Art & Land: Contemporary Australian Visions
Curated by Kevin Wilson of Noosa Regional Gallery Art & Land: Contemporary Australian Visions is an exhibition of 21 Australian artists who explore a wide array of cultural issues around the idea of the land through painting, drawing, sculpture and sound. The exhibition toured to five venues in Asia in Thailand, Laos and The Philippines in 2000 and continued touring in Australia in 2001.
| Scott Avery, Qld Irene Briant, Tas Greg Creek, Vic Fiona Foley, Qld Mary Napangardi Gallagher, NT Christine James, ACT Catherine K, NSW David Keeling, Tas Leah King-Smith, Qld Ingo Kleinert, ACT |
Danny McDonald, Vic Victor Meetens, NSW Harry Nankin, Vic Patrick Pound, Vic Gregory Pryor, Vic Walala Tjapaltjarri, NT Kevin Todd, Qld David Wadelton, Vic Heather Winter, Qld John Wolseley, |
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Australia is famous for its natural resources and spectacular scenery and is almost as famous for its artistic interpretation of these. Aboriginal depiction of the landscape has existed since long before recorded history and European landscape painting began before settlement. In many ways the genre of 'Landscape' has become a cliché, so common is its expression, however Kevin Wilson, and the artists he has brought together to form Art & Land, have provided a fresh vision of our country. He says that: |
Mary Napangardi Gallagher, Untitled, 1987, acrylic on linen, 122 x 92cm |
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Ingo Kleinert, Midden 1 |
'My work comes from and is about the land, country and place. It is about time and change and our relationship and position within those elements. In my work I aim to convey through structure, form and material, our dependence on both our natural and urban environment. The material, be it corrugated iron or weathered wood, is central to the meaning and aesthetic of my work.' Ingo Kleinert |
The exhibition toured to three venues in Thailand- the Chiang Mai Contemporary Art Gallery, Chiang Mai University; the Art Gallery of the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts, Silpakorn University, Bangkok; and the Art and Culture Museum, Khon Kaen University. It then travelled to the Lao Cultural Hall in Vientiane, the first Asialink exhibition ever to tour to Laos. Its final overseas destination was the premier art gallery of The Philippines, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
The exhibition continues to tour to 10 venues across Australia in 2001.
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Installation at the Lao Cultural Hall, Vientiane |
'The Australian Embassy, Vientiane was delighted to have the opportunity to present Art & Land to a Lao audience. According to the Ministry of Information and Culture it was the most significant art exhibition to tour Laos in ten years. A visit to the exhibition would have been an unfamiliar experience for many Lao, so we were encouraged by the level of patronage which it enjoyed. The exhibition was perceived by local officials as a highly significant cultural exchange between Australia and Laos, and it was undoubtedly successful in promoting a greater awareness of Australia and its cultural and natural assets among a Lao audience.' Jeff Roach, Second Secretary (Political), Australian Embassy, Vientiane. |
A priority of this project was to raise the expertise and provide opportunities to regional arts personnel whose organizations would not necessarily be able to support them for overseas travel. Myer Foundation funding was awarded directly to Noosa Regional Gallery to invite curators from similar galleries and to develop substantial links with Asian countries, their galleries and artists.
Kevin Wilson of Noosa Regional Gallery, John Walsh, Gallery Manager of Gold Coast City Art Gallery and Jacquelyn Murphy, Community Arts Officer, Brisbane City Council, all took up the opportunity to travel with Art & Land and brought considerable skills to the display and interpretation of the exhibition. Two of the artists in the exhibition, Kevin Todd and Heather Winter, also toured with the exhibition to Khon Kaen and Manila respectively. Both received funding from their teaching institutions to enable them to do some strategic work for their organizations in conjunction with their exhibition responsibilities.
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Heather Winter (exhibiting artist) opens Art & Land at the Art and Culture Museum, Khon Kaen University
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Art & Land was able promote the work of contemporary Australian artists and through this, a diverse range of philosophical, cultural and political issues held by the contributors. The issues contained within the core of the works provoked discussion and prompted new writing.
As a touring exhibition travelling to multiple venues, Art & Land also provided a vehicle to foster relationships between many people, including those who were directly connected with the exhibition as well as those who shared similar experiences
| 'I found Art & Land to be a lovely exhibition - the art works were beautiful and exciting, and I was proud to be presenting such an exhibition of Australian art in an international setting. I feel the variety of art forms and concepts presented provided a good introduction to contemporary Australian art.' Jacquelyn Murphy, Brisbance City Council |
| Fiona Foley, Spiral Presence, Coloured Sand, 1997, wooden boxes, glass bottles, sand, paint on canvas |