In a symphonic display for I SAW the LIGHT, Nell presents an expansive nine-panel ‘AUSTRALIA’ painting emblazoned in the iconic AC/DC font; a vintage Gibson guitar mummified as a modern relic; incandescent ghosts and neon sun rays in tribute to the iconic ‘birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll’, Sun Studio in Memphis.

The exhibition title is a melodious reference to the 1948 song of the same title by Hank Williams, which played on repeat in the artist’s studio throughout 2020 as a form of cathartic anthem. Providing a constant source of joy, music is the underlying rhythm through which Nell’s practice flows. In an almost synaesthetic association, Nell retains an acoustic memory of songs she has played in the studio during the production of specific works and exhibitions. Williams’ song in particular marks a poignant transition for the artist and guiding light toward new unfoldings.

Nell’s practice has long danced with luminescence and shadow, sound and silence as universal binaries that connect light with dark, day with night and life with death. Often presented in the form of musical objects, lightning bolts, sun rays and sunsets, Nell’s works excite an emotional resonance. For Nell, these oppositional forces speak to a spiritualism present in the ritual of the everyday. Between these dichotomies exists the present moment.

In Australia, unrelenting sunlight and blazing heat are a part of the national psyche. Australia's relationship to the sun has developed social and cultural distinctions that set the country apart from many others in the world. In I SAW the LIGHT, Nell questions what it means to be an artist practising in such extreme conditions, and how people, climate, soil and geography affects the cultural production of a specific place.