DOCSLIB.ORG

MCA Annual Report 2016 Download

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
MCA Annual Report 2016 Download MCA Annual Report 2016 The MCA is Australia’s Museum of Contemporary Art, dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists. The MCA exists because contemporary art matters: it stimulates the imagination, engages our aesthetic senses and has the power to transform lives. Contemporary artists address complex ideas, they challenge us to think and see the world differently to inform our outlook on life and society. Located on one of the world’s most spectacular sites on the edge of Sydney Harbour, opposite the Sydney Opera House, the Museum presents vibrant and popular exhibition and learning programs that continually inspire people. With an entire floor dedicated to the MCA Collection and two floors featuring changing exhibitions showcasing Australian and international artists, the Museum offers a major national resource for education and interpretative programs. The National Centre for Creative Learning including a library, digital and multimedia studios, a seminar room and lecture theatre, provides spaces for people of all ages to create and connect with art and artists. Site-specific commissions take art outside the galleries, and the MCA continues to engage with audiences beyond its harbourside home through a program of touring exhibitions and C3West, a collaboration with both arts and non-arts partners in Western Sydney. [ISFC] 2 Huseyin Sami and artist collective Danny Rose , The Matter of Painting, 2016, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for Vivid Sydney, May 2016, light projection, image courtesy and © the artists, photograph: Anna Kučera MCA Annual Report 2016 Section One 4 Chairman’s and Director’s Messages 6 2016 Highlights 7 Curatorial and Digital 29 Audience Engagement 39 Development and Enterprises 47 Finance and Corporate Services Section Two Financial Report Airan Kang, Digital Book Project 2016, installation view, New Romance: art and the posthuman, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, LED lights, resin, 107 x custom electronic books, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Jacquie Manning 3 MCA Annual Report 2016 Connecting a broad and diverse public with the work of living artists, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia pursues curatorial excellence and innovation in audience engagement. The MCA embodies the following key values: • Artists are central to all our activities • Making challenging and complex work accessible • Fostering creativity and critical thinking • An entrepreneurial outlook • Collaboration is key • Sustainable and resilient MCA Chairman Simon Mordant AM and MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE pictured in front of Gordon Bennett , Possession Island (Abstraction), 1991, Tate and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, purchased jointly with funds provided by the Qantas Foundation, 2016, image courtesy and © Gordon Bennett Estate 2016, photograph: Ken Leanfore 4 Nearly five years’ since its redevelopment, the 2016 was another landmark year for the MCA MCA continues to strengthen financially and with record attendances onsite – 1.2 million artistically as an arts and community leader. visitors – and record engagement online and Both operating and comprehensive results for through social channels. the year delivered surpluses, creating an excellent platform from which to continue We realised an ambitious exhibition and investment in initiatives commenced in 2016 and commissions program. A major rehang of the to begin new projects in 2017. MCA Collection opened in September with the new presentation, MCA Collection: Today, Visitation and audience engagement across all Tomorrow, Yesterday, including work by more touchpoints continues to grow, especially social than forty Australian artists from the 1960s to and online media. Opportunities to work with the present. artists and to commission and acquire new and important work of Australian artists increased in Our vibrant temporary exhibition program 2016 through the financial support of Qantas featured both group shows and career surveys, and the MCA Foundation. and highlighted artists from China, South Korea and Japan alongside emerging and established Board and staff members have continued to Australian practitioners. We were especially share their expertise regionally and pleased to present Louise Hearman’s first major internationally through the development of solo museum exhibition – an overdue accolade. collaborative projects, presentations and training and involvement in industry forums. We welcomed new artist commissions on the Sculpture Terrace, the foyer wall and in the We are very grateful for the important support Jackson Bella Room. A collaboration with that we have received in 2016 from our Liverpool Council saw the issue of food security government and corporate partners, the MCA effectively and significantly highlighted in a Foundation, our loyal MCA Ambassadors and the Liverpool carpark by the C3West project Food trusts and foundations who help us change lives Fight. The first acquisitions made through the through engagement with contemporary art and MCA Qantas Tate Joint Acquisition Program artists. The annual Bella fundraising evening were announced in London in the presence of again surpassed all expectations so a special artists, representatives from all partners and thank you to all those who generously donated international media. to ensure that this valuable work continues. We finished the year with a major milestone as I would also like to acknowledge the vision of we celebrated the MCA’s 25th birthday with a MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor and the special weekend full of live art events for all ages hard work and creative endeavour of the team of and audiences throughout the Museum. While dedicated MCA staff who truly ‘punch above we closed this busy and rewarding year with a their weight’. I would like to thank my fellow celebration of our past, we also looked to the board members for their work and commitment. future through the eyes of our enthusiastic and With strong leadership, a dedicated team, loyal insightful Kids Committee and Youth Committee partners and supporters, the MCA can again members who took visitors on engaging art journeys through the Museum. celebrate a rewarding and successful year and continue to grow our ambitions to support a I hope you will be with us for the next 25 years vibrant and thriving artistic community and as we continue to foster discussion, debate, opportunities to engage with contemporary art appreciation and change through for all. contemporary art. Simon Mordant AM Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE MCA Annual Report 2016 Highlights MCA turned 25 On 11–13 November 2016, gallery visitors, artists, special guests, and kids and families joined in the celebrations for the MCA’s 25th birthday. 10,948 visitors attended over the three days, taking part in 45 events and programs. The Twitter Blue Room was on site and we reached over 11 million people with the #MCA25 hashtag and generated 22.8 million page impressions on twitter and Instagram. Photograph: Anna Kučera 1.2 million + In 2016, over 1.2 million visitors came to the MCA, more than ever before. 23 new artist projects and commissions were undertaken and 139,028 people took part in audience engagement activities, including MCA ARTBAR, Zine Fair, workshops, learning programs, family activities, talks, access programs, performances and more. Photograph: Sam Whiteside First acquisitions The first acquisitions by the MCA, Qantas and Tate Joint Acquisition Program (made possible through a $2.75 million corporate gift from the Qantas Foundation), were revealed in May 2016 and include two large video installations, Transit 2011 by Susan Norrie and tall man 2010 by Vernon Ah Kee, two paintings by Gordon Bennett (Possession Island (Abstraction) 1991 and Number Nine 2008) and an artist book by Judy Watson (a preponderance of aboriginal blood 2005). Photograph: Ken Leanfore Social takes off The MCA proved popular throughout 2016 on social media and finished the year with 108.229 Facebook fans (+ 13%) and 66,000 Instagram followers (+60%). Following a guided tour and lunch at GrazeMCA, surprise visitor documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux retweeted the image posted of his visit to his 1.5 million followers. Photograph: Anna Kučera Recognition MCA Volunteer Guide Judy Friend was presented with Lifetime MCA Membership in recognition of her contribution to the MCA over the past 25 years. MCA Chairman Simon Mordant made the presentation at a special celebration in October. Judy also received the NSW Premier’s Volunteer Recognition Program Certificate. Photograph: Jacquie Manning 6 MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital The MCA’s Curatorial and Digital Division celebrates art and artists, connecting audiences with the work of living artists. In 2016, the team presented: • 3 continuing exhibitions from 2015; • 8 new exhibitions; • 2 touring exhibitions; • 23 new artist projects/commissions; • 2 C3West projects; • 1 major international conference; and • published 6 new books. In addition, the first complete rehang of the MCA Collection since 2012 was completed when MCA Collection: Today Tomorrow Yesterday was unveiled in August. Inside/Out, the MCA Collection resource room, was redesigned to coincide with the rehang and features new interactive digital resources and a new artist commission, The Forties. The first acquisitions made in partnership with Tate (as part of the five-year International Joint Acquisition Program for contemporary Australian art, made possible through a gift from the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Annual Report 2011–12 Annual Report 2011–12 the National Gallery of Australia Is a Commonwealth (Cover) Authority Established Under the National Gallery Act 1975
    ANNUAL REPORT 2011–12 ANNUAL REPORT 2011–12 The National Gallery of Australia is a Commonwealth (cover) authority established under the National Gallery Act 1975. Henri Matisse Oceania, the sea (Océanie, la mer) 1946 The vision of the National Gallery of Australia is the screenprint on linen cultural enrichment of all Australians through access 172 x 385.4 cm to their national art gallery, the quality of the national National Gallery of Australia, Canberra collection, the exceptional displays, exhibitions and gift of Tim Fairfax AM, 2012 programs, and the professionalism of our staff. The Gallery’s governing body, the Council of the National Gallery of Australia, has expertise in arts administration, corporate governance, administration and financial and business management. In 2011–12, the National Gallery of Australia received an appropriation from the Australian Government totalling $48.828 million (including an equity injection of $16.219 million for development of the national collection), raised $13.811 million, and employed 250 full-time equivalent staff. © National Gallery of Australia 2012 ISSN 1323 5192 All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Produced by the Publishing Department of the National Gallery of Australia Edited by Eric Meredith Designed by Susannah Luddy Printed by New Millennium National Gallery of Australia GPO Box 1150 Canberra ACT 2601 nga.gov.au/AboutUs/Reports 30 September 2012 The Hon Simon Crean MP Minister for the Arts Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Minister On behalf of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia, I have pleasure in submitting to you, for presentation to each House of Parliament, the National Gallery of Australia’s Annual Report covering the period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012.
    [Show full text]
  • Art and Artists in Perth 1950-2000
    ART AND ARTISTS IN PERTH 1950-2000 MARIA E. BROWN, M.A. This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The University of Western Australia School of Design Art History 2018 THESIS DECLARATION I, Maria Encarnacion Brown, certify that: This thesis has been substantially accomplished during enrolment in the degree. This thesis does not contain material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in my name, in any university or other tertiary institution. No part of this work will, in the future, be used in a submission in my name, for any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution without the prior approval of The University of Western Australia and where applicable, any partner institution responsible for the joint-award of this degree. This thesis does not contain any material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. The work(s) are not in any way a violation or infringement of any copyright, trademark, patent, or other rights whatsoever of any person. The research involving human data reported in this thesis was assessed and approved by the University of Western Australia Human Research Ethics Committee. Approval # RA/4/1/7748. This thesis does not contain work that I have published, nor work under review for publication. Signature: Date: 14 May 2018 i ABSTRACT This thesis provides an account of the development of the visual arts in Perth from 1950 to 2000 by examining in detail the state of the local art scene at five key points in time, namely 1953, 1962, 1975, 1987 and 1997.
    [Show full text]
  • 2014–15 Annual Report
    annual report 2 0 1 4 – 1 5 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Minister for the Arts Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 26 August 2015 Dear Minister, On behalf of the Board of the Australia Council, I am pleased to submit the Australia Council Annual Report for 2014–15. The Board is responsible for the preparation and content of the annual report pursuant to section 46 of the Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013, the Commonwealth Authorities (Annual Reporting) Order 2011 and the Australia Council Act 2013. The following report of operations and financial statements were adopted by resolutions of the Board on the 26 August 2015. Yours faithfully, Rupert Myer AO Chair, Australia Council CONTENTS Our purpose 3 Report from the Chair 4 Report from the CEO 8 Section 1: Agency Overview 12 About the Australia Council 15 2014–15 at a glance 17 Structure of the Australia Council 18 Organisational structure 19 Funding overview 21 New grants model 28 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts 32 Supporting Arts Organisations 34 Major Performing Arts Companies 36 Key Organisations and Territory Orchestras 38 Achieving a culturally ambitious nation 41 Government initiatives 60 Arts Research 64 Section 2: Report on Performance Outcomes 66 Section 3: Management and Accountability 72 The Australia Council Board 74 Committees 81 Management of Human Resources 90 Ecologically sustainable development 93 Executive Team at 30 June 2015 94 Section 4: Financial Statements 96 Compliance index 148 Cover: Matthew Doyle and Djakapurra Munyarryun at the opening of the Australian Pavilion in Venice. Image credit: Angus Mordant Unicycle adagio with Kylie Raferty and April Dawson, 2014, Cirus Oz.
    [Show full text]
  • Indigenous History: Indigenous Art Practices from Contemporary Australia and Canada
    Sydney College of the Arts The University of Sydney Doctor of Philosophy 2018 Thesis Towards an Indigenous History: Indigenous Art Practices from Contemporary Australia and Canada Rolande Souliere A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Rolande Souliere i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Lynette Riley for her assistance in the final process of writing this thesis. I would also like to thank and acknowledge Professor Valerie Harwood and Dr. Tom Loveday. Photographer Peter Endersbee (1949-2016) is most appreciated for the photographic documentation over my visual arts career. Many people have supported me during the research, the writing and thesis preparation. First, I would like to thank Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney for providing me with this wonderful opportunity, and Michipicoten First Nation, Canada, especially Linda Petersen, for their support and encouragement over the years. I would like to thank my family - children Chloe, Sam and Rohan, my sister Rita, and Kristi Arnold. A special thank you to my beloved mother Carolyn Souliere (deceased) for encouraging me to enrol in a visual arts degree. I dedicate this paper to her.
    [Show full text]
  • AH374 Australian Art and Architecture
    AH374 Australian Art and Architecture The search for beauty, meaning and freedom in a harsh climate Boston University Sydney Centre Spring Semester 2015 Course Co-ordinator Peter Barnes [email protected] 0407 883 332 Course Description The course provides an introduction to the history of art and architectural practice in Australia. Australia is home to the world’s oldest continuing art tradition (indigenous Australian art) and one of the youngest national art traditions (encompassing Colonial art, modern art and the art of today). This rich and diverse history is full of fascinating characters and hard won aesthetic achievements. The lecture series is structured to introduce a number of key artists and their work, to place them in a historical context and to consider a range of themes (landscape, urbanism, abstraction, the noble savage, modernism, etc.) and issues (gender, power, freedom, identity, sexuality, autonomy, place etc.) prompted by the work. Course Format The course combines in-class lectures employing a variety of media with group discussions and a number of field trips. The aim is to provide students with a general understanding of a series of major achievements in Australian art and its social and geographic context. Students should also gain the skills and confidence to observe, describe and discuss works of art. Course Outline Week 1 Session 1 Introduction to Course Introduction to Topic a. Artists – The Port Jackson Painter, Joseph Lycett, Tommy McCrae, John Glover, Augustus Earle, Sydney Parkinson, Conrad Martens b. Readings – both readers are important short texts. It is compulsory to read them. They will be discussed in class and you will need to be prepared to contribute your thoughts and opinions.
    [Show full text]
  • DANIE MELLOR Curriculum Vitae Born Mackay, Queensland 1971
    DANIE MELLOR Curriculum Vitae Born Mackay, Queensland 1971 EMPLOYMENT/APPOINTMENTS Artist 2010 – 2014 Senior Lecturer, Theoretical Enquiry, Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney 2014 Chair of Artform (Visual Arts), Australia Council for the Arts 2013 - 2014 Chair, Sector Strategy Panel, Visual Arts, Australia Council for the Arts 2013 Chair, Visual Art Board and Governing Council member, Australia Council for the Arts 2010 – 2013 Visual Arts Board, Australia Council for the Arts 2008 – 2010 Subject Chair, Theoretical Enquiry, Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney 2005 – 2010 Lecturer, Theories of Art Practice/Theoretical Enquiry, Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney 1996 – 2004 Visual arts teacher, Orana School, Canberra Sessional lecturer, Graphic Investigation Workshop and Printmedia and Drawing Workshop, School of Art, National Institute of the Arts, The Australian National University EDUCATION Certificate in Art, North Adelaide School of Art, SA Bachelor of Arts (Visual) With Honours, Canberra School of Art, ANU MA (Fine Art), Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, University of Central England, UK PhD, School of Art, National Institute of the Arts, ANU AWARDS Winner, Adelaide Perry Prize for DraWing, PLC Croydon, NSW, 2010 | Winner, 26th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Gallery of the Northern Territory, 2009 | Winner, 2009 Indigenous Ceramics AWard, Shepparton Art Gallery | Winner, 2008 Tallis Foundation National Works on Paper, Mornington Peninsula
    [Show full text]
  • View Article
    Rover Thomas leats 29, 301 and Paddy JaminJi (cat.28) initiated a renewal of painting in the Eastern Kimberley by lifting the lid on the secret histories of Australia with paintings of country drenched with the blood of Aboriginal victims of massacres; in 1990, with Trevor Nickolls, Rover Thomas was the first Aboriginal artist to appear at the Venice Biennale. Djambawa Marawili leat.81 and John Mawurndjul leats 3, 6, 71. two of the most renowned contemporary Australian artists with a string of international contemporary art appearances to their names, have revolutionised bark painting to make us feel the hum of ancestral powers in the earth itself. And that is not even to mention Albert Namatjira, who beguiled a generation but whose life ended in tragedy. The strong photographic and video component in the last part of the selection reflects the burgeoning of these media around the globe. Tracey Moffatt, one of the most internationally acclaimed contemporary Australian artists, came to prominence in the 1990s with her vibrant, quasi-narrative series of photographs [fig.71, and her film and video compilations looking at gender, popular culture, racial politics and stereotypes leat.1911. Simryn Gill, representing Australia at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013, considers questions of place and history in her work leat. 1881. The displacement of objects in her photographs echoes our modern-day journeys and migrations. The Australian population, now 23 million, has more than quadrupled in size since 1918, much of that increase from immigration. Since 1945 more than Fig. 8 CHRISTIAN THOMPSON, Black 7million people have settled in the country as new Gum 1, from the series Australian immigrants, including more than 800,000 refugees.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond the Aesthetic a STUDY OF
    Beyond the Aesthetic A STUDY OF INDIGENEITY AND NARRATIVE IN CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIAN ART – VOLUME ONE – Catherine Slocum December 2016 A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The Australian National University © Copyright by Catherine Slocum 2016 All Rights Reserved INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS NAMES AND IMAGES OF DECEASED PERSONS. ii THE TERM ‘INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS’ HAS BEEN ADOPTED AND MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THIS THESIS. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT DISPLAYS OF THIS TERM, HOWEVER THIS TERM IS USED AS IT INCLUDES THOSE WHO IDENTIFY AS ABORIGINAL, TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AND ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER. iii DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is wholly my own original work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. ………………………………………… Catherine Slocum December 2016 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Professor Paul Pickering for the continuous support of my PhD study and research. His insightful comments and valuable discussion are gratefully acknowledged. My sincere thanks are extended to Dr Thuy Do for her useful comments in the final stages and Dr Lan Tran for her valuable assistance during the course of my study. A very special thanks to Vernon Ah Kee, Tony Albert, Brook Andrew, Daniel Boyd, Dianne Jones, Christopher Pease and Christian Thompson whose work I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to study at length. The project would not have been possible without the specialist Indigenous Australian collection at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Library in Canberra. I gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the College of Arts and Social Sciences at the Australian National University.
    [Show full text]
  • LEARNING RESOURCE How to Use This Resource
    LEARNING RESOURCE How to use this resource CROSS-CULTURAL INITIATIVES IN AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY ART ABOUT THE EXHIBITION ABOUT THIS LEARNING RESOURCE In 21st century Australia ‘black’ and ‘white’ artists are sometimes exhibited together, This learning resource is intended for use in conjunction with a visit to the exhibition however there is still a restiveness – an uneasy tension – when artists blur the Black White & Restive and may be used prior to and/or following a visit. It may boundaries of cultural identity. This happens most commonly when artists work also be used independently as a resource for primary and secondary visual arts collaboratively, or when non-Indigenous artists ‘borrow’, ‘appropriate’ or ‘reference’ classroom activities. Aboriginal art styles or imagery. • The artists featured in this resource are Gordon Bennett, Tim Johnson, Ildiko Eighty years ago when Albert Namatjira (1902-1959) began depicting his Western Kovacs, Martumili artists, Danie Mellor, Albert Namatjira, Margaret Preston Arrernte homelands in watercolour with his painting ally Rex Battarbee (1893- and Imants Tillers. The information and activities in this learning resource 1973), the Australian art world was similarly restive – and often downright hostile. focus on these eight artists and will help you to understand the work of other Though much-loved by the public, the innovative landscapes were originally treated artists in Black White & Restive. with suspicion, dismissed as ‘inauthentic’ by white art critics and anthropologists. • Each artist page provides key information relating to the artist, their practice In 2016 these same Hermannsburg watercolours, a number of which are held in and at least one of their works of art selected for Black White & Restive.
    [Show full text]
  • Aboriginal Art in NSW
    Pay Attention: Aboriginal Art in NSW Priya Vaughan A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The Australian National University December 2017 This work is the result of original research carried out by the author except where otherwise indicated in the text. Priya Vaughan Research School of Humanities and the Arts The Australian National University Supervisory Panel: Professor Howard Morphy (Chair) Dr Maria Nugent Dr John Carty i Note to Readers Readers are advised that this text may contain names and images of deceased persons. Please note the spellings of Aboriginal language, cultural and nations names vary across this thesis. I have used the preferred spellings of participants when discussing their ideas, work and experiences. iii Thanks and Acknowledgements The road to PhD submission is long, and often laborious, however, in looking back on researching this work I feel a kind of disbelieving delight that so much of the process was fascinating, inspiring and fun. Much of this is due to the artists, curators, arts workers, and educators who participated in the creation of this work. Their kindness, interest and ideas, often embodied and represented in the art they made, told me everything I now know about Aboriginal art in NSW, and taught me a whole lot else besides. I would like to express my profound thanks to these participants. Simply put, without your generosity, there would be no thesis. Thank you for welcoming me to your Country; for having me in your homes and work places; sharing your ideas, feelings and experiences; reviewing transcripts and reading drafts; helping me when I got things wrong, and for your kind words when I got things right.
    [Show full text]
  • In Search of a Tropical Gothic in Australian Visual Arts
    eTropic 18.1 (2019) ‘Tropical Gothic’ Special Issue | 192 In search of a Tropical Gothic in Australian visual arts Mark Wolff James Cook University, Australia Abstract The field of Gothic Studies concentrates almost exclusively on literature, cinema and popular culture. While Gothic themes in the visual arts of the Romantic period are well documented, and there is sporadic discussion about the re-emergence of the Gothic in contemporary visual arts, there is little to be found that addresses the Gothic in northern or tropical Australia. A broad review of largely European visual arts in tropical Australia reveals that Gothic themes and motifs tend to centre on aspects of the landscape. During Australia’s early colonial period, the northern landscape is portrayed as a place of uncanny astonishment. An Australian Tropical Gothic re-appears for early modernists as a desolate landscape that embodies a mythology of peril, tragedy and despair. Finally, for a new wave of contemporary artists, including some significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, Gothic motifs emerge to animate tropical landscapes and draw attention to issues of environmental degradation and the dispossession of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Keywords: tropics, Gothic art, landscape art, Northern Australia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25120/etropic.18.1.2019.3691 eTropic 18.1 (2019) ‘Tropical Gothic’ Special Issue | 193 ropical Australia is a place of extremes. It is the site of appalling and mysterious deaths of famous 19th century explorers, and of cruel and relentless colonial T exploitation and murder of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Covering 40 percent of the Australian continent (CofA, 2015, p.
    [Show full text]
  • DANIE MELLOR Danie Mellor's Work Is at Once Beautiful and a Calling To
    DANIE MELLOR Danie Mellor’s work is at once beautiful and a calling to account. Finely crafted, embellished and framed, with images and devices that disarm with humour, narrative and a play on the ‘exotic’, the work nonetheless confronts and confounds our understanding of the past. Mellor tells stories that are neither simple nor complete. Instead, the view is presented with multiple layers that challenge assumptions. Stories collide and metaphors reach further than expected. Dr Campbell Gray, Danie Mellor: Exotic Lies Sacred Ties, The University of Queensland Art Museum, 2014, page 11. 1 DANIE MELLOR Born 1971, Mackay, QLD Represented by Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne EDUCATION Certificate in Art, North Adelaide School of Art, SA Bachelor of Arts (Visual) with Honours, Canberra School of Art, ANU MA (Fine Art), Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, University of Central England, UK PhD, School of Art, National Institute of the Arts, ANU SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2020 The Sun Also Sets Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne 2018 The Landspace: [all the debils are here], Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne Proximity and Perception, Cairns Art Gallery May-July 2018 curated by Ashleigh Campbell Pleasure and Vexation – the strata and spectacle of history, Pataka Art + Museum, New Zealand May – August 2018, curated by Mark Hutchins-Pond, Kairuruku Toi Hou 2017 Sydney Contemporary, Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane 2016 a sensual instinct, Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane 2014 Danie Mellor: Exotic Lies Sacred Ties, Major survey and touring exhibition, University of
    [Show full text]