JOHN DAVIS WORK ACQUIRED BY GEELONG GALLERY

JOHN DAVIS’ work Koan 64 was recently acquired by the Geelong Gallery. Beautifully pictured here in their exhibition Turmoil & Tranquility, which ran earlier this year, this piece was highlighted once again thanks to National Science Week. 

Davis’ practice incorporates a diverse use of materials and provides unique interpretations and representations of landscape and ecology. While still characterised by the use of inexpensive or found materials and low-technology processes of his earlier work, Koan 64 presents a philosophical perspective and a deeper concern for the state of the world. 

John Davis’s practice from the 80s and 90s foreshadows contemporary environmental issues. He was particularly concerned with the devastating impact non-indigenous people were having on the environment, particularly in regards to the health of the Murray River system and the quality of water due to modern human practices such as irrigation and land clearing.⁠

For any art teachers following, Geelong Gallery has prepared an excellent learning resource for Levels 5-9 Visual Arts which includes this work and ⁠highlights themes such as human impact on the environment, sustainable farming and globalisation.

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John Davis, 'Kōan 64', 1994, twigs, calico, bituminous paint, cotton thread, 2378 x 150 x 7 cm. Photo by Andrew Curtis.

John Davis, 'Kōan 64', 1994, twigs, calico, bituminous paint, cotton thread, 2378 x 150 x 7 cm. Photo by Andrew Curtis.

LYDIA WEGNER FEATURED ON COVER OF ART EDIT MAGAZINE

Art Edit magazine Issue 25 with photograph by Derek Swalwell.

Art Edit magazine Issue 25 with photograph by Derek Swalwell.

LYDIA WEGNER’s work ‘Gold Angle’ is on the cover of the latest issue of Art Edit magazine.

The cover shows the Brunswick residence of an avid collector, with interior architecture and design by Lucy Bock. Loose furniture and objets d’art avoid opulence, but reference the client’s love of colour and timeless design pieces.

Contact the gallery to view a selection of Wegner’s available works!

JANET LAURENCE AWARDED ANTARCTICA FELLOWSHIP

Very exciting news for JANET LAURENCE, who has been awarded the 2020 Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship!

Janet will spend time at Australia’s Casey research station to develop an immersive installation, tapping into both the minutiae and the expanse of the extreme environment. “I am overwhelmed with excitement to have been offered the opportunity to travel to Antarctica and make art in response to its beauty, fragility and otherworldly power,” she says. “I have expectations, and yet I know that the actual experience of Antarctica will open up unknown and far-reaching possibilities."

Due to COVID-19 impacts on the Australian Antarctic Program, Laurence will travel to the icy continent during the 2021/22 season. Congratulations Janet!

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Janet Laurence in her studio, photographed by Felicity Jenkins.

Janet Laurence in her studio, photographed by Felicity Jenkins.

HONEY LONG & PRUE STENT, CYRUS TANG & ANNE ZAHALKA SHORTLISTED FOR BOWNESS PRIZE

Congratulations to ARC ONE artists HONEY LONG & PRUE STENT, CYRUS TANG and ANNE ZAHALKA who are all finalists in this year’s Bowness Photography Prize!

This year the MGA Foundation is committed to ensuring a physical as well as a virtual exhibition of the Bowness Prize finalists, and has extended the exhibition period over summer.

The shortlisted photographs will be exhibited from 31 October 2020 until 7 February 2021, with the prize announcements scheduled for January 2021!

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JOHN YOUNG WORK ON AWARD WINNING WINE

2017 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay

2017 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay

Congratulations to Leeuwin Estate on their award for Best Chardonnay in the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards. This bottle features ARC ONE artist JOHN YOUNG’s stunning work ‘Veiled Spectrum V’ on the label. Leeuwin Estate commissioned the artist to produce the original painting, which is now held in their important collection and displayed in the Leeuwin Estate Art Gallery in Margaret River.

Leeuwin Estate first developed an association with the arts fraternity when launching the famous ‘Art Series’ wine labels. The artworks that appear on the labels are acquired by the Estate, whose collection now comprises over 150 paintings and artworks from artists including John Olsen, Arthur Boyd, Sir Sidney Nolan, Lloyd Rees, Albert Tucker, Fred Williams, Robert Juniper, Clifton Pugh, ROBERT OWEN and IMANTS TILLERS.

ARC ONE Gallery is currently showcasing two works by John Young from the same series in our exhibition COLOUR SENSE. Contact the gallery for more information about these available works.

GUAN WEI’S tapestry Treasure Hunt is currently on display at the Australian Tapestry Workshop. In this tapestry, Guan Wei references navigation, exploration, migration and the influence of globalisation through the fable of admiral Zheng He.

Admiral Zheng He led a legendary fleet of “treasure ships” which sailed to foreign lands in the early 1400s, creating new nautical maps and collecting rare spices, treasures, birds and animals. The ‘Treasure Hunt’ tapestry represents the flora and fauna Zheng He might have encountered in his travels, including sea monsters drawn from Chinese and European mythology. The land shapes in the design reference 14th century Chinese maps and the Chinese symbols for East and West and the names of mountains have been painted in. Each smaller drawing within the work also has a significance within European or Asian history.

The design is inspired by a large painted mural from Guan Wei's exhibition Other Histories at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney in 2006. The tapestry was shown at ARC ONE for his 2018 solo exhibition Chivalry, and will remain on display at the ATW until 6 November 2020.

Treasure Hunt, 2017, Guan Wei, woven by Chris Cochius, Pamela Joyce, Jennifer Sharpe and Cheryl Thornton, wool and cotton, 0.864m x 3.6m. Photo by Jeremy Weihrauch.

Treasure Hunt, 2017, Guan Wei, woven by Chris Cochius, Pamela Joyce, Jennifer Sharpe and Cheryl Thornton, wool and cotton, 0.864m x 3.6m. Photo by Jeremy Weihrauch.

ROBERT OWEN DONATES WORK TO FUNDRAISER FOR BARPIRDHILA

ROBERT OWEN has donated this work to Modernisters For Barpirdhila - an online art sale commencing this evening raising money for the Barpirdhila Foundation, an Aboriginal-controlled not-for-profit organisation that develops, nurtures and supports Aboriginal Excellence within the arts and music sectors.

@modernistersfor is an instagram account created by Dean Keep and Jeromie Maver as a platform to raise awareness and funds for important issues in our community. Their latest drive is ‘ARTfair: Modernisters for Barpirdhila’, which asks a selection of contemporary artists to donate a postcard sized artwork. The postcard may be understood as an important means of bridging distance, fusing art and text to convey stories about our experience of place.

This work by Owen is from the series ‘Spent Light’ consisting of paintings and sculpture recycling all the masking tape he uses in the studio. Follow @modernistersfor to stay updated on this online art fair!

More information >

Robert Owen, ‘Binocular #3’ from the series Spent Light, 2020, acrylic paint, card, tape, 14.6 x 20.5 cm

Robert Owen, ‘Binocular #3’ from the series Spent Light, 2020, acrylic paint, card, tape, 14.6 x 20.5 cm

JULIE RRAP INTERVIEWED ON 'THE ART SHOW'

For those that missed the insightful interview with Julie Rrap on Wednesday, this week’s ‘The Art Show’ is now available to stream via the ABC Listen App and on the web HERE >⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Julie reflects on her formative years as a young artist living in Sydney and Europe, and using her own body in her art practice. “It’s not an identity thing - I’m not an artist who’s trying to reveal something about myself. I’ve often spoken about what I do as more of a trickster, I act as a kind of vehicle,” she says. “When I see myself in an image, it’s almost like the third person - it goes through this transformative process in the making of art. It’s a representation, it’s not me.”

Listen back to hear about Julie’s time working for photographer John Delacour, the evolution of her ‘Overstepping’ concept, her interest in Cindy Sherman’s use of masquerade, and the importance of female role models in the art world.

Swipe through for images of the works Julie refers to in the conversation!

CYRUS TANG WINS INCINERATOR ART AWARD

CYRUS TANG is one of the winners of The Incinerator Art Award 2020 with her video work I wish…

The Incinerator Art Award (IAA) is Incinerator Gallery’s annual art award and exhibition celebrating contemporary arts practices that are socially engaged, environmentally aware, and seek to enrich community through dynamic, creative practice.

Cyrus Tang, I wish…[still], 2019, 2 channel video projection.

Cyrus Tang, I wish…[still], 2019, 2 channel video projection.

Speaking of her selected work, Tang says, “In Chinese culture, the wishing tree is identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual value. The worshippers write their wishes on paper and throw it to the wishing tree. Since March 2019, there have been a series of protests in Hong Kong over the extradition bill which relates to human rights and rule of law protections. For the first time in Hong Kong history, riot police used tear gas and smoke bombs to beat back protesters. The fog that drifts through this scenery is not a romantic mist but a toxic cloud of tear gas, drifting in from recent scenes of demonstration against the extradition bill in Hong Kong. Will the “god” take notice of these wishes of the Hong Kong citizens and the hope behind them?”

Visit the finalist exhibition online HERE >

Cyrus’ prize includes a solo exhibition at Incinerator Gallery in 2021 - stay tuned for these details!

CYRUS TANG WINS MCCLELLAND SMALL SCULPTURE AWARD

A huge congratulations to CYRUS TANG who has won the inaugural McClelland National Small Sculpture Award!

Tang is one of four winners chosen by the judges from 320 submissions. Her work The Modern World Encyclopaedia Vol 2 (2017) presents the partially cremated pages of a 1936 encyclopaedia alongside its hardbound cover. The sculpture refers to collective cultural knowledge and its fragility.

McClelland Gallery established this new award as a way of supporting artists in the current moment. Its prescriptions encourage sculptural concepts suitable for a domestic scale, no more than 50cm at the largest dimension. “We believe collectors are increasingly interested in including three-dimensional artwork in their collections, and we are pleased to offer the works of all 44 finalists for sale via a digital catalogue,” said McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery Director, Lisa Byrne.

Be sure to check out the digital catalogue HERE.

Contact ARC ONE Gallery for more information about acquiring this work!

Cyrus Tang, The Modern World Encyclopaedia Vol 2, 2017, cremated book ashes, book cover and acrylic case, 40 x 40 x 45cm

Cyrus Tang, The Modern World Encyclopaedia Vol 2, 2017, cremated book ashes, book cover and acrylic case, 40 x 40 x 45cm