Adam Norton: House Inspection

Adam Norton’s Generic Escape Capsule 2006 is on view at Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane as part of the group show House Inspection: Interior Motives until October 1. Here are some shots of the Generic Escape Capsule in the exhibition. Photos by Mick Richards.

Simon Blau in the Blake Prize 2011

Simon Blau’s work is in the Blake Prize showing at the National Art School
16 September – 15 October

what: Helen’s Leg until 3 September

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What’s practice has encompassed painting, performance, sculpture and installation and often critiques the role of art and the artist in contemporary society. His work draws on his own life, popular culture, art, music, politics and religion – often provoking controversy as well as humour. Indeed, as Sebastian Smee remarked in 2007, what is “fearless”. For his 17th solo exhibition, what presents a series of paintings based on one night in Katoomba – and what happened to him.

A key aspect to what’s work is interrogating the limits of materials and his diverse use of (sometimes unconventional) materials was demonstrated in What: Large Art 1720 – 2009, what’s survey exhibition held at the National Art School in 2009. At the show, Mike Parr declared that what’s Instrument for Measuring the Universe 2002-2004 “one of the masterpieces of Australian art”.

Born in Queensland, what grew up in Western Sydney. He graduated from the National Art School in 1992 and in 2001 completed Masters of Arts at the University of Western Sydney. He has exhibited nationally and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions have been held at National Art School, Campbelltown Art Centre, Wollongong City Gallery and Gallery 9 in Sydney, and Block Projects, Melbourne. what has participated in group exhibitions at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Wollongong City Gallery, Firstdraft Gallery, and MOP Projects. He has been a finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and won the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award in 2002. In addition, what has participated in artist residencies in Basel, Switzerland; Wollongong City Gallery, and at the Arts NSW Gunnery Studio Residency, Sydney.

Jake Walker painting in Vogue Living

See the current issue of Vogue Living for the profile on Chrissie Jeffery’s harbourside apartment which features a painting of Jake Walker’s on p178 (above the white chair)

Christopher Dean: The Pink Room closing 9 July

The Pink Room pays homage to the colour pink by bringing together a selection of Christopher Dean’s most recent paintings. Dean started making pink monochromes in 1993 and this new series is a distillation of his formal and poetic experiments.

Art historically pink is the most unlikely colour for an abstract painting, an issue that Dean has embraced. All of the text contained in the paintings uses quotations beginning with the word ‘I’. At a casual glance it might appear that this selection of quotes form part of an artist’s statement but in actuality they have been gleaned from other people.

The work pictured, for example takes a quote from the artist Juan Davila, “I arrived in Australia as a tourist in 1974 after meeting an Australian man in Buenos Aires”. Dean’s interest in colour theory has been shaped by his commitment to what he calls “the spectrum of the colour pink”. Culturally, pink represents memory, love, sensuality and eroticism, a motif that informs the selection of quotes contained within the paintings. By linking these quotes to a single colour a direct connection is made between the physical form of the paintings and ideas guiding these works.

Christopher Dean is a well known Sydney based artist, who has exhibited widely throughout Sydney as well as in Los Angeles and New York. He is also is writer, curator and lecturer and recently achieved his PhD from CoFA, University of NSW. His works are in the collection of Artbank, Blacktown City Art Collection, Casula Powerhouse, Penrith Regional Gallery and the Lewers Bequest, Macquarie University Art Collection, National Gallery of Australia as well as numerous private collections.

15 June – 9 July 2011

Andrzej Zielinski: Devices closing 9 July 2011

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Gallery 9 is proud to present an exhibition by American born, Berlin based artist Andrzej Zielinski whose vivid paintings depict everyday electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, ATM machines and paper shredders.

Painted with thick gestural paint in bright confectionary colours, these works comment on the ever expanding reverence contemporary society has for technology and information. Zielinski references the art historical notion of the readymade and the history of abstract painting. Depicted at a 1:1 ratio as compared to the actual objects, these paintings display a distortion between actual and perceived space which in turn highlights our dependence on machines with constantly updating functions and capabilities.

Zielinski seeks to update painting by using 21st century acrylics, gels and mediums and his unique painting style means each scrape of the palatte knife simultaneously suggests description, abstraction and bas-relief. Currently completing a visiting artist residency at ANU, Canberra, this young artist has received much critical attention in the USA. In 2009 New York art critic Jerry Saltz named Zielinski as one of 33 notable American artists to have emerged after 1999.

Born in 1976 in Kansas City, USA, Zielinski completed his BFA at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2002 and his MFA at Yale University in 2004. He has been in numerous group shows across the USA such as *Greater New York at PS1 MOMA. Previous solo exhibitions include Motus Fort, Tokyo, DCKT Contemporary New York City, The Dolphin Gallery, Kansas City, Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, New York and Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Los Angeles.

15 June – 9 July 2011

Michael Taylor in Spectrum today

“Taylor turns the complexity of the bush, dunes and seascapes into abstract works full of colour, life and quirky detail.”
Lynne Dwyer, Open Gallery 11-12 June 2011

 

Matthew Hopkins in Art & Australia

Matthew Hopkins’ Ascending Head #5 is illustrating an article by Glenn Barkley about outsider art in in Australian context. Outsider art has had a significant impact on Hopkins’ practice and the article discusses this and Hopkins’ collaboration with John Ellenden an artist from House With No Steps.
Art & Australia 48 No 4

 

Michael Taylor: a tonic for lovers of good painting

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Thanks to Peter Fay for his post on Gallery 9’s current show by the eminent landscape painter Michael Taylor

“He might well be advancing in years,but Michael Taylor’s new canvasses at Gallery 9 look as if they could have been painted by someone full of the feelings of youth. There is a wonderful freshness and vivacity in most of these works. Michael does sound a few deeper notes that hold a sense of warning of the coming of darker times, but for the most part these works are such a tonic for lovers of good painting.

As you look at the show you will understand why James Mollison named Michael one of the greats of Australian abstract painting.”

http://peterfaygalleries.com/blog/michael-taylor-at-gallery-9

Awfully Wonderful: Science Fiction Meets Art

Adam Norton, On Mars... 2010

Awfully Wonderful: Science Fiction in Contemporary Art explores a spectrum of seductive, terrifying and fantastic potential futures. The exhibition presents new and existing work by eleven Australian artists including time machines, handmade robots, meteorological instruments, interplanetary communication devices, a mars gravity simulator, wearable technologies and apocalyptic visions.

Awfully Wonderful features a diverse public program including screenings of Philip Brophy’s Northern Void and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis in the ClubHouse. There are opportunities for discussion and discourse with artist and curator tours, a RealTime Forum, a Speculative Futures Symposium and an interpretation session by scientists. Don’t miss Adam Norton’s Mars Gravity Simulator every Saturday from 11am-12pm.

Artists: Philip Brophy, Eugene Carchesio, Haines + Hinterding, Deborah Kelly, Jo Law, David Lawrey & Jaki Middleton, Ms&Mr, Hayden Fowler, Ian Haig, Adam Norton, Sam Smith and Simon Yates.

Performance Space at Carriageworks
245 Wilson St, Eveleigh
15 April – 14 May
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
Opening night: Thursday 14 April 6pm
Artist & Curator tour Friday 15 April 5pm