‘Neon Light Installations’ by Peter Kennedy |
Featured in the exhibition are Australian and international artists, both emerging and established. It’s interesting to see how the old and the new inhabit the same space, but compliment each other with their individual takes on the world we inhabit.
The array of thematic concerns embedded in the works is revealing – the practice of art, landscape and nature, time and politics mingle together, defined by their respective mediums. From screen-based works and papier mache to comic strips and drawings, these forms deserve their own exploration in how they enhance our engagement with the artists’ works.
‘The European' by Laith McGregor |
‘Carbon Copy’ (1998) is a creation by Simryn Gill. It is made up of 35 typewritten pages of text taken from political speeches and media statements made by Mahathir Mohamad (the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia), politician Pauline Hanson and Bulgarian-French philosopher Julia Kristeva, between 1997-98. It’s a powerful statement about art, history and politics; where language is at the centre of how ideas and meanings are communicated. It’s also disturbing in the way the words run into each other, and the blurred confused feelings it evokes.
One of the pages from Simryn Gill's ‘Carbon Copy (tricky ways)’ |
Through the ages, art has been viewed as an agent of socio-cultural comment and change. Yet when art turns in on itself, and attempts to examine its own creators and their collective failure in making any substantial impact in that socio-cultural space, things fall apart and it is time to unravel the fantasy. This concern is at the centre of Juan Davila’s work ‘Fable of Australian Painting’ (1982-83). Ironically enough, it is in the form of a comic strip: It’s insidious, witty and fearless.
‘The New York Daily News on the day that became the Stonewall riot’ by Mathew Jones |
A still from Arlo Mountford's ‘The Follly’ |
The MCA has been running this series since 2005, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for artists to open their work to a wider audience and to ensure that such work is preserved for the future, as well as for art lovers to explore new works and different perspectives. New Acquisitions in Context 2010 will run till 19 June 2011. For more details, visit www.mca.com.au
Image source: Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Image © and details:
1. Peter Kennedy ‘Neon Light Installations’ 1970–2002 neon, composition board, synthetic polymer paint Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 2004 Image courtesy and © the artist
2. Laith McGregor ‘The European’ 2010 pencil and ball-point on paper Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2010 Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney © the artist
3. Simryn Gill ‘Carbon Copy (tricky ways)’1998 1 x ink on paper; 1 x carbon on paper Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2010 Image courtesy the artist and BREENSPACE, Sydney © the artist
4. Mathew Jones ‘The New York Daily News on the day that became the Stonewall riot’ (detail) 1997–2002 printed newsprint paper Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist 2003 Image courtesy the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne © the artist
5. Arlo Mountford ‘The Follly’ (still) 2008-09 3 video channel, 4 audio channel digital animation Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2009 Image courtesy the artist and GRANTPIRRIE, Sydney © the artist
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