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 Avoiding Myth and Message: Australian Artists and the Literary World
MCA: Museum of Contemporary Art Circular Quay West, Sydney Until July 12, 2009 The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney houses a number of fantastic examples of Australian art that speak volumes about struggles, passions and changing artistic directions. With literature and art being two of my favourite subjects I was very keen to see the current show, Avoiding Myth and Message: Australian Artists and the Literary World. Drawn primarily from pieces in the museum’s permanent collection, as well as works from a number of key loans, the exhibition explores the intersection of word and image in a myriad of ways. Artists throughout time have been influenced by literary references. Some have been inspired by words or by particular poets or writers. Destiny Deacon’s works are shown in the exhibition alongside blak poet Lisa Bellear. Written in bold across a wall next to Deacon’s photographic pieces the two artists share a desire to question Aboriginality. The words and images coalesce emphasising the struggles implicit in representing ‘difference’. Some artists use text directly in their work. Examples of these include the wonderful abstracted road signs of Rosalie Gascoigne. In her hands, found objects and materials become a form of poetry. Across one wall Jenny Watson’s painted panels using words and images take the viewer on a surreal journey through her stream of consciousness. The linkage of text and image can be related at one particular point in the exhibition to an historical era. In the 70s, artists such as Peter Kennedy expanded on art by introducing music, poetry, theory and performance. His work, alongside artists such as Mike Parr, displays a fluidity that was born of a decade in which many buried voices began to emerge. Gay artists, feminist artists and artists exploring race and culture began using language as a way of communicating new realities, while also deconstructing the norms of society. Micky Allan’s poster works are included in the show, emphasising how art and language combined to reclaim a feminist voice. The desire to understand language and its power in our society became a focal point for artists such as Gordon Bennett. His meticulous paintings offered a new look at the portrayal of indigenous people throughout Australia’s history. His piece in the exhibition is specifically about the power of words to erase black history. Younger, more unknown artists, are also included in the exhibition, such as Patrick Hartigan, Vanessa Berry and Sandra Selig. Avoiding Myth and Message is a fascinating exhibition that brings together in a thematic fashion, works from Australia’s rich visual and literary history. www.mca.com.au Photo: Tiger Tiger 1987 (detail) by Rosalie Gascoigne retro-reflective road signs on plywood diptych, each panel 112 x 112 cm
Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of Loti and Victor Smorgon, 1995 © the artist
Image courtesy Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney © the artist’s estate
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