Tag: sculpture
Succès de Scandale in Adelaide
Friday, February 22nd, 2013 Blog,Letters to The Adelaide Advertiser: “I am absolutely apalled and disgusted how this sculpture can be classed as ‘art’.” “I, for one, will not be going to see this outrageous monstrosity.” “The picture of a horse hanging, with no head, displayed as art was disgusting. I will never again visit the Art Gallery if they […]
Linde Ivimey
Saturday, February 16th, 2013 Art Column,Linde Ivimey is the most conspicuous beneficiary of the Gothic turn that Australian contemporary art has taken over the past few years. A decade ago she was virtually unknown, making a living by sculpting cakes while pursuing sculpture in her spare time. Nowadays her pieces are eagerly sought after by private collectors and public galleries. […]
Anish Kapoor
Saturday, January 26th, 2013 Art Column,Some artists have greatness thrust upon them, others keep waiting but it never seems to turn up. Even if you are among that select group of the rich and famous, with every museum and collector clamouring for your latest creation, there is no guarantee it will make life easier. Material success has a strange tendency […]
Sculpture by the Sea 2012
Saturday, October 27th, 2012 Art Column,Sculpture by the Sea owes much of its appeal to its outdoor setting but the exposed location brings its own hazards. There have been years in which the narrow walking trail from Bondi to Tamarama was nothing but a procession of dueling umbrellas. This year the installation was impeded by strong winds that made it […]
Sunset over Cottesloe
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 Art Essays, Australian Art, Blog, General Art Essays,As half of the Sydney art world celebrated the launch of Art Month, and the other half clinked glasses at a valedictory show of Margaret Olley’s work, I was on Cottesloe Beach watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean. It was the eighth incarnation of Sculpture by the Sea in Western Australia, and I […]
Fred Sandback; Wim Delvoye; Abstract Canvas; Philip King
Saturday, February 18th, 2012 Art Column, Art Essays, Australian Art, General Art Essays, International Art,Over the years Andrew Jensen has edged his way north, starting in Christchurch, moving to Wellington, on to Auckland, and last year crossing national lines and arriving in Sydney. What makes the Jensen Gallery unusual is that the exhibition program consists of 70-80 per cent international art – the kind of art we normally only […]
Sculpture by the Sea 2011
Saturday, November 12th, 2011 Art Column, Art Essays, Australian Art, International Art,To see what Sculpture by the Sea is really all about, one needs to go on a weekend, when the walk between Bondi and Tamarama is teeming with people. For most exhibitions this is the worst scenario for viewing works, but with SXS the open-air setting means that no piece is ever rendered inaccessible. The […]
Guanxi
Saturday, October 15th, 2011 Art Column, Art Essays, Chinese Art,Guanxi is a curious word. It is usually translated as “contacts”, but there is no single English-language term that captures all the connotations it has for a Chinese speaker. Guanxi refers to a special kind of relationship between people whereby one may always be counted on to help the other. Such relationships are long-term and […]
White Rabbit: Beyond the Frame
Saturday, October 8th, 2011 Art Column, Chinese Art, International Art,Back again is Ai Weiwei’s Oil spill (2007) – a series of shiny black porcelain discs that sit flat on the floor, mimicking drops of black gold. In typical fashion, Ai Weiwei takes a substance associated with toxic pollution and transforms it into an aesthetic delicacy. Such ironic turnarounds and dislocations are characteristic of his […]
Abstraction
Saturday, September 17th, 2011 Art Column, Australian Art, International Art,Among the unsolicited art emails that appear in my mail-box every week, one recent posting came from the Martos Gallery in New York, who were holding an exhibition called We Regret to Inform You There is Currently No Space or Place for Abstract Painting. The image that came with the email showed this sentence written […]