Art thoughts

Sydney Ball

INFINEX III at Sullivan & Strumpf

It was great to see the INFINEX III exhibition during it's final days at Sullivan and Strumpf, Sydney. I have followed Sydney Ball's work since I was a young art student. Above are two of the works that I responded to the most.

Sydney Ball, INFINEX III, Sullivan and Strumpf, December - January, 2015.

Jessi Wong

Jules Lambe, Director of Gaffer Ltd Hong Kong (L) with Jessi Wong at her Northcote studio (R)

One of the scroll works Jessi Wong is preparing for her solo at Art Central, Hong Kong.

I spent time yesterday with Melbourne artist, Jessi Wong and Jules Lambe from Gaffer Ltd as they documented Jessi's work at her Northcote studio for Art Central, March 14-16, to coincide with Art Basel, Hong Kong.

Jessi's landscapes are an interesting intercept between traditional Chinese woodblock printing on rice paper presented in contemporary box framing. The effect is a wall (curtain or reams of fabric) of hand painted ink scrolls revealing glimpses of the landscape. The composition is presented through the visible folds rather than the traditional vista. The strata - almost. The 'picture' as not fully visible is symbolic, perhaps, of our knowledge of the earth.

Jessi Wong is represented Gaffer Ltd, Hong Kong, and Anita Traverso Gallery in Melbourne.

Old photos

Melbourne building site, 1930s

Going through old photos recently, I found this one of my grandfather (left) at work on a Melbourne building site in the 1930s.
Seasons Greetings to all.

Heide Kitchen Garden

The original kitchen garden with Heide II in the background

The mysterious garlic flower

Early summer is one of my favourite times of the year in Melbourne. The leaves are still green, flowers bloom and perfume can fill the air. The breeze is cool. It is the time before the ravages of the summer to come. It was a beautiful day at the Heide Museum of Contemporary Art in Melbourne. The museum on the banks of the Yarra River near Heidelberg was once the home of John and Sunday Reed and this is their kitchen garden. In the background is the contemporary home they built which is now a gallery. The Reeds were famous patrons of artists in mid-twentieth century Melbourne including Sidney Nolan and Joy Hester.

Ngayarta Kujarra

11 WA artists, Ngayarta Kujarra, 2009, polymer paint on canvas 300x500cm

This painting is currently on view at the National Gallery of Victoria. A massive work made by a group of artists from Western Australia, Yikartu Bumba Manyjilyjarra, Jakayu Biljabu Manyjilyjarra, Nyanjilpayi Nancy Chapman Manyjilyjarra, May Chapman Manyjilyjarra, Doreen Chapman Manyjilyjarra, Linda James Manyjilyjarra Mulyatingki Marney Manyjilyjarra, Reena Roger Manyjilyjarra, Beatrice Simpson Manyjilyjarra, Ronelle Simpson Manyjilyjarra, Muntararr Rosie Williams Manyjilyjarra, Ngayarta Kujarra, 2009, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 300.0 x 500.1 cm.

Even better in real life, I couldn't stop looking at it. It is such a fabulous work.

Richard Serra

Installation view, "Richard Serra: Vertical and Horizontal Reversals," David Zwirner, New York, 2014

I have been a fan of Richard Serra's sculpture for a long time, but I saw his drawings in a Summer Salon at the Royal Academy, London some years ago and I thought they were the best works in the exhibition.

Richard Serra, 'Vertical and Horizontal Reversals' David Zwirner, New York, November 6 - December, 20, 2014.

Damien Hirst

Washington, 2014, gloss painting and metal objects on canvas, 183 x 275 cm.

Damien Hirst, 'Black Scalpel Cityscapes', 11 November 2014 – 31 January 2015, White Cube, São Paolo.

Interesting exhibition by Hirst. Large scale paintings on black gloss background constructed with medical scalpels, needles, fish hooks, aluminium filings and other metal objects.

Read the exhibition statement here

Anselm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer at the Royal Academy of Arts, a retrospective until December 14, 2014. I particularly like this work, 'The Rhine'. A must see if I was in London.