LON Gallery is thrilled to return to the Melbourne Art Fair in 2025, presenting a curated two-person exhibition of works by Stephen Benwell and Jeremy Eaton.

Both queer men living and working in Naarm/ Melbourne, at either end of the career spectrum, each of their practices engage with queer male representation.

For his presentation at the Melbourne Art Fair, Benwell debuts his most ambitious work to date, a two-part installation comprising 63 individual sculptures in ceramic and bronze. This elegant and sophisticated exhibition includes a suite of his iconic statues displayed in concert with groupings of glazed earthenware trees, delicate bronzes and ceramic peacocks, creating spellbinding vistas of classical splendour. Set on tall, slim plinths, the exhibition is an ode to the mantelpiece, which the artist laments are a dying fixture of domestic architecture; a stalwart of the decorative arts for centuries. A vast panorama of modestly-scaled works adorn these two plinths, drawing influence from the grand European palazzos, whose epic gardens are littered with decaying marble statuary and architecture.

A multifaceted approach to ceramics is the bedrock of Benwell's practice, where traditions of sculpture, ceramics and painting converge in delicate harmony.

Jeremy Eaton's presentation for Melbourne art Fair, 'Willow relief' draws on the metaphorical image of the willow tree and Aristide Maillol's sculpture ‘Le Cycliste’ to express moments of relief, reverie and desire. Maillol's sculpture is reimagined as a spectral figure in vibrant, layered and patterned images as a wanderer in a garden. Viewed through curtains or thickets, the figure appears suspended in states of pause and contemplation.

'Willow relief' continues Eaton’s exploration of the metaphysical qualities of light, colour and materiality through his sensitive and distinctive approach to printmaking. Eaton’s prints are developed through exposure to sunlight. During their exposure, he adjusts the work based on the time of day, strength of light, and shadows, to heighten their bodily and temporal characteristics. The prints are subsequently reworked with hand-stitched appliqué. In the instance of ‘Willow relief’, the prints are overlain with a patterned motif based on the leaves of a willow tree.