue his artistic studies and to teach art, while creating this series of works about his father, ultimately culminating in this exhibition.

Drawing as Melody

Soundscape: Movement I – Dusk + Dust

The Requiem begins with drawing as the melody. This drawing melody provides the emotional and narrative core of the requiem. In Scott's hands, drawing becomes the melodic line that threads through the exhibition, expressed through the black swirling lines and marks on wallpaper that encompasses the entire space. Scott uses black acrylic, a rag, and his hands to draw on the unused 1960s wallpaper covering the gallery walls. Like the violin in an orchestra, the drawing evokes emotion with its delicate lines and shading, revealing Scott’s emotional loss and longing. The exhibition becomes a large drawing, with paintings and ceramics acting as visual notes. The ceramics and paintings laid over the large wallpaper drawing punctuate the swirling black mass of grief. Yet, even in ceramics and paintings, the essence of drawing melody is inscribed on them as well. Drawing has long been linked to the genesis of thought and forms the foundation of Scott’s practice. At his father's passing, he began by drawing the sound of his drumsticks. The sound of these drumsticks then formed the start of the first soundscape movement titled Movement I - Dust + Dust. In this piece, you can hear the first stages of grief, the denial and anger, and the pain that comes with the first shock of grief.

Ceramics as Harmony

Soundscape: Movement II + III – Descent into Darkness.

Ceramics provide the grounding harmony in Elk's Requiem. The ceramic harmony provides the foundation and context for the drawing melody. They are the earthy bass notes that anchor his emotions, shaping tangible objects in the form of the funeral urn and kantharos. Each ceramic piece with bass notes echoes his father's presence, solidifying his memories into enduring forms. Ceramic funeral urns on black plinths frame the entrance to the exhibition. In the centre of the exhibition, on the largest plinth, stands the Dust and Dusk Kantharos (2024). A kantharos is an ancient Greek drinking cup that symbolises rebirth and resurrection. This kantharos, with its winged metal bronze victory trophy wings, stands as a celebration of Scott's father, reborn in winged glory. Behind the central totem on the back wall is a central funeral urn topped with a black crucifix, serving as an altarpiece for Scott’s father. The urn is flanked by the Ascension Procession (2024) stoneware ceramic plates. The central plate depicts Scott’s father’s soul rising up, accompanied by swirling patterns on the surrounding plates. As you leave, the final small urn on the right represents the diminishing of grief. The second soundscape, titled Descent into Darkness, portrays the stages of bargaining and depression that come with grief.

Painting as Rhythm

Soundscape: Movement IV – Dawn + Stardust

Painting, like the rhythmic pulse of percussion, adds depth and intensity to Elk's requiem. Through bold strokes and vibrant colours, the painting captures grief's emotional ups and downs, marking the passage of time and the intensity of feeling. Rhythm provides the framework and energy that propels the Requiem forward. Flanking both walls are both huge and very small paintings. As you enter on the left, you'll see a series of medium and small paintings depicting Australian and Idaho landscapes.

Further along the path, you'll see the enormous painting Deluge Diptych (2024), featuring a red flood-like Australian landscape sliced with a large black diagonal mass. Beyond this landscape, we encounter another large diptych titled The Mourners Diptych (2024), in which the three black charcoal trees symbolise Scott and his two siblings in mourning. This dark trinity of melancholic siblings separated from the other trees in their grief. On the opposing wall, Dusk (2024), a landscape is paired with the Snow Hydra Urn (2024). It is filled with cotton tree branches resembling snow and linking the Australian landscape with snowy Idaho. Finally, the largest painting, titled Denouement Triptych (2024), features a screen print of a man in the final panel, symbolising Scott overcoming his grief and reaching a place of acceptance and celebration. This acceptance and love for his father is warmly felt in the final soundscape titled Dawn + Stardust, with his father perhaps at peace visually in the starry sky.

Together, the drawing melody, ceramic harmony, and painting rhythm form a cohesive whole, influencing each other's development and contributing to the overall Requiem’s power. Underpinning them are all three original musical soundscapes by Scott Elk, who serves as the conductor of his artistic orchestra. These compositions invite visitors to immerse themselves fully in Elk's emotional journey, offering a temporal experience that transcends visual art alone. Like a conductor guiding an ensemble, Elk's music weaves together the thematic elements of his grief, guiding listeners through sorrow to acceptance and, ultimately, celebration.

 Conclusion: A Requiem in Art

DUSK + DUST: THE DENOUEMENT is more than an exhibition; it is a requiem in art for a father, a testament to love and loss, and a journey towards healing and understanding. Scott Elk's vulnerability and courage in sharing his personal odyssey invites us all to reflect on our relationships with grief. No two people share grief in the same way; each person's grief is unique. However, the emotion of grief itself is universal. As the curator, I interviewed Scott on the anniversary of my own brother's passing. In exploring and talking with Scott about his own journey, I reflected on my own love for my brother and was deeply moved. More than an artist’s father, the exhibition is about love and loss itself. Grief is the price of love. Scott’s body of work shows us that no matter how dark the night of grief is, it is followed by a dawn of acceptance, resonating long after the final note fades.