The Art of Friendship
This exhibition marked the opening of the new cultural precinct in Lane Cove. The curatorium was led by Guy Warren, and the exhibition was a selection of works by Warren and his friends and colleagues. This made for quite a mixture (almost all rectangles on walls), and I was very conscious of the choices I made, what attracted me, as I moved around the gallery.
The standard apology for photos with odd angles. There were a lot of reflections to battle.
Margot Goodall
Within The Gorge
Margot Goodall
Secret Waterhole
Two small collographs by Margot Goodall were modest but beautiful little worlds. Shapes, composition, texture. Quite simply, I wanted to run home and start printing.
Jim Croke
Slowly Falling
Jim Croke
Slowly Falling (detail)
I struggled with Jim Croke’s large (160 x 150 x 10 cm) steel piece. Of course it uses material similar to material I use. It reminded of some of Tracey Deep’s work (29-Sep-2016). I had to do a lot of letting go to see it (probably not entirely successfully). The apparent horizontal lines give a stability – I find it hard to accept it as “slowly falling”. The unruly curls are tightly contained in the rows, the rectangle. I found focusing on rhythm my best entry point.
Peter Kingston
Zoo Ferry, 0
Peter Kingston
Zoo Ferry, 0 (detail)
Peter Kingston
Zoo Ferry, 0 (detail)
This hand-coloured and wash etching was very exciting. The lines of the etching are so flowing and energetic. So much is done with very little. Then more energy and luminous colour from the wash, layers and depth. Plus so absolutely Sydney. I’m sure I remember seeing Kingston’s work before and being excited – I’m thinking in the Destination Sydney at Mosman – but haven’t been able to track down the catalogue on my shelves. The crisp, deep mark of the press, framing the main area of the picture, increased the thrill of the splatters of paint.
Luke Sciberras
Curlewee Point
Euan Macleod
Crossing Figures, (Golden Hills)
Sciberras had such Australian colours and forms, in addition to the name. I find the divide down the centre of the picture, the contrast of the two parts, disturbing, unsettling.
There is so much more space in Macleod’s painting compared to the claustrophobic beaches of Belle Ile. The ghostly figures seem more animated to me, striding purposefully across the frame. That thin stripe of green at the bottom gives them support and solidity, and together with the golden hills and many of the colours in the water it’s bright and … well, not exactly cheerful but not gloomy and brooding.
Chris Gentle
Rozelle Bay
Chris Gentle
Rozelle Bay (detail)
Chris Gentle’s painting zings with colour and vibrant lines. (I wouldn’t normally describe a line as “vibrant”, but here it seems right). The composition seems static – a few zippy diagonals, a jagged line, but nothing really seems to be heading anywhere. But the colour and marks fizz!
ARTPark @ Gallery Lane Cove: An Exhibition of contemporary sculptures
This exhibition of nine sculptures is on the terrace of the gallery. ARTPark Australia constantly runs sculpture exhibitions in Australia. Constantly in that when an exhibition ends the works are moved for display at the next venue. They are bringing sculpture to the people, which seems a pretty worthy goal. These are “high quality collectable sculpture suited for placement in commercial foyers, luxury homes and innovative garden design” (from the website).
None of it attracted or excited or drew me. The sculptures weren’t big exactly, but they were all a bit more than domestic in scale. They were pretty much static, balanced. Durable.
It was quite enlightening really, to go to an exhibition that I thought would grab me but didn’t.
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