A busy week in Sydney's art world, with many openings, and the annual Archibald prize (portait painting, from life, AU$35K) going to a surprise winner, Marcus Wills, for his painting 'The Paul Juraszek monolith' (after Marcus Gheeraerts). The Archibald Prize is now in its 85th year and excites more interest from the general public than any other event in the Australan art calendar, with its own 'Salon de Refusées' at the S.H.Ervin (National Trust) Gallery, and even a satirical spin-off, 'The Bald Archies'. It was won last year by John Olsen. My own favourite was Ben Quilty's diptych of fellow-painter Adam Cullen. Quilty also has a solo show on, see below.
Finalists for two other important prizes, The Wynne Prize (landscape) and The Sulman Prize (genre painting), are always exhibited simultaneously, and I had entries in each of these, but alas did not make the cut (or even the Salon de refusées). That puts me in my place.
Although there are some that like to sneer at The Archibald, and it is definitely a bit of a circus, I can't think of anything comparable in any other country, and I think it is an indicator that Australians at large do actually have an interest in art - the crowds certainly flock to the exhibition, which tours the country after its Sydney season, and everyone seems to have an opinion. This doesn't quite equate with the Daily Mail or The Sun's jeering about the Turner Prize (UK) - it's something uniquely Australian. There is a strong affection here for the figure of 'the larrikin artist', or even 'the eccentric caroonist' (eg Michael Leunig) and there could be no better illustration of this than Pro Hart, 'artist of the people', who died today, and will be given a state funeral in Broken Hill, even though his work is deemed a bit too kitsch for The National Gallery. Importantly he's not, or wasn't, a realist - and his popularity interests me far more than his work. In my opinion the whole Mambo tradition owes the old fella more than a passing nod. Anyway, RIP Pro.
Also at AGNSW is a major blockbuster called 'Self-Portait', and at the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) a whole lot more portraiture, including BritBrat-ess Sam(antha?) Taylor-Wood's series of crying celebrities. I don't think they will stand the test of time, but there's no denying she understands the artistic zeitgeist, the cult of celebrity etc. Masquerade - Representation and the self in contempoarary art, is a rather better show - an eclectic international review investigating aspects of self-portaiture across a wide range of cultures, again featuring Ms Taylor Wood (weak), along with good stuff from the late Martin Kippenberger, the late Claude Cahun (France), the very much alive Samuel Fosso (Cameroon/Central African Republic), Cindy Sherman, Shigeyuki Kihara and many others. Well worth a look. Included are Australian Mike Parr's deadpan photographs of jackets We are all monochrome now seen at Sherman Galleries a couple of years ago. And still at the MCA and still on a self-portaiture theme, downstairs is a killer Mike Parr solo show VOLTE FACE - prints and Pre-Prints 1970-2005. Parr's obsession with himself results in an astonishing body of work, mainly intaglio, all on a huge scale. He is one of the best printmakers in the world in my opinion.
On the Sydney commercial circuit, more huge drawings and prints by Mike Parr at Sherman Galleries, and a seductive new show by Pat Brassington at Stills. Stunning big oils of utes (Australian for pickups/trucks/vans) by Ben Quilty at GrantPirrie. And a lovely, evocative name for the show - "Ache".
In Melbourne the Commonwealth Games, which ended with a suitable bang on Sunday night, has no doubt eclipsed everything else, but there is what looks like an excellent coincident show 'Contemporary Commonwealth' at the NGV Australia (National Gallery of Victoria at Fed Square), featuring 22 artists from diverse counries, as well as an indigenous show 'Landmarks', which I believe features the inimitable contemporay Melbourne artist Clinton Nain, among many others. Willam Kentridge's homage to George Meliès is at the NGV International (St Kilda Road). The Pissarro blockbuster, ex AGNSW, is also at the NGV International - not to be missed if impressionism is your thing. never mind impressionism - he was simpley a great painter, with some of his early, pre-impressionist works being among my favourites.
I can't refer to the Commonwealth Games without noting the presence here of Tony Blair - the first British PM ever to address a joint sitting (or any sitting?) of the Australian Parliament, would you believe? No longer 'Bambi'-like, he seems to have acquired gravitas, and has been at pains to praise John Howard (steadfast ally etc) and defend the invasion of Iraq. None of this is surprising really, but there is a weirdness to it - the two men (Howard and Blair) are supposedly from opposite ends of the political specrtrum, but it's Labour Leader Kim Beazley, Blair's old mate from Oxford, that is suddenly on the 'other' side, pushing for withdrawal of Australian troops.
Next visit is the Chinese Premier, to do a deal to buy Australian uranium. Watch this space.
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