FUTURE EXHIBITIONS

PEEP: Glimpses of the last 4 decades from the

Kerry Stokes Collection

30 May - 25 August 2008

Alfred Jensen

Where the Gods Reside 1968

Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth

© Alfred Jensen 1968, /ARS. Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2008

Photograph by Adrian Lambert, Acorn Photo Agency, Perth (canvas II & III)

Photograph by Ellen Page Wilson (canvas I, IV, V, VII, VIII)

Mike Starn & Doug Starn

Mark Morrisroe with Chair 1985-1987

Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth

© Mike Starn, /ARS. Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2008.

Photograph courtesy of Sotheby's, London

Curated by the late John Stringer, the exhibition 'PEEP' surveys tendencies in Australian and International art since the 1960s, showcasing many works which have not been publicly shown in Australia before. 'PEEP' is a deeply personal journey that virtually spans John Stringer's long curatorial career.

Illustrating the diversity of art produced during the past four decades the exhibition focuses on the revival of imagery, content and social commentary towards the end of the second millennium. The exhibition begins with Pop, Op and pattern painting by internationally renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley and Alfred Jensen; the new realism of Philip Pearlstein; and minimal and conceptual art by artists such as Haim Steinbach and Walter de Maria. Moving to the 1980s and beyond reveals aspects of the media explosion revolutionising the character of art over the past two decades.

Western Australian artists feature strongly in the exhibition with works by Miriam Stannage, Howard Taylor, James Angus, Cecile Williams, Matthew Hunt, Christian de Vietri, Steve Tepper and Philip Gamblen.

Click Here for FREE Floor Talks in the' PEEP' Exhibition Space

Grace Crowley being modern

14 June - 21 September 2008

                                                                
'Grace Crowley: being modern' is an important retrospective exhibition of paintings and drawings by one of Australia's most influential modern artists. This is the first exhibition of Grace Crowley's work since 1975. It includes important works from public and private collections and traces her remarkable artistic journey from traditional landscapes to avant-garde experimentation and pure abstraction. The exhibition includes several recently rediscovered paintings and the largest number of Crowley's abstract paintings ever assembled, enabling a new appraisal of her achievement.                                                                             
  

 The National Gallery of Australia is an Australian Government agency             

Click Here for FREE Curator Floor Talk in the Exhibition Space

Frank Hinder

a study in dynamic symmetry  

14 June - 21 September 2008

Frank Hinder

Canberra cyclists

C1942

watercolour and pencil

51.8 x 70.8cm

State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Purchased 1970

This exhibition presents a selection of works on paper by Frank Hinder, drawn exclusively from the State Art Collection. The exhibition sets out to explore the key interests of Hinder who, with contemporaries including Grace Crowley, Ralph Balson and Rah Fizelle, contributed significantly to the development of modernist theories in Australian art. Hinder had been exposed to the theory of gynamic symmetry - the geometric and organic ordering of space - during a formative period in the US, and upon his return to Australia set out to explore this in his artistic practice.

The display concentrates on working sketches and watercolours made by Hinder just prior to his return to Sydney in 1934 and the immediate years that follow. The preparatory sketches reveal his interest in abstraction, form, construction and colour harmony and is organised according to themes that preoccupied Hinder including his admiration of the worker and the commuter.

Wonderlust       

New journeys Your collection

Begins 28 June 2008

'Wonderlust' is a dynamic new presentation of the State Art Collection, featuring Indigenous, Australian and international art, craft and design acquired since the Gallery's inception in 1895. This exhibition brings together painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper, craft and projections. These range in date from one of the earliest Western Australian works in the Collection, Frederick Garling's 1827 views of the Swan River to recent works of 2006-2007 such as Julie Dowling's painting of Indigenous resistance fighter, Yagan, contemporary sculpture by James Angus and Pru Venables' ceramics. Composed of the cream of the Collection, 'Wonderlust' will be an engaging, often enriching experience that opens up the Collection to fresh interpretation and appreciation.

Home

Frank Auerbach

Looking towards Mornington Crescent Station, Night

1972-1973

oil on hardboard

State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Purchased 1974

'Home' brings together images and objects that awaken ideas and feelings about our sense of place. the notion of home involves memory, history and human relationships as often embodied in material objects. this theme presents a variety of works of art which encourage us to think about how we relate to physical locations and how objects contribute to our sense of identity. Evoking delight in material creativity, 'Home' presents familiar objects and landscapes in new and playful ways.

This theme extends to the Police Court, which remains from the Centenary building's previous incarnation. In response to the building's history, works in the court room engage with issues around power and criminality.

Mapping

Richard morrell                                                                    

View of Fremantle, Western Australia. From Church Hill, East of the town. August 1832

1832                             

pen, ink and watercolour

21 x 32.5 cm                                                                                           

State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Purchased 1940

'Mapping' explores the physical, emotional, geographical and intellectual influences that shape how we understand and move through the places we live in. 

'Mapping' includes large-format, horizontal pieces that capture a sense of wonder in response to natural phenomena. These are contrasted with intimate jewellery items that mark the many ways objects map, flatter and frame our bodies.  Positioned between these extremes of scale are works of art charting the mythologies and modes of transport which define our experience of the world.  

Presence

Julie Dowling

Yagan

2006

acrylic and red ochre on canvas

State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Purchased through the Leah Jane Cohen Bequest, 2007

'Presence' is about relationships between people and place, cultural and emotional ties to the land, and stories of struggle and triumph.  Presence reflects Indigenous Australia’s determination to stay strong through tradition and by forging contemporary identities.

'Presence' explores the historic, and the here and now.  Preservation of important cultural knowledge and identity is reflected through the use of art to communicate, critique and comment on issues of social and personal significance. Works by non-Indigenous artists create a confronting dialogue about occupation and oppression, at the same time highlighting a shared appreciation of the landscape and natural environment.  'Presence' reveals a diversity of historical and contemporary Indigenous art that acknowledges influential communities and artists.

Story

Hilda Rix Nicholas

La Robe Chinoise

c 1913

oil on canvas

State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Purchased with funds from the Sir Claude Hotchin Art Foundation, 1994

'Story' is centred on works of art that depict the human figure, and encourages exploration of the different ways artists use the human form within a narrative. The stories range from those that recount the mundane events of daily life, to the great tales of myth, legend, religion and history.  These often use interacting figures to tell a story about the bonds between the individual and society, or offer models for behaviour.  In other works, single figures are used to symbolise a deeper moral or spiritual meaning or give physical form to emotional states. 

Material Gesture

James Angus

Bicycles

2007

State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Purchased with funds from the Sir Claude Hotchin Art Foundation, 2008

'Material Gesture' explores the fundamental roles of line and light in the physical creation of art.  The material presence, whether of painting, sculpture or drawing, is the key component or essence of the work.

Light, actual or representational, is often central to a work of art’s content. It can create perceptual effects or convey symbolic meanings, such as purity and harmony, or evoke natural forms, ceremonial markings and emblems.

Line is also an essential component of art and can be used as a conceptual and/or formal tool. Line can record the artist’s hand gestures and mark-making, or construct a systematic ordering of space and perception. 

Art in Bloom 2008

22 - 24 August 2008

Friends of the Art Gallery of Western Australia are proud to present their 9th biennial

installation of 'Art in Bloom' as part of the 2008 Winter Arts Festival.

More than 100 West Australians will become "floral artists" using thousands of flowers

and plants to create arrangements inspired by works from the State Art Collection.

'Art in Bloom' remains the only event of its kind in Australia and is a rare opportunity to

see and experience the State Art Collection in a completely different light.

An Opening Night Party will be held on Thursday 21 August. Tickets go on sale July 1

and can be purchased by calling the Friends Office on 9492 6750.

The exhibition then opens to the public over the weekend of August 22, 23 & 24.

The Gallery hours for this special event are from 9am - 5pm.

An $8.00 entry fee ($5.00 concession) applies to the Gallery for the weekend event.

Proceeds raised are used by the Friends of the Art Gallery to assist with acquiring new

artworks for the State Art Collection.

click here for more information on Friends of the Art Gallery of Western Australia