Few artists working today navigate the relationship between architecture and atmosphere quite like Australian Paul Davies. Across painting, sculpture and installation, Davies draws from the built environment to create works that sit somewhere between memory and abstraction – layered compositions shaped by line, structure and spatial tension.
California has long occupied a parallel space within his practice. A painting from his 2016 residency at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture entered the permanent collection of the Palm Springs Art Museum in 2017, where his work is currently on view. On 7 May 2026, Davies opens Layers in Motion at Cassandra Bird Gallery – his first solo exhibition in Sydney in five years. Ahead of the opening, he shares a series of postcards from a recent road trip through Los Angeles, Palm Springs and the California desert, below.
I flew into Los Angeles before driving east toward Palm Springs and the high desert. In L.A., I spent a few days moving between exhibitions, restaurants and design spaces. The Monuments exhibition at MOCA and Nancy Holt’s exhibition at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture were both highlights. I also visited The Future Perfect, which always has an interesting mix of collectible design and contemporary furniture.
Most mornings started at Gjusta and usually ended at Gjelina. I also stopped by Found Oyster, Besties and Casa Vega during the trip.
From Los Angeles, I drove to Palm Springs and stayed at Korakia Hotel. I spent time at the Palm Springs Art Museum and revisited Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House, which remains one of the defining examples of Californian modernist architecture. Dinner at Beaton’s Bar became a regular stop before heading further into the desert.
In Landers, I visited the Integratron, then continued through Joshua Tree to see Andrea Zittel’s Higher Place installation. From there, I drove to Pioneertown and spent the evening at Pappy and Harriet’s.
