This artist-run initiative showcases non-objective contemporary art. It opened in 2005, having been initiated by a group of abstract artists including Billy Gruner, Andrew Leslie, Pam Aitken, Vincent Butron, Kyle Jenkins, Sarah Keighery, John Nixon and Tony Triff.
In a ‘A Non Objective Primer…’ written as part of the catalogue for SNO 117, Brian Mahoney writes the following:
“It’s no wonder people scratch their heads and complain about impenetrable ‘art-speak’, as the term ‘non objective’ is a perfect case of Orwellian double-think. Referring to art, non objective means almost the opposite of what it does in everyday speech.
…
The meaning they wanted to convey was of an art that does not represent an object, person, place or thing. [More grammatically, they should have named it ‘non object’ art.] The shapes in their compositions are unidentifiable. In the non objective world of visual art, less is more, in terms of colour, structure and patterns. The aim is for purity and simplicity by reducing painting to its most elemental essence.”
SNO features three gallery rooms and a sound/video project facility.